Ontario Highway 24

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Highway 24

Map
Highway 24 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length64.1 km[1] (39.8 mi)
ExistedJuly 2, 1927[2]–present
Major junctions
South end Highway 3 in Simcoe
Major intersections Highway 403 in Brantford
North endCambridge south limits
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Major citiesSimcoe, Paris, Brantford, Cambridge
Highway system
← Highway 23→ Highway 26
Former provincial highways
Highway 25  →

King's Highway 24, commonly referred to as Highway 24, is a highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that currently begins at Highway 3 in Simcoe, and ends at the southern city limits of Cambridge. The south–north route travels through Brantford, as well as the community of Scotland. Outside of those communities, Highway 24 travels through a predominantly agricultural area.

Highway 24 was established in 1927 between Simcoe and Guelph. Between 1936 and 1938, it was extended northeast to Collingwood, as well as south from Simcoe to Port Dover. Much of the section of highway between Caledon Village and Collingwood followed Hurontario Street, with the section of that historic route from Orangeville and Glen Huron being bypassed. Construction of a new route between Simcoe and Brantford took place in the mid-1960s, bypassing the town of Waterford.

In 1997 and 1998, the majority of Highway 24 – both south of Simcoe, as well as north of and through Cambridge – was transferred to the responsibility of the various counties and regions through which it travelled. The former sections of the route are now known as Norfolk County Road 24, Waterloo Regional Road 24, Peel Regional Road 24, and County Road 124 in Wellington, Dufferin, Grey and Simcoe Counties.

Route description

Highway 24 descends into the Grand River valley south of Cambridge

Highway 24 begins at Highway 3 in the town of Simcoe. The highway once continued south, but this has since been transferred to local jurisdiction and is now Norfolk County Highway 24.[1][3] Within Simcoe, it is maintained under a Connecting Link agreement for approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi).[1] North of the town, Highway 24 travels in a straight line northward through Norfolk County, with farmland dominating the surroundings. As the highway approaches the community of Scotland, it enters Brant County. It turns northeast and bypasses to the east of the community, then meanders through thick forests for several kilometres. It returns to farmland and curves northward before intersecting former Highway 53 (Colborne Street West) near Brantford Municipal Airport.[3][4]

A short distance north of former Highway 53, which is now known as Brant County Highway 53, Highway 24 encounters an interchange with Highway 403 (Exit 27) south of Paris.[3] The route joins concurrently with Highway 403 for 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) east into Brantford. Highway 24 splits from Highway 403 to resume its northward orientation at the King George Road interchange (Exit 36). The highway is maintained under a Connecting Link agreement for 2.2 kilometers (1.4 mi) north of Highway 403, serving as a principal business route through the northern portion of the city.[1][4] Between Brantford and Cambridge, Highway 24 is a busy two lane rural highway that has played host to frequent collisions, prompting a Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) investigation into possible upgrades to the stretch.[5]

Highway 24 is generally straight and flat as it progresses north through the agricultural countryside of Brant County, but suddenly drops into the Grand River Valley as it enters the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. It follows the river along its eastern bank towards Cambridge, ending at the southern city limits.[1][3][4] Within Wellington, Dufferin, Grey and Simcoe counties, the former route of Highway 24 is now designated as County Road 124, while in Waterloo and Peel Regions the route is designated Regional Road 24. Within Wellington County, there is also an unrelated County Road 24.[3]

History

Hespeler Road was constructed as a bypass for Highway 24, only to be transferred to the Region of Waterloo in 1998

Highway 24 was first designated on July 2, 1927, when the Department of Highways (DHO) assumed the road between Highway 3 at Simcoe and Highway 2 in Brantford, as well as the road connecting Highway 2 in Paris with Highway 6 in Guelph, via Galt (Cambridge), as a new provincial highway. In addition, a concurrency was established with Highway 2 between Brantford and Paris.[2] Highway 24 originally entered Brantford along Mount Pleasant Street, before turning northeast onto Oxford Street (renamed Colborne Street West circa 1947[6][7]), thence northwest concurrently with Highway 2 (Brant Avenue / Paris Road) to Paris. At Church Street in Paris, it branched from Highway 2 north along Dumfries Street and then Grand River Street towards Cambridge.[8] On June 4, 1930 a more direct routing between Brantford and Cambridge was established; the route between Paris and Cambridge was renumbered as Highway 24A.[9] As a result, the concurrency between Highway 2 and Highway 24 was reduced, with Highway 24 now departing Highway 2 in Brantford, along St. Paul Avenue and King George Road.[10]

On September 9, 1936, the highway was extended south from Simcoe to Lake Erie then east to Highway 6 in Port Dover. This was followed several months later by an extension from Guelph through Erin to the Wellington–Peel county boundary, which was assumed on March 31, 1937.[11] On August 11, 1937, the DHO designated the Shelburne to Collingwood Road as Highway 24.[12] The highway turned east at Singhampton and continued to near Glen Huron, where it curved back north to rejoin Hurontario until its terminus in Collingwood. This left a large gap in the highway, including the terminus near Erin that did not end at a provincial highway. This was remedied eight months later when the DHO assumed several county roads in Peel County (now the Regional Municipality of Peel) on April 13, 1938. This established Highway 24 between the county boundary and Orangeville, via Alton, as well as Highway 51 between Highway 10 in Caledon Village and Coulterville.[13] In addition, Highway 10 and Highway 24 were signed concurrently between Orangeville and Shelburne.[14] By 1963, the segment of Highway 24 through Alton was redesignated as Highway 136, as Highway 24 was re-routed along a redesignated Highway 51 towards Highway 10 in that year.[15][16]

Construction of a new route for Highway 24 between Simcoe and Brantford began on October 9, 1963.[17] While originally intended to be an extension of Highway 24A between Simcoe and Paris,[18] it would instead serve as a rerouting of Highway 24 upon completion as far north as the Highway 53 junction south of Paris by 1968.[19] In 1970, the southern terminus of Highway 24 was rerouted southwest to end at Highway 59 near Walsingham, with Highway 6 absorbing the short length west of Port Dover to Halfway House Corners.[20][21]

As part of a series of budget cuts initiated by premier Mike Harris under his Common Sense Revolution platform in 1995, numerous highways deemed to no longer be of significance to the provincial network were decommissioned and responsibility for the routes transferred to a lower level of government, a process referred to as downloading. Portions of Highway 24 were consequently transferred to local jurisdictions in 1997 and 1998. On April 1, 1997, the southernmost section, between Highway 59 and Highway 3 at Simcoe, was transferred to Norfolk County.[22] On January 1, 1998, the section north of Cambridge, through Waterloo and onward to Collingwood, was transferred to the various counties and regions through which it travelled.[23]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 24, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[1] 

DivisionLocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
NorfolkWalsingham−32.1−51.7 County Highway 59 – Port Rowan, TillsonburgDecommissioned in 1997
Simcoe0.00.0 Highway 3 – Delhi, JarvisBeginning of Simcoe Connecting Link agreement
2.54.0End of Simcoe Connecting Link agreement
​3.76.0Old Highway 24 – Waterford
Round Plains9.114.6 County Road 9
County of Brant18.730.1Burford–Delhi Townline Road
Module:Jctint/CAN warning: Unused argument(s): municipality
19.731.7 County Road 4 (Vanessa Road)
Brantford31.250.2Brant County Highway 53 (Colborne Street West)Former Highway 53
Module:Jctint/CAN warning: Unused argument(s): municipality
36.057.9 Highway 403 west – London
45.072.4 Highway 403 east – HamiltonBeginning of Brantford Connecting Link
County of Brant47.276.0 County Road 23 (Powerline Road)End of Brantford Connecting Link
Module:Jctint/CAN warning: Unused argument(s): municipality
49.279.2County Highway 5 west – Paris / County Highway 99 east – HamiltonBeginning of former Highway 5 concurrency
52.784.8 County Road 35 west (Blue Lake Road) / County Highway 5 east – BurlingtonEnd of former Highway 5 concurrency
59.395.4 County Road 144 (Lockie Road)
WaterlooNorth Dumfries
64.1103.2Cambridge city limits
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Closed/former

Suffixed routes

Highway 24A

Highway 24A

LocationParis – Bannister Lake Complex
Length7.6 km[22] (4.7 mi)
ExistedJune 4, 1930[9]–April 1, 1997[22]
Map of Highway 24A, circa 1996[24]

Highway 24A was the original route of Highway 24 within what is now Brant County. The route travelled north from Paris to just north of the South Dumfries–North Dumfries boundary, ending at the southern edge of the Bannister Lake Complex in Waterloo Region.[24] While Highway 24 was rerouted to the east on June 4, 1930,[9] the Highway 24A designation did not become official until 1933, with two forks of Highway 24 existing prior to then.[25] Following the formation of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in the mid-1970s, the portion of Highway 24A north of the regional boundary was decommissioned, becoming Waterloo Regional Road 75.[3] The route remained unchanged until April 1, 1997, when it was transferred in its entirety to Brant County.[22] It is now known as Brant County Highway 24A.[3]

See also

Hurontario Street

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Appendix No. 6 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections of the Provincial Highway System for the Years 1926 and 1927". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1928. pp. 59–61. Retrieved February 2, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. pp. 10, 16–17, 22, 29. §§ A23–W27. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
  4. ^ a b c Google (November 30, 2021). "Highway 24 – Length and Route" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Ball, Vincent (December 7, 2020). "MTO making safety improvements to Highway 24 intersection". Brantford Expositor. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by J.W. Whitelaw. Ontario Department of Highways. 1947. Brantford inset. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  7. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1948. Brantford inset. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  8. ^ Brantford, Ontario – Map Sheet 40 P/1 (Map) (4 ed.). 1:63,360. Cartography by Geographical Section. Department of National Defence. 1934. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Appendix 5 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1931. p. 76.
  10. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Ontario Department of Highways. 1931–32. Brantford inset. Retrieved December 11, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  11. ^ "Appendix 4 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1937. p. 51. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1938. pp. 80–81.
  13. ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1939. p. 84.
  14. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Ontario Department of Highways. 1939–40. Mileage Tables inset. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  15. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1961. §§ S32–33. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  16. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1962. §§ S32–33. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  17. ^ "Start Building 70-MPH Road". The Windsor Star. Vol. 91, no. 32. October 9, 1963. p. 24. Retrieved March 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1965. §§ T–U32. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  19. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1968. §§ W–X21. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
  20. ^ 1970 Ontario Road map. Sections X–Y21
  21. ^ 1971 Ontario Road map. Sections X–Y21
  22. ^ a b c d Highway Transfers List (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. April 1, 1997. pp. 2, 4.
  23. ^ Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What" (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. June 20, 2001. pp. 3, 5–6, 13, 15.
  24. ^ a b Golden Horseshoe StreetFinder (Map). 1:250,000. Cartography by Rand McNally. Allmaps Canada. 1996. p. 248. § H25.
  25. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Ontario Department of Highways. 1933–34. Mileage Tables inset. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.

External links

Highway 24 expansion
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