View source for Ontario Provincial Highway Network

{{short description|Highway network of Ontario, Canada}}
{{Redirect|King's Highways||King's Highway (disambiguation){{!}}King's Highway}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{infobox state highway system
| country    = CAN
| type       = Hwy
| title      = Ontario Provincial Highway Network
| shields    = [[File:Ontario 17.svg|70x100px|alt=Ontario Highway 17 shield]][[File:Ontario 401.svg|70x100px|alt=Ontario Highway 401 shield]][[File:Ontario Highway 600.svg|x75px|alt=Ontario Highway 600 shield]][[File:Ontario Highway 800.svg|75px|alt=Ontario Highway 800 shield]]
| caption    = [[Highway shield|Highway markers]] for King's Highway{{nbsp}}17, King's Highway{{nbsp}}401, Secondary Highway{{nbsp}}600, and Tertiary Highway&nbsp;800
| map        = 
| map_notes  = 
| map_alt    = 
| maint      = the [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario|MTO]]
| length_km  = 16900
| length_ref = <ref name="km">{{cite web | title = Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts | author = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario | author-link = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario | year = 2016 | url = https://www.library.mto.gov.on.ca/SydneyPLUS/TechPubs/Portal/tp/tvSplash.aspx | access-date = March 13, 2021}}</ref><ref group=GIS name="network-GIS" />
| formed     = {{start date|1920|02|26}}{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=74–75}}
| label1     = Types
| field1     = 
* King's Highway n (2–169)
* Secondary Highway n (500–673)
* Tertiary Road n (800–813)
| links      = ON
}}
The '''Ontario Provincial Highway Network''' consists of all the roads in [[Ontario]] maintained by the [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]] (MTO), including those designated as part of the King's Highway, secondary highways, and tertiary roads. Components of the system—comprising {{convert|16,900|km|-2}} of roads and 2,880 bridges<ref group=GIS name="network-GIS">{{cite web

 | title       = Ontario Road Network - Ontario Provincial Highways
 | author1     = [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]] Geomatics Office
 | author2     = Land Information Ontario
 | date        = December 10, 2020
 | url         = https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=21d0776a5fb347728a3c79a0d7ace051
 | website     = [[ArcGIS.com]]
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref>—range in scale from [[Highway&nbsp;401]], the busiest highway in North America, to unpaved forestry and mining access roads. The longest highway is nearly {{convert|2,000|km|-2}} long, while the shortest is less than a kilometre. Some roads are [[unsigned highway]]s, lacking signage to indicate their maintenance by the MTO; these may be remnants of highways that are still under provincial control whose designations were [[decommissioned highway|decommissioned]], roadway segments left over from realignment projects, or proposed highway corridors.

Predecessors to today's modern highways include the foot trails and [[portage]]s used by [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|indigenous peoples]] in the time before European settlement. Shortly after the creation of the Province of [[Upper Canada]] in 1791, the new government under [[John Graves Simcoe]] built overland military roads to supplement water-based transportation, including [[Yonge Street]] and [[Dundas Street]]. At the time, road construction was under the control of the [[geographic township|township]] and [[County (Canada)|county]] governments. Local township roads were financed and constructed through a statute labour system that required landowners to make improvements in lieu of taxes. Private companies constructed [[corduroy road|corduroy]] and later [[plank road]]s and charged [[toll road|tolls]] in the second half of the 19th century. The rising popularity of the bicycle led to the formation of the Ontario Good Roads Association, which advocated for the improvement of roads and recreation as the automobile rose to prominence.

By the early 20th century, the province had taken interest in road improvement and began funding it through counties. The increasing adoption of the automobile resulted in the formation of the Department of Public Highways of Ontario (DPHO) in 1916. The passing of the ''[[Canada Highways Act]]'' in 1919 resulted in the establishment of a provincial network of highways. The DPHO assigned internal highway numbers to roads in the system, and in 1925, the numbers were signposted along the roads and marked on maps. In 1930, provincial highways were renamed ''King's Highways'' and the familiar crown route markers created. The DPHO was also renamed the Department of Highways (DHO).

The 1930s saw several major depression relief projects built by manual labour, including the first inter-city divided highway in North America along [[the Middle Road]], which would become the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] in 1939. In 1937, the DHO merged with the [[Department of Northern Development]], extending the highway network into the [[Canadian Shield]] and [[Northern Ontario]]. Significant traffic engineering and surveying through the [[World War II|war years]], during which construction came to a near standstill, led to the planning and initial construction of [[controlled-access highway]]s. The [[400-series highways]] were built beginning in the late 1940s and numbered in 1952.

The vast majority of modern road infrastructure in Ontario was built throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. The cancellation of the [[Spadina Expressway]] and the introduction of the [[Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks|''Environmental Assessment Act'']] in the 1970s resulted in a decline in new highway construction in the decades since. In the late 1990s, nearly {{convert|5,000|km}} of provincial highways were transferred, or "downloaded" back to lower levels of government. Few new provincial highways have been built in the early years of the 21st century, although several major infrastructure projects including the [[Herb Gray Parkway]] and expansion of [[Ontario Highway 69|Highway&nbsp;69]] have proceeded. Recent construction has included the controversial [[Bradford Bypass]] and [[Ontario Highway 413|Highway&nbsp;413]].

== Naming, signage and regulations ==
[[File:Ontario Road Map, 1923 (I0050469).jpg|thumb|The very first Ontario Road Map published in 1923
(see also: [[:File:1923 Ontario Road Map rear.png|rear side]])]]
In Ontario, all public roads are legally considered highways under the ''Highway Traffic Act'' (HTA), which sets forth regulations for traffic, or the [[Traffic#Rules of the road|rules of the road]].<ref name="HTA">{{cite web

 | title       = Highway Traffic Act; R.S.O. 1990, Chapter H.8, s. 1
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK0
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref> The ''Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act'' (PTHIA) sets forth the regulations concerning roads that are under the authority of the Province of Ontario. The act distinguishes and sets out the applicability of the HTA to provincial highways, which are designated as part of The King's Highway (primary), a secondary highway, or a tertiary road. Tertiary roads may also be designated as a resource road, allowing for vehicles otherwise prohibited from public roads. Industrial roads are privately owned routes with which the MTO has entered an agreement to improve or allow public access, and are not considered part of the provincial highway network.<ref name="PTHIA">{{cite web

 | title       = Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act; R.S.O. 1990, Chapter P.50, parts I–VI
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90p50
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref> The [[Ontario Highway 407|407 ETR]] is likewise not considered part of the provincial highway network. While it is still subject to the rules set forth by the HTA, it is otherwise governed independently under the legislation of the ''Highway 407 Act''.<ref>{{cite web

 | title       = Highway 407 Act; S.O. 1998, Chapter 28, s. 12
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/98h28#BK13
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref>

Speed limits on provincial highways are legislated by sections of the road, and vary between {{convert|50|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} and {{convert|110|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}. Freeways, including the 400-series highways, are generally signed at {{convert|100|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}, although sections exist that are signed lower.<ref name="speed-limits">{{cite web

 | title       = Speed Limits; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 619, s. 1; O. Reg. 319/19, s. 1
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/900619
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref><ref group=GIS name="speed-limits-data">{{cite web

 | title       = Speed Limits in Ontario
 | author1     = [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]] Geomatics Office
 | author2     = Land Information Ontario
 | date        = May 7, 2020
 | url         = https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=68a87df9a8344d0691bce3f05315dffa
 | website     = [[ArcGIS.com]]
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref> Three segments of freeway are part of an ongoing pilot project to test speed limits of 110{{nbsp}}km/h in rural areas that are not subject to congestion. A fourth segment, located in [[Northern Ontario]], was set to be announced in 2020, but has been delayed since.<ref>{{cite news

 | title       = Ontario's Increased Speed Limit Pilot Finds Wide Public Support 
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | date        = March 11, 2020
 | url         = https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/56243/ontarios-increased-speed-limit-pilot-finds-wide-public-support
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref>

=== Marker design ===
[[File:01HWY_6.JPG|thumb|right|This marker assembly at an intersection with [[Ontario Highway 6|Highway&nbsp;6]] features junction crowns and trailblazer shields directing traffic to several highways, and illustrates the increasingly common use of shields in junction assemblies; the colours on the QEW arrow plate are inverted]]
Ontario uses two distinct shapes of signage to mark the King's Highways. Confirmation markers, or [[reassurance marker]]s, are utilized along the designated road to confirm (near intersections) or reassure (elsewhere) drivers that they are on the correct route. The markers, known as ''shields'', feature the route number within an outline in the [[Heater shield|shape of a shield]], topped by a [[St Edward's Crown]]. In other cases, particularly when approaching the junction of another highway, a square ''crown'' marker is used, featuring the route number within an outline of the St Edward's Crown, paired with an arrow plate; exit signs on freeways and at major junctions also use this crown symbol. For secondary highways, the route number is within an outline of an [[isosceles trapezoid]], while tertiary roads place the number within an outline of a rectangle. When these markers appear along or at an intersection with the indicated highway, they feature black text on a reflective white background. There are two exceptions to this: The QEW, which features blue text on a yellow background; and the provincially maintained section of the tolled [[Ontario Highway 407|Highway 407]], which feature white text on a blue background, with an orange plate with ''TOLL'' below in black.
Signs prior to 1993 had the words "The King's Highway" below the crown, but current versions do not have the words.<ref name="otm">{{cite book
 |title        = Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 8, Volume 1 - Guide and Information Signs
 |author       = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 |publisher    = Government of Ontario
 |date         = May 2010
 |volume       = 1
 |url          = http://www.directtraffic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Book-81.pdf
 |access-date  = March 8, 2021
 |archive-date = March 8, 2016
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160308150328/http://www.directtraffic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Book-81.pdf
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>

In addition to regular highway markers, there are trailblazers, which indicate a route ''towards'' that highway. These are the same shape as their corresponding highway marker. Trailblazers for the King's Highway, which can be shields or crowns, feature white text on a reflective green background, with the exception of trailblazers for the QEW, which feature yellow text on a reflective blue background. For secondary highways, trailblazers simply add the word "TO" above the route number.<ref name="otm" />

Since August 2004, "Highway of Heroes" shields featuring a diagram of a [[poppy]] have been posted along Highway{{nbsp}}401 between [[Toronto]] and [[CFB Trenton]]. These were erected to honour fallen Canadian soldiers, whose bodies were repatriated from [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] in funeral convoys along that stretch of the highway.<ref name="ctvHoH">{{cite web

 |title        = Stretch of 401 to be renamed 'Highway of Heroes'
 |publisher    = CTV Toronto
 |date         = August 24, 2007
 |url          = https://www.ctvnews.ca/stretch-of-401-to-be-renamed-highway-of-heroes-1.253817
 |access-date  = February 3, 2010
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110106172043/http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070824/online_petition_070824/20070824/?hub=TorontoHome
 |archive-date = January 6, 2011}}</ref>

{{multiple image|align=center|image1=Ontario 17 crown.svg|width1=100|caption1=A King's Highway junction shield|image3=Ontario_QEW.svg|width3=100|caption3=A blue-on-yellow QEW reassurance marker|image4=Ontario 407 Toll.svg|width4=100|caption4=A King's Highway toll route shield with toll tab|image5=Ontario M102.svg|width5=100|caption5=A trailblazer shield|image6=Ontario M103.svg|width6=100|caption6=Queen Elizabeth Way trailblazer|image7=Highway_of_Heroes.svg|width7=100|caption7=Highway of Heroes shield|image8=407 Express Toll Route Traffic Sign.svg|width8=100|caption8=A 407 Express Toll Route (407 ETR) reassurance marker|image9=407 ETR svg format.svg|width9=100|caption9=407 ETR trailblazer}}

<!-- incorporate into history
=== Speed limits ===
Ontario's first provincial legislation governing automobile use came into effect in 1903, which included a {{convert|15|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} speed limit. The first provincial Highway Traffic Act passed in 1923 changed the speed limit for highways to {{convert|25|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web

 | title       = History of Ministry of Transportation
 | author      = Ministry of Transportation
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | website     = www.mto.gov.on.ca
 | url         = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/mto-100/index.shtml#1960s
 | access-date = }}</ref>
 
Limits were later increased, for rural roads, to {{convert|50|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} and then again to {{convert|60|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}. In 1968 the maximum speed limit for freeways was raised to {{convert|70|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}. In 1976 the maximum speed limit for freeways was reduced to 60{{nbsp}}mph, while the rural limit was reduced to 50{{nbsp}}mp, except for main highways running through northern Ontario which were reduced to {{convert|55|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}.

In 1977, highways started using the metric system with speeds being increased slightly to a maximum ranging from 80&nbsp;km/h to 100&nbsp;km/h (62&nbsp;mph).

In 2015, the Ontario government announced a plan to reduce residential speed limits from the statutory default 50&nbsp;km/h, either by reducing the statutory limit to 40&nbsp;km/h or by giving municipalities the option to set their own statutory speed limits, as well as allowing posted speed limits in school zones to be lowered to 30&nbsp;km/h.<ref>{{cite news

 | title        = Lower residential speed limit considered by Ontario government
 | work         = CBC News Ottawa
 | date         = January 29, 2015
 | url          = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lower-residential-speed-limit-considered-by-ontario-government-1.2936050
 | access-date  = December 9, 2015
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151204194551/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lower-residential-speed-limit-considered-by-ontario-government-1.2936050
 | archive-date = December 4, 2015 }}</ref>

In mid-September 2019, speeds limits were increased to 110&nbsp;km/h (68&nbsp;mph) as part of a [[pilot (experiment)|pilot]] across [[Ontario Highway 402|Highway 402]] from [[London, Ontario|London]] to [[Sarnia]], the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] from [[St. Catharines]] to [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], and [[Ontario Highway 417|Highway 417]] from [[Ottawa]]/[[Gloucester, Ontario|Gloucester]] to the Ontario/Quebec border.<ref>{{cite web

 | url          = https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2019/05/ontario-introduces-speed-limit-pilots-and-consultations.html
 | title        = Ontario Introduces Speed Limit Pilots and Consultations
 | website      = news.ontario.ca}}</ref>-->

== Classification ==
Ontario has several distinct classes of highways:<ref name="classification" group="GIS">{{cite web

 | title       = Ontario Road Network - MTO Jurisdiction by Highway Shield Type
 | author1     = [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]] Geomatics Office
 | author2     = Land Information Ontario
 | date        = November 13, 2019
 | url         = https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=baef89eb71ae4c458985764971b8c278
 | website     = [[ArcGIS.com]]
 | access-date = March 14, 2021}}</ref>
{{anchor|King|Kings|King's|King's Highway|Kings Highways}}<!-- [[King's Highway (Ontario)]] redirects here, others are for section links from various lists-->

=== The King's Highway ===
[[File:QEW_and_Hwy_403_Concurrency.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Reassurance markers for the QEW and Highway&nbsp;403 [[concurrency (road)|concurrency]]]]
[[List of Ontario provincial highways#King's Highways|The King's Highway]] is the primary highway network of Ontario, and constitutes the majority of the principal inter-urban roadways in the province. As a whole, it is referred to in the singular form as opposed to as a group of its parts (i.e. "the King's Highway", not "the King's Highways").<ref name="PTHIA" /><ref name="speed-limits" />
Individual highways are known as "part of the King's Highway" or "the King's Highway known as ''n''".<ref name="speed-limits" /><ref>{{cite web

 | title       = Restricted Use of the King's Highway; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 609, s. 1
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/900609/v11
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref>
However, in common parlance they are simply referred to as "Highway ''n''".<ref name="511portal">{{cite web

 | title       = Traveller Road Information Portal
 | website     = Ontario 511
 | url         = https://511on.ca/
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref> Ontario highways rank second safest in North America for fatality rates, with 0.55 fatalities per 10000 licensed drivers in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ontario Road Safety Annual Report 2019 |url=https://files.ontario.ca/pdf-2_0/mto-orsar-final-2019-en-pdf-2022-08-09.pdf |access-date=1 September 2022}}</ref> The phrase "King's Highway" is used regardless of the gender of the monarch.

The 400-series highways and the QEW form the backbone of the King's Highway, with other routes numbered from 2 to 148.<ref name="km" /> The Ministry of Transportation never designated a Highway 1.<ref>{{cite journal

 | title      = Provincial Highways Now Being Numbered
 | publisher  = Monetary Times Print
 | journal       = The Canadian Engineer
 | date       = August 25, 1925
 | volume     = 49
 | issue      = 8
 | page       = 246
 | quote      = Numbering of the various provincial highways in Ontario has been commenced by the Department of Public Highways. Resident engineers are now receiving metal numbers to be placed on poles along the provincial highways. These numbers will also be placed on poles throughout cities, towns and villages, and motorists should then have no trouble in finding their way in and out of urban municipalities. Road designations from "2" to "17" have already been allotted...}}</ref>
Some highway numbers are suffixed with a letter ''A'' ("alternate route"),<ref name="backgrounder">{{cite report

 | title       = Draft Technical Backgrounder: Highways and Roads
 | author      = IBI Group
 | publisher   = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date        = November 2016
 | page        = 8
 | url         = https://northernontariommts.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/ttr_hwys_techbackgrounder_draft-2016-11-29.pdf
 | access-date = March 9, 2021}}</ref>
''B'' ("business route"),<ref>{{cite news

 | title       = Alternate Highway 17 Starts West End Fight
 | work        = The Ottawa Citizen
 | date        = September 22, 1965
 | page        = 3
 | volume      = 123 | issue = 903
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73060377/alternate-highway-17-starts-west-end/
 | access-date = March 9, 2021
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
or ''N'' ("new route").<ref>{{cite report

 | title       = Highway 7 New Kitchener to Guelph, 18 km, G.W.P. 408-88-00 – Initial Design Report (2014)
 | author      = MMM Group
 | publisher   = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date        = April 9, 2014
 | url         = https://newhighway7.ca/documents/Hwy_7_New_IDR_FINAL(GWP_408-88-00)_Apr%202014.pdf
 | access-date = March 9, 2021}}</ref>
In the past, there have also been routes with ''C'' and ''S'' ("scenic route") suffixes.<ref>{{cite thesis

 | title       = A Geographical Study of Bertie Township
 | first       = Malcolm R. | last = Lewis
 | publisher   = McMaster University
 | date        = September 1964
 | hdl = 11375/18581 | url         = http://hdl.handle.net/11375/18581
 | access-date = March 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news

 | title       = A Forest of Highway Signs
 | work        = The Ottawa Journal
 | date        = September 21, 1948
 | page        = 4
 | via         = Newspapers.com
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67987952/ontario-highway-2s/
 | access-date = January 19, 2021}}</ref>
The entire King's Highway network is fully paved.<ref name="backgrounder" />
The term "the King's Highway" was first adopted in place of "provincial highway" in 1930, and signs similar to the current design replaced the previous triangular signs at that time.<ref name=MAM>{{cite book

 | title     = Men and Meridians: The History of Surveying and Mapping in Canada – 1917 to 1947
 | volume    = 3
 | year      = 1969
 | page      = 141
 | author    = Don W. Thompson
 | publisher = Canadian Government Publishing Centre
 | isbn      = 0-660-00359-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news

 | title       = Convicted Drivers may be Compelled to Take Insurance
 | author      = Canadian Press
 | work        = The Gazette
 | location    = Montreal
 | date        = March 20, 1930
 | page        = 21
 | volume      = 159 | issue = 68
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72913346/convicted-drivers-may-be-compelled-to/
 | access-date = March 7, 2021
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Some legislative acts refer to roads that are under the jurisdiction of the province as "provincial highways".<ref>{{cite web

 | title       = Municipal Act, 2001; SO 2001, c. 25
 | website     = e-Laws
 | date = July 24, 2014
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | url         = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/01m25
 | access-date = March 8, 2021}}</ref>

==== 400-series ====
{{main|400-series highways}}
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the [[Southern Ontario|southern portion]] of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway network. They are analogous to the [[Interstate Highway System]] in the [[United States]] or the [[Autoroutes of Quebec|Autoroute system]] of neighbouring [[Quebec]], and are regulated by the MTO.<ref>{{cite journal

 | title       = Risk of Death in Crashes on Ontario's Highways
 | first1      = Damian | last1 = Rzeznikiewiz
 | first2      = Hala | last2 = Tamim
 | first3      = Alison K. | last3 = Macpherson
 | date        = December 28, 2012
 | journal     = BMC Public Health
 | volume      = 12
 | page        = 1125
 | doi         = 10.1186/1471-2458-12-1125 | pmid = 23273001 | pmc = 3543722
 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior.<ref>{{cite news

 | title      = Hopes to Improve Roads
 | work       = The Gazette
 | location   = Montreal
 | date       = February 18, 1936
 | page       = 14
 | url        = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b74tAAAAIBAJ&dq=mcqueston%20highway&pg=3117%2C2124256
 | access-date = February 9, 2010}}</ref>
Initially, only Highways{{nbsp}}400, 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in the subsequent decades.<ref name="JShragge" />

While older freeways have some lapses in safety features, contemporary 400-series highways have [[design speed]]s of {{convert|130|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, [[Speed limits in Canada|speed limit]]s of {{convert|100|km/h|mph|abbr=on|0}}, various collision avoidance and traffic management systems, and several design standards adopted throughout North America.<ref>{{cite news

 | title      = An Expressway in Name Only
 | first      = Nancy
 | last       = Revie
 | work       = The Guelph Mercury
 | date       = September 19, 2005
 | page       = A9}}</ref>
Of note are the [[Ontario Tall Wall]] median barrier and the [[Partial cloverleaf interchange|Parclo A-4]] interchange design, the latter which became standard in the design for the widening of Highway&nbsp;401 through Toronto in 1962. The Institute of Traffic Engineers subsequently recommended this design to replace the [[cloverleaf interchange]] throughout North America.<ref>{{cite report

 | title     = Proceedings ... Annual Meeting
 | publisher = Institute of Traffic Engineers
 | year      = 1962
 | pages     = 100–103}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title      = Partial Cloverleaf Interchange (Parclo)
 | publisher      = The Canadian Design Resource
 | url      = http://canadiandesignresource.ca/transportation/partial-cloverleaf-interchange-parclo/
 | access-date      = June 4, 2015
 | archive-date      = March 17, 2015
 | archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20150317074644/http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/transportation/partial-cloverleaf-interchange-parclo/
 | url-status      = dead
 }}</ref>
{{clear}}
{{anchor|Secondary Highways}}

=== Secondary ===
[[File:Hwy_622_ON.JPG|thumb|left|A typical secondary highway with route marker]]
[[List of provincial highways in Ontario#Secondary highways|Secondary highways]] exist solely within the districts of Northern Ontario that lack a [[county roads of Ontario|county road system]], to which they are analogous. The sole exception to this is [[Ontario Highway 537|Highway&nbsp;537]] in [[Greater Sudbury]]. They generally serve to connect remote communities to the King's Highway, or to interconnect the King's Highway. A few secondary highways remain [[gravel]]-surfaced, although most have been paved.<ref name="backgrounder" />
The speed limit on nearly all of these routes is {{convert|80|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}, although [[Ontario Highway 655|Highway&nbsp;655]] is posted at {{convert|90|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}.<ref name="speed-limits" />

The Secondary Highway system was introduced in 1956 to service regions in Northern and [[Central Ontario]], though it once [[Ontario Highway 502#Belleville Road|included a route]] as far south as Lake Ontario. Many routes that would become secondary highways were already maintained by the province as development roads prior to being designated.<ref name="secondary">{{cite news

 | title     = Ontario Secondary Roads Now Designated 500, 600
 | publisher = The Globe and Mail
 | date      = February 4, 1956
 | page      = 4
 | volume    = 112
 | issue     = 33,119
 | quote     = Two new Ontario road numbers appear on the province's 1956 official road map which will be ready for distribution next week. The new numbers are the 500 and 600 series and designate hundreds of miles of secondary roads which are wholly maintained by the Highways Department. More than 100 secondary roads will have their own numbers and signs this year. All of these secondary roads were taken into the province's main highways system because they form important connecting links with the King's Highways}}</ref><ref>{{cite map

 | title       = Ontario Road Map
 | cartography = C.P. Robins
 | publisher   = Ontario Department of Highways
 | year        = 1957
 | sections    = R38–39}}</ref>
Since 1998, none have existed south of the districts of [[Parry Sound District|Parry Sound]] and [[Nipissing District|Nipissing]].<ref name="1999 map">{{cite map
 |title        = Ontario Road Map
 |cartography  = Geomatics Office
 |publisher    = Ministry of Transportation
 |year         = 1999
 |url          = http://ao.minisisinc.com/FS_IMAGES/I0050603.jpg
 |access-date  = March 9, 2021
 |via          = Archives of Ontario
 |archive-date = December 5, 2021
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211205160219/http://ao.minisisinc.com/FS_IMAGES/I0050603.jpg
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
Secondary highways are numbered in the 500s and 600s, with existing highways numbered between 502 and 673.<ref name="km" /><ref name="secondary" />
{{clear}}
{{anchor|Tertiary roads|Tertiary highway|Tertiary highways}}

=== Tertiary ===
[[List of provincial highways in Ontario#Tertiary roads|Tertiary roads]] are remote routes entirely within Northern Ontario that provide access to resources (e.g. mining and forestry). Tertiary roads are numbered in the 800s, with the five existing highways numbered between 802 and 811. Most of these roads are gravel-surfaced and of low-standard. The speed limit on these routes is {{convert|80|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}}, although design standards generally prevent such.<ref name="backgrounder" /><ref name="speed-limits" />
Unlike other roads in the Provincial Highway Network, the MTO is not responsible for winter maintenance nor liable for damage incurred as a result of using these routes.<ref name="PTHIA" />
The MTO introduced the Tertiary Road system in 1962.<ref>{{cite report
 | title        = Annual Report
 | publisher    = Ontario Department of Highway
 | date         = March 31, 1964
 | pages        = 59–61
 | section      = Mining, Access, Resources and Forestry Report 1961–62}}</ref>
With the exception of [[Ontario Highway 802|Highway&nbsp;802]], none end in settlements.

=== Trans-Canada ===
[[File:400 exit 12 TCH.jpg|thumb|right|A Trans-Canada Highway marker mounted under a Highway{{nbsp}}400 shield ''(left)'', with the TCH departing the 400 to follow Highway{{nbsp}}12 ''(right)'']]
The [[Trans-Canada Highway]] (TCH) forms several major routes across Canada. The provincial governments are entirely responsible for signage and maintenance of the routes, except through [[National Parks of Canada|National Parks]]. It is signed with distinctive green markers with a white [[maple leaf]] on them throughout Canada. While other provinces generally place a highway number within the maple leaf of the TCH marker (with a shared "Highway 1" designation across the [[Western Canada|western provinces]]), Ontario places them below or beside provincial shields and either leaves them blank or inserts a name instead; these are the ''Central Ontario Route'', ''Georgian Bay Route'', ''Lake Superior Route'', ''Northern Ontario Route'' and ''Ottawa Valley Route''.

Several portions of the King's Highway are designated as part of the Trans-Canada Highway system within Ontario, with the TCH having a main route and several branches, often only following sections of any given provincial highway. They are: 
{{columns-list|
*[[File:Ontario 7.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-COR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 7|Highway&nbsp;7]] (Section as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 11.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-NOR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 11|Highway&nbsp;11]] (2 sections as branches)
*[[File:Ontario 12.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-COR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 12|Highway&nbsp;12]] (Section as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 17.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:Ontario M111.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 17|Highway&nbsp;17]] (Entire length as main route)
*[[File:Ontario 66.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-NOR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 66|Highway&nbsp;66]] (Section as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 69.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-GBR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 69|Highway&nbsp;69]] (Entire length as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 71.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-NOR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 71|Highway&nbsp;71]] (Entire length as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 400.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-GBR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 400|Highway&nbsp;400]] (Section as branch)
*[[File:Ontario 417.svg|x25px|link=]][[File:TCH-OVR.svg|x25px|link=]]{{nbsp}}[[Ontario Highway 417|Highway&nbsp;417]] (Entire length as main route; freeway continuation of Highway 17)
}} 
{{anchor|7000-series|7000}}

=== Others ===
In addition to these classes of highways, the MTO maintains other roads, such as <!--Part V-->resource roads or <!--Part VI-->industrial roads, that are of strategic importance to the provincial government. These roads are designated with 7000-series numbers for internal inventory purposes, though they are not publicly marked as such. They are often, but not always, former highway segments which were decommissioned as a King's Highway, but remain important as connecting routes to communities or other highways in areas without municipal governance.<ref name="backgrounder" />
There were formerly several designated [[List of Ontario Tourist Routes|Ontario Tourist Routes]] that were located throughout the entire province.<ref name="1998 map">{{cite map
 |title        = Ontario Road Map
 |cartography  = Surveys and Mapping Section
 |publisher    = Ministry of Transportation
 |year         = 1998<!-- Note map information in legend "Compiled to January 1, 1997" -->
 |url          = http://ao.minisisinc.com/FS_IMAGES/I0050601.jpg
 |access-date  = February 15, 2021
 |archive-date = May 7, 2021
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210507121756/http://ao.minisisinc.com/FS_IMAGES/I0050601.jpg
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
However, beginning in February 1997, Tourism-Oriented Directional Signs (TODS) began to appear on highways.<ref>{{cite periodical
 | title       = New Tourism Sign System Unveiled
 | first       = Jim | last = Antler
 | magazine    = The Outfitter
 | pages       = 15–18
 | publisher   = Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario
 | year        = 1997
 | issue       = March/April
 | url         = https://noto.ca/theoutfitterarchives/new_tourism_sign_system_unveiled
 | access-date = March 13, 2021}}</ref>
Tourist Routes no longer appeared on maps after 1998.<ref name="1999 map" />

== History ==
<!-- An image of a pioneer road in muddy unpassable condition may be better here -->
=== Before 1791: Native footpaths ===
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century, transportation across what became Ontario was generally via the thousands of lakes and rivers. Short trails existed between bodies of water, known as a [[portage]] or carrying place, as well as along the shorelines of the larger lakes.{{sfn|Bradford|2015|loc=Roads and Transportation in Upper Canada Before 1800}}
In 1615, French explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] was the first European to pass through the lands between the [[Great Lakes]], accompanied by [[Wyandot people|Huron]] and [[Iroquois]] guides. His emissary [[Étienne Brûlé]] as well as [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] [[Recollects|Récollets]] such as [[Joseph Le Caron]] and [[Joseph de La Roche Daillon]] were the first to explore various lands of the area, all with the assistance of the local First Nations.<ref name="champlain">{{cite book
 | title       = History of the Great Lakes
 | first       = J. B.  | last = Mansfield
 | volume      = I
 | publisher   = J. H. Beers & Co.
 | year        = 1899
 | chapter     = Chapter 6: French Discovery and Occupation
 | url         = https://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/GreatLakes/Documents/HGL/default.asp?ID=c006
 | access-date = March 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="shores">{{cite news
 | title       = Historic Shores of River St. Clair
 | first       = Paul | last = Deziel
 | work        = The Border Cities Star
 | date        = November 10, 1934
 | page        = 1, Section Three
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61217644/the-windsor-star/
 | access-date = February 27, 2021
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=pioneer>{{cite periodical
 | title       = Ontario's Pioneer Priest
 | first       = John J. | last = O’Gorman
 | periodical  = Catholic World
 | issue       = 102
 | date        = March 1916
 | pages       = 751–756
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=5yEXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA751
 | access-date = March 14, 2021}}</ref>
For the next 150{{nbsp}}years, France and Britain wrestled for control of the [[Canada (New France)|colony of Canada]] while simultaneously exploiting the land for the [[North American fur trade#New France in the 17th century|fur trade of North America]].{{sfn|Bradford|2015|loc=Roads and Transportation in Upper Canada Before 1800}}
This culminated in the global [[Seven Years' War]] that ended with the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris in 1763]], which ceded Canada to the British.<ref>{{cite wikisource|Treaty of Paris (1763) |quote=His Most Christian Majesty cedes and guaranties to his said Britannick Majesty, in full right, Canada, with all its dependencies, as well as the island of Cape Breton, and all the other islands and coasts in the gulph and river of St. Lawrence, and in general, every thing that depends on the said countries, lands, islands, and coasts...}}</ref>

The colony of Canada was renamed the [[Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Province of Quebec]] until 1791, when it was divided into [[Upper Canada]] (modern Southern Ontario) and [[Lower Canada]] (modern Southern Quebec) by the [[Constitutional Act 1791|Constitutional Act]].<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = Constitutional Act (1791)
 | publisher   = University of Ottawa – Compendium of Language Management in Canada (CLMC)
 | url         = https://www.uottawa.ca/clmc/constitutional-act-1791
 | access-date = March 15, 2021}}</ref>
This was done to provide a British-style governance to the [[United Empire Loyalist]]s fleeing north following the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = Historical Documents
 | website     = Constitution 150
 | url         = https://www.constitution150.ca/resources-1/historical-documents/
 | access-date = March 15, 2021}}</ref>
In addition to the native portages and lake shore trails, routes developed alongside significant rivers such as the [[St. Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]], [[Ottawa River|Ottawa]], [[Humber River (Ontario)|Humber]] and [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand]] Rivers. These meandering trails followed the lay of the land, as opposed to the straight [[tangent]]s of the surveyed roads yet to come. Some roads in Ontario still closely follow these early Native and European trails,<ref>{{cite periodical
 | title       = The Dundas Portage: Exploring the Logic of Trails
 | first1      = Bob | last1 = Henderson
 | first2      = Patrick | last2 = Bermingham
 | magazine    = Ontario Professional Surveyor
 | issue       = Summer 2008
 | pages       = 10–14
 | url         = https://www.krcmar.ca/resource-articles/2008_Summer_The%20Dundas%20Portage_0.pdf
 | access-date = March 15, 2021
 | via         = Krcmar Surveyors}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title       = History of Ministry of Transportation
 | author      = Ministry of Transportation
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | website     = www.mto.gov.on.ca
 | url         = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/mto-100/index.shtml
 | access-date = March 15, 2021}}</ref>
including the Kente Portage Trail (Old Portage Road) in [[Carrying Place, Ontario|Carrying Place]], the oldest continuously used road in the province.<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = The Oldest Road in Ontario
 | first       = Garrett | last = Harvey
 | date        = May 1, 2019
 | website     = Bay of Quinte Region
 | url         = https://bayofquinte.ca/tourism/the-oldest-road-in-ontario/
 | access-date = March 28, 2021}}</ref>

=== 1792–1849: Settlement of Upper Canada ===
[[File:Queen'sRangersUnderLieutenantGovernorJohnGravesSimcoeCuttingOutYongeStreet1795ByCharlesWilliamsJeffreys.png|thumb|left|Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe and surveyor general Augustus Jones supervise the Queen's Rangers as they clear the path of Yonge Street in 1794]]
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center |quote= The Spit of Land which forms its Entrance is capable of being fortified with a few heavy Guns as to prevent any Vessel from entering the Harbour or from remaining within it.{{nbsp}}... I have good Information that a Road is very easy to be made to communicate with those Waters which fall into Lake Huron.{{nbsp}}... In regard to Lake Huron, tho' it is not so immediate an object of Attention, yet I consider it ultimately of the most extensive and serious Magnitude.|source=[[John Graves Simcoe]]{{sfn|Berchem|1977|p=11}}|align=right|width=33%}}

[[John Graves Simcoe]], the first [[List of lieutenant governors of Ontario#Lieutenant Governors of Upper Canada, 1791–1841|Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada]], landed at Niagara on July{{nbsp}}26, 1792, after overwintering in [[Quebec City]],<ref>{{cite book
 | title       = The Long Point Settlers
 | first       = Ronald Robert | last = Mutrie
 | publisher   = Log Cabin Books
 | year        = 1992
 | chapter     = Lieutenant Governor Simcoe’s Strategy
 | isbn        = 978-0969281245
 | url         = https://sites.google.com/site/longpointsettlers/Home
 | chapter-url = https://sites.google.com/site/longpointsettlers/norfolk-history/simcoe-s-settlement-strategy
 | access-date = March 28, 2021}}</ref>
from England and set forth to colonize the province in the image of Britain.{{sfn|Berchem|1977|p=10}}
The ambitious [[abolitionism|abolitionist]] statesman, whom served the British during the [[American Revolutionary War]], was appointed to lead the new colony on September{{nbsp}}12, 1791.<ref>{{cite Hansard
 | jurisdiction = Ontario
 | title        = Simcoe Day Act, 2017, Bill 159
 | house        = [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
 | date         = September 28, 2017
 | page_start   = 5359 | page_end = 5366
 | speaker      = [[Toby Barrett]]
 | url          = https://www.ola.org/sites/default/files/node-files/hansard/document/pdf/2017/2017-09/house-document-hansard-transcript-2-EN-28-SEP-2017_L099.pdf
 | access-date  = March 28, 2021}}</ref>
Although [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]] (then known as Newark) served as the capital for a year, Simcoe moved it to what is now Toronto after July{{nbsp}}30, 1793, at the behest of French merchant [[Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave|Philippe de Rocheblave]],{{sfn|Berchem|1977|pp=14–16}} following the arrival of news in May of France's [[French Revolutionary Wars|declaration of war against Britain]].{{sfn|Berchem|1977|p=10}}

Having reformed the [[Queen's Rangers]], whom he fought alongside during the American War, Simcoe set out to establish military roads to connect his new capital with the Upper Great Lakes and other strategic points.{{sfn|Berchem|1977|p=15}}
The first road he ordered built was Dundas Street, from the head of Lake Ontario near present-day [[Dundas, Ontario|Dundas]] to the forks of the [[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames River]] in present-day [[London, Ontario|London]]. His Rangers began work on this route on September{{nbsp}}10, 1793.{{sfn|Legislative Assembly of Ontario|1896|p=31}}
Between September{{nbsp}}25 and October{{nbsp}}14, Simcoe travelled with native guides to [[Penetanguishene]] and back. Following the advice of an [[Ojibwe|Ojibwa]] named Old Sail, the return voyage followed the east branch of the [[Holland River]] and thence south to Toronto (known as York from 1793 to 1834); this would become the route of [[Yonge Street]].{{sfn|Berchem|1977|pp=16–20}}

Simcoe's Rangers would commence "run[ning] the line of the new road" with Surveyor General [[Augustus Jones]] in February 1794.{{sfn|Berchem|1977|pp=20–21}}
By mid-May, the Rangers had cleared and marked 14{{nbsp}}lots from [[Eglinton Avenue]] to just north of [[Sheppard Avenue]] before being redirected to defend [[Fort Miami (Ohio)|Fort Miami]]. [[William Berczy]] — and the nearly 200 [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] settlers whom accompanied him from the US into Upper Canada in July 1794 — would complete the opening of the route to [[Bond Lake (Ontario)|Bond Lake]] by the end of 1794. The remainder to [[Holland Landing]] was opened by the Rangers, under the supervision of Augustus Jones, between December{{nbsp}}28, 1795, and February{{nbsp}}16, 1796.{{sfn|Berchem|1977|pp=21–24, 29, 35}}

[[File:Road Between Kingston and York, Upper Canada.jpg|thumb|upright|right|This image of Kingston Road circa 1830 shows the typical pioneer road in dry conditions]]
In 1798, [[Asa Danforth Jr.|Asa Danforth]] was hired by the government of Upper Canada to build a road to the [[Trent River (Ontario)|Trent River]], in what in now [[Trenton, Ontario|Trenton]], by July{{nbsp}}1 of the following year. He began at the [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River]], where [[Queen Street, Toronto|Queen Street]] crosses it today, on June{{nbsp}}5 of that year, and proceeded east.<ref>{{cite report
 | first1      = Loryssa | last1 = Quattrociocchi | first2 = D. | last2 = Phil
 | title       = Danforth Avenue Complete Street and Planning Study Preliminary Draft for Discussion: Historic Context Statement: The History and Evolution of the Danforth – Broadview Avenue to Coxwell Avenue
 | date        = March 2021
 | page        = 3
 | url         = https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/8b96-CityPlanning-Danforth-Historic-Context-Statement.pdf
 | access-date = November 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title       = Danforth, Asa
 | website     = [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]]
 | url         = http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/danforth_asa_6E.html
 | access-date = November 25, 2022}}</ref>
Danforth was paid $90 per mile to cut a road {{convert|33|ft|order=flip}} wide, of which the middle half was cut to the level of the ground. He was also to build {{convert|16.5|ft|order=flip|adj=on}}-wide causeways "wherever necessary" and ensure that slopes were gradual enough for a sleigh or carriage to pass. He completed the first {{convert|63|mi|order=flip}} to [[Port Hope, Ontario|Port Hope]] by December.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=13}}
The government ultimately decided that his road was unacceptable, and reportedly paid him less than owed. Portions of Danforth's road were later incorporated into [[Ontario Highway 2|Highway&nbsp;2]], as well as several local roads in [[Scarborough, Toronto|Scarborough]].<ref name="Filey">{{cite news
 | first       = Mike | last = Filey
 | title       = The Way We Were: The 'road' to Avenue was paved with good intentions
 | newspaper        = [[Toronto Sun]]
 | date        = July 27, 2019
 | url         = https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/the-way-we-were-the-road-to-avenue-was-paved-with-good-intentions
 | access-date = November 26, 2022}}</ref>

The majority of settlers up to this point were [[United Empire Loyalist]]s — settlers of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] loyal to Britain who fled north to the new colony. These pioneers endured starting anew in untamed wilderness, with little provisions beyond what they could carry.{{sfn|Berchem|1977|pp=38–39}}
Many were strategically placed along Yonge Street and Dundas Street, and given the duty of clearing half the width of a road along the front of their property lot. Settlers were responsible for the upkeep, and often the building of roads in this period, with each male over 21{{nbsp}}years of age required to perform three or more days of [[Corvée|statute labour]] per year, based on the value of their land. The intention was for settlers throughout the length of the roads to work on the portion fronting their lot, which was generally twenty [[chain (unit)|chain]]s, or {{convert|400|m}} long.<ref name="colonizing" />{{sfn|Berchem|1977|p=29}}
However, many lots were given to absent clergymen and English nobles, resulting in these "roads" being poorly maintained quagmires of mud.<ref name="Burghardt1969">{{cite journal
 | title       = The Origin and Development of the Road Network of the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, 1770–1851
 | first       = Andrew F. | last = Burghardt
 | journal     = Annals of the Association of American Geographers
 | volume      = 59 | issue = 3
 | year        = 1969
 | pages       = 417–440
 | issn        = 0004-5608
 | doi         =10.1111/j.1467-8306.1969.tb00683.x}}</ref>

During the early 1800s, the government of Upper Canada appropriated settlers to various lots which had been surveyed along the lake shores of [[Lake Erie]] and [[Lake Ontario]]. The townships established along these fronts contained generally fertile land composed of [[till|glacial till]] and clay-rich [[loam]]. As these townships filled up, business opportunities presented themselves for investors to purchase [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|native]] lands and open them to settlement. The [[Canada Company]] was the most successful of these ventures and brought settlers to vast areas of land in what would become [[Southwestern Ontario]] by building routes such as [[Ontario Highway 8|Huron Road]] and [[Ontario Highway 10|Toronto–Sydenham Road]] during the 1830s and 1840s.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=31, 40}}

=== 1850–1893: Colonization roads and the railway ===
[[File:Colonization road in 1901, colourised.png|thumb|left|A [[corduroy road]] in 1901, winding through a [[clearcutting|stripped forest]] in [[Brudenell Township]], is representative of the appearance of colonization roads in central Ontario after logging razed the forests by the early 1900s]]
As the second township frontage along Lake Ontario also filled, the government came under pressure to open up the unforgiving terrain of the [[Canadian Shield]] to settlement and sought to establish a network of east–west and north–south roads between the [[Ottawa Valley]] and [[Georgian Bay]]. This area was known as the [[Ottawa–Huron Tract]].{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=17}}<ref name="colonizing">{{cite journal
 | first       = Derek | last = Murray
 | title       = Equitable Claims and Future Considerations: Road Building and Colonization in Early Ontario, 1850–1890
 | year        = 2013
 | journal     = Journal of the Canadian Historical Association
 | volume      = 24 | issue = 2
 | pages       = 156–188
 | doi         = 10.7202/1025077ar
 | issn        = 1712-6274
 | url         = https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/jcha/2013-v24-n2-jcha01408/1025077ar.pdf
 | access-date = November 23, 2022}}</ref>
In 1847, an exploration [[surveying|survey]] was carried out by [[Robert Bell (Ottawa politician)|Robert Bell]] to lay out the lines that would become the Opeongo, Hastings, and Addington [[List of Ontario colonization roads|colonization roads]]. The Public Lands Act, passed in 1853, permitted the granting of land to settlers who were at least 18. Those settlers who cleared at least {{convert|12|acre|ha}} within four years, built a house within a year, and resided on the grant for at least five years would receive the title to that land. The government subsequently built over {{convert|1600|km|mi|-3}} of roads over the following 20{{nbsp}}years to provide access to these grants, although the roads were often little more than a trail cut through the forest wide enough for a wagon.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=17–19}}

Like the lands to the south, statute labour was responsible for the majority of road development and maintenance. However, by 1860, due to the unsuitability of much of the land for any kind of settlement or agriculture, the roads were almost impassable in many places, except when frozen in winter or dry in summer. The large timber drive that was clearing the forests of the Ottawa–Huron Tract in this period contributed somewhat to road construction and maintenance, but the settlers themselves were largely left to their own resolve.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=17–19}}<ref name="colonizing" />
Statute labour was gradually abolished around the turn of the 20th century. [[Malden Township]] was the first to do so in 1890,<ref>{{cite report
 | title       = Report of the Provincial Instructor in Road Making
 | publisher   = Legislative Assembly of Ontario
 | date        = March 23, 1897
 | page        = 15
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=zb01AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA15
 | quote       = "The township of Malden, Essex county, is the only township municipality which has yet completely abolished the statute labor system. The change was made in March 1890."}}</ref>
and a majority of other municipalities followed suit by the 1920s. However, the law remained in place provincially until being officially repealed on January{{nbsp}}1, 2022.<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Bob | last = Aaron
 | title       = A centuries-old law requiring Ontario landowners to work on local roads is coming off the books
 | work        = [[Toronto Star]]
 | date        = August 18, 2021
 | url         = https://www.thestar.com/life/homes/2021/08/18/a-centuries-old-law-requiring-ontario-landowners-to-work-on-local-roads-is-coming-off-the-books.html
 | access-date = November 25, 2022}}</ref>

Beginning in 1852, the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] gradually assembled together many of the various [[shortline railroad]]s in what was soon to become Ontario to form a single route across the province, connecting [[Sarnia]] with Montreal via Toronto, by 1884. Simultaneously, the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] constructed a route across northern Ontario, connecting Thunder Bay with Ottawa by 1880.<ref>{{cite book
 | title       = Report and Documents in Reference to the Canadian Pacific Railway
 | first       = Sandford | last = Fleming
 | publisher   = Maclean, Roger & Co
 | year        = 1880
 | pages       = 25–26
 | url         = https://archive.org/details/cihm_30185
 | access-date = November 24, 2022
 | via         = Archive.org
 | isbn        = 978-06653-0185-8}}</ref>
The government largely subsidized these endeavours, and funding for road construction fell to the wayside, despite the pleas of townships, villages and settlers.<ref name="colonizing" />{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=43–44}}
In 1896, the provincial Instructor in Road Making reported "It is doubtful if there is a mile of true macadam road in Ontario outside of a few towns or cities{{nbsp}}... by far the greatest part of the milage of the province is mud, ruts and pitch-holes{{nbsp}}..."{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=7}}

=== 1894–1915: The Good Roads Movement ===
[[File:Perry Doolittle 1880.jpg|thumb|right|Dr. [[Perry Doolittle]], one of the first automobile owners in Canada and the first to cross the country in one, is often credited as the "Father of the Trans-Canada Highway". Doolittle was one of the chief proponents of the Good Roads Movement.<ref name="Doolittle">{{cite news
 | title       = Dr. Perry Ernest Doolittle and the push for the Trans-Canada Highway
 | publisher   = [[Village Media]]
 | work        = Soo Today
 | date        = June 14, 2020
 | url         = https://www.sootoday.com/columns/remember-this/dr-perry-ernest-doolittle-and-the-push-for-the-trans-canada-highway-2434039
 | access-date = November 26, 2022}}</ref>]]
The cries of municipalities went unanswered, but it would not stop their ambition. Coupled with the increasing adoption of the bicycle as a means of transport, and the desire of farmers to get their goods to market quicker, the [[Ontario Good Roads Association]] was formed in 1894 by representatives from numerous townships, villages and cities. The [[Good Roads Movement]] encouraged education on the building of proper roads, and later equipment to aid in the improvement of roads, as well as lobbying the various levels of government to fund road development and maintenance. Members would travel from town to town and across the countryside, espousing the value of properly built roads to communities.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=43}}<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = The Ontario Good Roads Association: Working for Municipalities
 | website     = The Canadian Business Journal
 | url         = https://www.cbj.ca/ontario_good_roads_association/
 | access-date = November 26, 2022}}</ref>

Two of the most influential members in its early days were [[Archibald William Campbell]] and Dr. [[Perry Doolittle]].{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=43}}<ref name="World">{{cite news
 | title       = Genesis of Good Roads Campaign in Ontario
 | work        = [[The Toronto World]]
 | date        = February 23, 1919
 | page        = 8
 | url         = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=22&dat=19190223&id=wUA8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=cSsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=620,8290577
 | access-date = November 26, 2022}}</ref>
"Good Roads" Campbell would become the province's first Instructor in Roadmaking when the position was established on April{{nbsp}}15, 1896, under the [[Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Ontario)|Department of Agriculture]].{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=71}} Doolittle, a Toronto physician, became one of the earliest automobile owners in Canada, and spurred the good roads movement.<ref name="World" /> He became the first person to drive across Canada in 1925, utilizing the railways around Lake Superior where no roads existed, and is known as the "Father of the Trans-Canada Highway".<ref name="Doolittle" />

The arrival of automobiles rapidly changed the approach to roads and roadbuilding in the first years of the 20th century. In 1900, the provincial Instructor in Roadmaking was renamed as the Commissioner of Public Highways in 1900, as well as the Deputy Minister in the new Department of Public Works in 1905.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=43–44, 71}} The first legislation on driving was introduced in 1903, and included the first speed limits ({{convert|15|mph}}). The first license plates were created that year, the first highway patrol established in 1907, licences for [[chauffeur]]s in 1909 (regular drivers did not require a licence until 1927), and safety requirements such as headlights. These laws culminated in the creation of the [[Highway Traffic Act]] in 1923.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=55–63}}

Roadbuilding advanced considerably, with the most notable project of the period being the Toronto–Hamilton Highway, the first paved intercity road in Ontario. The highway was chosen to run along the [[macadamized]] old Lake Shore Road between the two cities, instead of Dundas Street to the north, because of the numerous hills encountered along Dundas.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=68–69}}
In November 1914, the proposed highway was approved,<ref>{{cite news
 | title      = Council Meets Today To Pass Agreement
 | author     = The Toronto World
 | date       = October 26, 1914
 | page       = 3
 | volume     = 34
 | issue      = 12402
 | url        = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OCQBAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WSgDAAAAIBAJ&dq=toronto-hamilton%20highway&pg=2385%2C6925180
 | accessdate = February 9, 2010}}</ref>
and work began quickly to construct the road known today as [[Lake Shore Boulevard]] and [[Lakeshore Road]] from Toronto to Hamilton. The road was finished in November 1917, {{convert|18|ft|m|order=flip}} wide and nearly {{convert|40|mi|km|order=flip}} long, becoming the first concrete road in Ontario.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=68–69}}
The highway became the favourite drive of many motorists, and it quickly became a tradition for many families to drive it every Sunday.<ref>{{cite web
 | title      = Story Archive
 | last       = Shragge
 | first      = John G.
 | year       = 2007
 | url        = http://www.roadscholar.on.ca/storyarchive.html
 | accessdate = February 24, 2010}}</ref>

=== 1916–1933: The first provincial highways ===
Roads and highways in Ontario were given their first serious consideration by the provincial government when the Department of Public Highways (DPHO), predecessor to the modern [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]], was established on January 17, 1916. Until then, the majority of the primary roads through southern Ontario formed part of the county road systems. The Department of Public Works paid up to 60% of the construction and maintenance costs for these roads, while the counties were responsible for the remaining 40%.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=73–75}}
The Ontario government passed an act in 1917 to permit the newly formed Department of Public Highways (DPHO) to take over (or assume) responsibility and upkeep of a provincial highway system. The initial system, between [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] and [[Quebec]], was bookended by branches to Niagara and [[Ottawa]].<ref>{{cite report
 | title       = Annual Report
 | publisher   = Department of Public Highways
 | edition     = 1918
 | date        = April 11, 1919
 | section     = III. Provincial Highways
 | page        = 13
 | url         = https://archive.org/details/n04ontariosessional51ontauoft/page/n169/mode/2up?view=theater
 | access-date = February 15, 2022
 | via         = Internet Archive}}</ref>
In 1919, the federal government passed the [[Canada Highways Act]], which provided $20,000,000 to provinces under the condition that they establish an official highway network; up to 40% of construction costs would be subsidized. The first network plan was approved on February&nbsp;26, 1920. At this time, Campbell was now the Federal Commissioner of Highways.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=73–75}}

Until the summer of 1925, Ontario highways were named rather than numbered. When route numbering was introduced, the following numbers were allotted:<ref>{{cite journal
 | title      = Provincial Highways Now Being Numbered
 | publisher  = Monetary Times Print
 | journal       = The Canadian Engineer
 | date       = August 25, 1925
 | volume     = 49
 | issue      = 8
 | page       = 246
 | quote      = Numbering of the various provincial highways in Ontario has been commenced by the Department of Public Highways. Resident engineers are now receiving metal numbers to be placed on poles along the provincial highways. These numbers will also be placed on poles throughout cities, towns and villages, and motorists should then have no trouble in finding their way in and out of urban municipalities. Road designations from "2" to "17" have already been allotted...}}</ref><ref name="1926 map">{{cite map
 | title       = Ontario Road Map
 | cartography = D. Barclay
 | publisher   = Ontario Department of Public Highways
 | year        = 1926
 | inset       = Mileage Tables}}</ref>
{{columns-start|num=3}}
*[[Ontario Highway 2|Highway&nbsp;2]] (Windsor–Quebec, {{convert|544.5|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 3|Highway&nbsp;3]] (Windsor–Niagara Falls, {{convert|257.2|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 4|Highway&nbsp;4]] (St. Thomas–Elginfield, {{convert|31.8|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 5|Highway&nbsp;5]] (Jarvis–Toronto, {{convert|72.6|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 6|Highway&nbsp;6]] (Hamilton–Owen Sound, {{convert|112.8|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 7|Highway&nbsp;7]] (Sarnia–Brampton, {{convert|169.6|mi|km|order=flip}})
{{column}}
*[[Ontario Highway 8|Highway&nbsp;8]] (Goderich–Niagara Falls, {{convert|156.8|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 9|Highway&nbsp;9]] (Kincardine–Arthur, {{convert|67.5|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 10|Highway&nbsp;10]] (Port Credit–Owen Sound, {{convert|105.0|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 11|Highway&nbsp;11]] (Toronto–Severn River, {{convert|95.8|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 12|Highway&nbsp;12]] (Whitby–Lindsay, {{convert|47.8|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 28|Highway&nbsp;12A]] (Port Hope–Peterborough, {{convert|29.1|mi|km|order=flip}})
{{column}}
*[[Ontario Highway 14|Highway&nbsp;14]] (Picton–Foxboro, {{convert|29.0|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 15|Highway&nbsp;15]] (Kingston–Ottawa, {{convert|131.0|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 16|Highway&nbsp;16]] (Prescott–Ottawa, {{convert|62.3|mi|km|order=flip}})
*[[Ontario Highway 17|Highway&nbsp;17]] (Pembroke–Quebec boundary, {{convert|180.1|mi|km|order=flip}})
{{columns-end}}

The number of Provincial Highways—as they were initially known—expanded quickly from there. The provincial highway network did not extend into the [[Canadian Shield]] nor [[Northern Ontario]] initially, and ''Trunk Roads'' in the north were instead under the mandate of the [[Department of Northern Development]]. The two primary trunk routes were extensions of [[Ontario Highway 11|Highway&nbsp;11]] and [[Ontario Highway 17|Highway&nbsp;17]], to [[North Bay, Ontario|North Bay]] and [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]], respectively.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=73–75}}
Seeking to open the far north, construction of a road to connect North Bay and [[Cochrane, Ontario|Cochrane]] began in 1925,<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Slashing for Northern Road is Completed
 | work        = [[North Bay Nugget|The Nugget]]
 | date        = March 27, 1925
 | page        = 12
 | volume      = 17 | issue = 13
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102737531/slashing-for-northern-road-is-completed/
 | access-date = May 28, 2022
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
The new gravel highway was officially opened on July{{nbsp}}2, 1927,{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=77}} by Minister of Lands and Forests [[William Finlayson (Canadian politician)|William Finlayson]]. He suggested at the opening that the road be named the [[Ferguson Highway]] in honour of premier Ferguson. The name was originally suggested by North Bay mayor Dan Barker.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Road Links North With Old Ontario
 | work        = The [[Brantford Expositor]]
 | date        = July 4, 1927
 | page        = 4
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102720269/road-link-north-with-old-ontario/
 | access-date = May 28, 2022
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Despite the official opening, a section between [[Swastika, Ontario|Swastika]] and Ramore wasn't opened until August.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Will Not Cut Road Budgets in the North
 | work        = [[North Bay Nugget|The Nugget]]
 | date        = July 8, 1927
 | page        = 10
 | volume      = 19 | issue = 53
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102738639/will-not-cut-road-budgets-in-the-north/
 | access-date = May 28, 2022
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
The Ferguson Highway name was also applied to the Muskoka Road between Severn Bridge and North Bay.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=77}}

During the 1920s, the DPHO began to examine possible remedies to chronic congestion on along Highway{{nbsp}}2, particularly between Toronto and Hamilton ([[Lakeshore Road]]), eventually deciding upon widening the roadway midway between Lakeshore Road and [[Ontario Highway 5|Highway&nbsp;5]] (Dundas Street), or [[the Middle Road]]. It was to be more than twice the width of Lakeshore Road at {{convert|12|m|abbr=on}} and would carry two lanes of traffic in either direction.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=79–81}}<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Increased Volume of Traffic
 | work        = Toronto World
 | date        = June 26, 1920
 | department  = County And Suburbs
 | page        = 7
 | volume      = 40
 | issue       = 14472
 | url         = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=txE7AAAAIBAJ&pg=1299%2C13425430
 | access-date = February 12, 2010}}</ref>
Construction on what was then known as the [[The Queensway|''Queen Street Extension'']] west of Toronto began in early 1931.<ref>Filey pp. 61–62.</ref>
Before the highway could be completed, [[Thomas McQuesten]] was appointed the new minister of the renamed DHO, with [[Robert Melville Smith]] as deputy minister, following the [[1934 Ontario general election|1934 provincial elections]].<ref name="JShragge" />

=== 1934–1948: Dual highways and the Queen Elizabeth Way ===
Smith, inspired by the German [[autobahn]]s—new "dual-lane [[divided highway]]s"—modified the design for Ontario roads,<ref name="QEWp19">Stamp pp. 19–20.</ref>
and McQuesten ordered the Middle Road be converted into this new form of highway.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Hopes to Improve Roads
 | work        = The Gazette
 | location    = Montreal
 | date        = February 18, 1936
 | page        = 14
 | volume      = 165
 | issue       = 42
 | url         = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b74tAAAAIBAJ&pg=3117%2C2124256
 | access-date = February 9, 2010}}</ref><ref name="globeandmail">{{cite news
 | title        = Remember That 'Little Four-lane Freeway?'
 | first        = Bob | last = English
 | work         = Globe And Mail
 | location     = Toronto
 | date         = March 16, 2006
 | url          = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/auto/article159893.ece
 | access-date  = November 8, 2017
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930075844/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060316.WHHIGHWAY16/TPStory/TPEntertainment/
 | archive-date = September 30, 2007
 | quote        = ...the freeway concept was promoted by Hamiltonian Thomas B. McQuesten, then the highway minister. The Queen Elizabeth Way was already under construction, but McQuesten changed it into a dual-lane divided highway, based on Germany's new autobahns.
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref><ref name="QEWp11">Stamp pp. 11–12.</ref>
A {{convert|40|m|abbr=on}} [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] was purchased along the Middle Road and construction began to convert the existing sections to a divided highway. Work also began on Canada's first [[interchange (road)|interchange]] at Highway&nbsp;10.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=79}}
The Middle Road was ceremoniously renamed the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] during the [[1939 royal tour of Canada]], taking its name from [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]], and was completed between Toronto and Niagara Falls on August{{nbsp}}26, 1940.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=79–81}}

Beginning in 1935, McQuesten applied the concept of a dual-highway to several projects along Highway{{nbsp}}2, including along Kingston Road in Scarborough Township.<ref name="JShragge" /><ref name="Hwy2con">{{cite news
 | title       = Highway Conditions In Eastern Ontario
 | publisher   = Southam Newspapers
 | work        = The Ottawa Citizen
 | date        = November 13, 1936
 | page        = 29
 | volume      = 94
 | issue       = 127
 | url         = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jPAuAAAAIBAJ&pg=5736%2C2815251
 | access-date = February 16, 2010}}</ref>
When widening in Scarborough reached the [[Highland Creek (Toronto)|Highland Creek]] ravine in 1936, the Department of Highways began construction on a new bridge over the large valley, bypassing the former alignment around [[West Hill, Toronto|West Hill]].{{sfn|Brown|1997|p=105}}
From here the highway was constructed on a new alignment to Oshawa, avoiding construction on the congested Highway&nbsp;2.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=93}} As [[grading (engineering)|grading]] and bridge construction neared completion on the new highway between West Hill and Oshawa in September 1939, [[World War II]] broke out and gradually tax revenues were re-allocated from highway construction to the war effort.<ref name="JShragge" />

As the war came to a close, planning began in 1945 on the Toronto–Barrie Highway to ease the congestion on the parallel routes of [[Ontario Highway 11|Highway&nbsp;11]] and [[Ontario Highway 27|Highway&nbsp;27]]. The highway followed a completely new alignment, and featured interchanges at nearly all crossroads. Construction of an extension around Barrie began in 1950, and the completed freeway was opened on July{{nbsp}}1, 1952.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=89–91}} The expressway between Highland Creek and Oshawa was also completed in this period, and opened as far as Ritson Road in December 1947, becoming the progenitor to Highway{{nbsp}}401.{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=93}}

=== 1950–1971: The freeway age and the Trans-Canada Highway ===
{{See also|400-series highways|Trans-Canada Highway}}
When Ontario signed the Trans-Canada Highway Agreement on April{{nbsp}}25, 1950, it had already chosen a Central Ontario routing via Highway{{nbsp}}7, Highway{{nbsp}}12, [[Ontario Highway 103|Highway&nbsp;103]] and Highway{{nbsp}}69;<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Six Sign Road Pact After Ontario Given Concession
 | first       = Warren | last = Baldwin
 | publisher   = The Globe and Mail
 | date        = April 25, 1950
 | page        = 1
 | url         = https://www.proquest.com/docview/1291203460
 | access-date = April 12, 2021
 | id = {{ProQuest|1291203460}} | url-access  = subscription}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}17 through the [[Ottawa Valley]] was announced as a provincially funded secondary route of the Trans-Canada the following day.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Highway No. 17 Secondary Link Of Trans-Canada
 | publisher   = The Globe and Mail
 | date        = April 26, 1950
 | page        = 7
 | url         = https://www.proquest.com/docview/1291386930
 | access-date = April 12, 2021
 | id          = {{ProQuest|1291386930}}
 | url-access  = subscription}}</ref>
Amongst some of the most difficult terrain encountered in Canada, the {{convert|165|mi|order=flip}} of wilderness known as "the Gap" was a missing link in the Trans-Canada Highway between [[Nipigon]] and [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]].{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|pp=84–87}} Construction began in 1956,<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = George W. | last = Parker
 | title       = New Road Opens Up Ontario Wilderness to Tourists
 | work        = [[Detroit Free Press]]
 | date        = August 29, 1960
 | page        = 14
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113912161/new-road-opens-up-ontario-wilderness-to/
 | access-date = November 30, 2022
 | via         = Newspapers.com}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
and it was completed and ceremoniously opened to traffic on September{{nbsp}}17, 1960, uniting the two segments and completing the route of Highway{{nbsp}}17 from the Manitoba border to the Quebec border.

The construction boom following the war resulted in many new freeway construction projects in the province. The Toronto–Barrie Highway (Highway{{nbsp}}400), Trans-Provincial Highway (Highway{{nbsp}}401),<ref name="JShragge">{{cite web
 | title        = Highway 401: The Story
 | first        = John G. | last = Shragge
 | year         = 2007
 | url          = http://www.roadscholar.on.ca/lateststory.html
 | access-date  = February 12, 2010
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080328001341/http://www.roadscholar.on.ca/lateststory.html
 | archive-date = March 28, 2008}}</ref>
a short expansion of Highway{{nbsp}}7 approaching the [[Blue Water Bridge]] in Sarnia ([[Ontario Highway 402|Highway&nbsp;402]]),<ref name="Christina heritage">{{cite report
 | title       = Heritage Impact Assessment: Christina Street Bridge over Highway 402, Sarnia
 | author      = Built Heritage, Cultural Landscape and Planning Section
 | publisher   = Archaeological Services Inc
 | date        = January 2006
 | chapter     = 2.0 Background History
 | page        = 4
 | chapter-url = http://www.historicbridges.org/concrete/christina/historical.pdf
 | access-date = January 6, 2014}}</ref>
and an expansion of Highway{{nbsp}}27 (eventually designated as [[Ontario Highway 427|Highway&nbsp;427]] by the mid-1970s) into part of the Toronto Bypass were all underway or completed by the early 1950s.<ref name="JShragge" /> Seeking a way to distinguish the controlled-access freeways from the existing two-lane King's Highways, the Department of Highways created the 400-series designations in 1952. By the end of the year, Highway{{nbsp}}400, 401, and 402 were numbered, although they were only short stubs of their current lengths.<ref name="series400">{{cite news
 | title        = Search Engine: Highway Mysteries Solved
 | first        = Karena | last = Walter
 | work         = The Niagara Falls Review
 | date         = February 21, 2014
 | url          = http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/02/21/search-engine-highway-mysteries-solved
 | access-date  = December 17, 2015
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222082645/http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/02/21/search-engine-highway-mysteries-solved
 | archive-date = December 22, 2015}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}401 was assembled across the province in a patchwork fashion,<ref name="JShragge" />
becoming fully navigable between Windsor and the Quebec border on November{{nbsp}}10, 1964;<ref name="openDates">{{cite book
 | title     = Highway Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1972–1973
 | page      = 8–9}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}400 was extended north to [[Coldwater, Ontario|Coldwater]] on Christmas Eve 1959;<ref>{{cite news
 | title = Open 400 Link to Coldwater
 | work  = The Toronto Star
 | date  = December 24, 1959
 | page  = 18
 | quote = The new, 22-mile extension from south of Crown Hill to Coldwater will be ready for traffic this afternoon.}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}402 was extended to London between 1972 and 1982.<ref name="begin">{{cite book
 | title     = Highway Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1972–1973
 | page      = xi}}</ref><ref name="ceremony">{{cite book
 | title      = Annual Report
 | publisher  = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year       = 1982–1983
 | page       = 76
 | edition    = Construction}}</ref>

In addition to this network backbone, plans for additional 400-series highways were initiated by the late 1950s, comprising the Chedoke Expressway ([[Ontario Highway 403|Highway&nbsp;403]]) through [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]];<ref name="planning">{{cite report
 | title       = Annual Report for the Fiscal Year
 | publisher   = Ontario Department of Highways
 | date        = March 31, 1958
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=6f8iAQAAIAAJ&q=C.A.H+403
 | access-date = July 25, 2010}}</ref>
the [[Don Valley Parkway]] Extension ([[Ontario Highway 404|Highway&nbsp;404]]) northward from the soon-to-be constructed Toronto expressway;<ref name="plan">{{cite report
 | title      = Don Valley Parkway Extension, Highway 401 to Steeles Avenue
 | publisher  = Desjardines
 | year       = 1957}}</ref>
[[Ontario Highway 405|Highway&nbsp;405]] to connect with the American border near [[St. Catharines]];<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Above the Regular Budget
 | work        = The Ottawa Citizen
 | date        = July 31, 1958
 | page        = 7
 | url         = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uT4vAAAAIBAJ&dq=hamilton%20expressway%20toronto&pg=4732%2C2879605
 | access-date = October 20, 2010}}</ref>
[[Ontario Highway 406|Highway&nbsp;406]] south from St. Catharines to [[Welland]];<ref>{{cite book
 | title       = Annual Report
 | publisher   = Department of Highways
 | date        = March 31, 1961
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=ngAjAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Highway%20406%22
 | access-date = July 29, 2011}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}407 encircling the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), though not built for another 40 years;<ref name="suburbs">{{cite book
 | title       = The Shape of the Suburbs: Understanding Toronto's Sprawl
 | first       = John | last = Sewell
 | publisher   = University of Toronto Press
 | year        = 2009
 | page        = 72
 | isbn        = 978-0-8020-9884-9
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=dFA2YUVA57wC&q=%22Highway+403%22&pg=PA72
 | access-date = July 1, 2010}}</ref>
[[Ontario Highway 409|Highway&nbsp;409]] to connect Highway{{nbsp}}401 with [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto International Airport]];<ref>{{cite book
 | title      = Malton: Farms to Flying
 | first      = Kathleen A. | last = Hicks
 | publisher  = Friends of the Mississauga Library System
 | year       = 2006
 | pages      = 208–209
 | section    = Road Controversy - 1968
 | isbn       = 0-9697873-9-1
 | url        = http://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/9634_MaltonBook_PartFour.pdf
 | access-date = April 4, 2010}}</ref>
and The Queensway ([[Ontario Highway 417|Highway&nbsp;417]]) through Ottawa.<ref>{{cite web
 | title        = The Queensway Began with a Royal Blast: Flashback to 1957.
 | first        = Peter | last = Robertson
 | publisher    = Carlington Community Association
 | url          = http://www.carlingtoncommunity.org/?p=1492
 | access-date  = December 17, 2015
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426061730/http://www.carlingtoncommunity.org/?p=1492
 | archive-date = April 26, 2012}}</ref>
The first sections of these freeways were opened in 1963,{{sfn|Ontario Department of Highways|1970|p=11}}
1977,<ref name="1976report">{{cite report
 | title     = Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1976–1977
 | page      = XV}}</ref>
1963,{{sfn|Ontario Department of Highways|1970|p=11}} 1965,{{sfn|Ontario Department of Highways|1970|p=12}}
1997,<ref name="407dates">{{cite report
 | title        = Settlement of Claim of Richard Prendiville
 | publisher    = Ontario Superior Court of Justice
 | date         = December 12, 2001
 | page         = 7
 | url          = http://www.kmlaw.ca/site_documents/011240_SOC_18dec01.pdf
 | access-date  = December 17, 2015
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140727041251/http://www.kmlaw.ca/site_documents/011240_SOC_18dec01.pdf
 | archive-date = July 27, 2014}}</ref>
1974,<ref>{{cite report
 | title     = Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1976–1977
 | page      = XIV}}</ref>
and 1960,<ref name="gloucester">{{cite book
 | title       = A Historical Timeline for the Township of Gloucester
 | first       = Glenn | last = Clark
 | publisher   = The Gloucester Historical Society
 | date        = April 14, 2012
 | url         = http://www.gloucesterhistory.com/history.html
 | access-date = July 1, 2012}}</ref>
respectively. In 1963, transportation minister Charles MacNaughton announced the widening of Highway{{nbsp}}401 in Toronto from four to a minimum of 12{{nbsp}}lanes between [[List of north–south roads in Toronto#Islington Avenue|Islington Avenue]] and [[Ontario Highway 48|Markham Road]].{{sfn|Shragge|Bagnato|1984|p=93}} Construction began immediately; while the plan initially called for construction to end in 1967, it continued for nearly a decade. At least four lanes were always open during the large reconstruction project, which included complex new interchanges at Highway{{nbsp}}27, Highway{{nbsp}}400, the planned Spadina Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway.<ref name="JShragge" />

Throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, the provincial government also funded numerous urban expressways, including the [[Conestoga Parkway]] in [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]]–[[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]], the [[Thunder Bay Expressway]] in Thunder Bay, [[Highbury Avenue]] in [[London, Ontario|London]], the [[Hanlon Expressway]] into [[Guelph]] and most infamously the [[Spadina Expressway]] into [[Downtown Toronto]]. While the others were built, the Spadina became a heated debate in the late 1960s between [[Metropolitan Toronto]] and urban activists including [[Jane Jacobs]]. The battle culminated when premier [[Bill Davis]] rose in the legislature and declared "If we are building a transportation system to serve the automobile, the Spadina Expressway would be a good place to start. But if we are building a transportation system to serve people, the Spadina Expressway is a good place to stop."<ref>{{cite web
 | first       = Jamie | last = Bradburn
 | title       = 'The streets belong to the people': Why a premier killed the Spadina Expressway
 | publisher   = [[TVOntario|TVO Today]]
 | date        = June 3, 2021
 | url         = https://www.tvo.org/article/the-streets-belong-to-the-people-why-a-premier-killed-the-spadina-expressway
 | access-date = November 20, 2022}}</ref>

=== 1972–1995: Growth of public transit ===
The cancellation of the Spadina Expressway led to the demise of [[Cancelled expressways in Toronto|other proposed expressways in Toronto]] and elsewhere in the province, as well as a decline in new road building proposals.<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Don | last = Butler
 | title       = Need for freeway link not proven
 | work        = [[Ottawa Citizen]]
 | date        = July 14, 1982
 | page        = 9
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114023427/need-for-freeway-link-not-proven/
 | access-date = December 3, 2022
 | via         = Newspapers.com}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
It remains, to this day, a controversial decision.<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Joe | last = Warmington
 | title       = No cheers for the death of the Spadina Expressway
 | newspaper        = [[Toronto Sun]]
 | date        = June 6, 2021
 | url         = https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-no-cheers-for-the-death-of-the-spadina-expressway
 | access-date = December 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Rahul | last = Gupta
 | title       = Canada 150: Remembering the Spadina Expressway
 | work        = [[North York Mirror]]
 | date        = June 21, 2017
 | url         = https://www.toronto.com/news/canada-150-remembering-the-spadina-expressway/article_12a0a0d7-2935-5927-a92b-b24f3b5cb0ad.html
 | access-date = December 1, 2022}}</ref>
The Environmental Assessment Act, introduced in 1975, further restricted new highway building,<ref>{{cite news
 | title    = Ministries at Loggerheads Over Extension of Highway
 | work     = [[The Globe and Mail]]
 | location = Toronto
 | date     = May 26, 1981
 | page     = 5
 | id       = {{ProQuest|1143169307}} {{subscription required}}}}</ref> and as a result the 1970s and 1980s saw less new highway construction compared to prior decades.

Despite this, several existing freeways were extended or expanded, including Highway{{nbsp}}402 from Sarnia to London between 1972 and 1982,<ref name="402Begin">{{cite book
 | title     = Highway Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1972–1973
 | page      = xi}}</ref><ref name="402Done">{{cite book
 | title      = Annual Report
 | publisher  = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year       = 1982–1983
 | page       = 76
 | edition    = Construction}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}403 through Mississauga between 1978 and late 1982,<ref name="MissBegin">{{Cite news
 | title   = Doubts Raised About Route of New 403
 | first   = Frank
 | last    = Calleja
 | work    = Toronto Star
 | date    = November 8, 1979
 | page    = A19
 | id      = {{ProQuest|1373285177}} {{subscription required}}}}</ref><ref name="MissDone">{{Cite news
 | title   = $87 Million Highway 403 Complete As Last Leg Opens
 | work    = Toronto Star
 | date    = December 2, 1982
| page    = A18}}</ref>
the [[Don Valley Parkway]] as Highway{{nbsp}}404 north from Toronto to [[Newmarket, Ontario|Newmarket]] between 1976 and 1989,<ref name=404Begin>{{cite news
 | title    = Headache on the 401
 | work     = The Globe and Mail
 | location = Toronto
 | date     = May 4, 1976
 | page     = 5}}</ref><ref>{{cite report
 | title     = Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ontario
 | year      = 1975–1976
 | page      = xvii}}</ref><ref name="404Done">{{cite news
 | title      = Ontario Studies Plan to Extend Highway 404 Farther North
 | first      = Brian
 | last       = Dexter
 | work       = The Toronto Star
 | date       = October 25, 1989
 | department = News
 | page       = A8}}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}406 through [[St. Catharines]] between 1977 and 1984,<ref name="406Begin">{{cite book
 | title     = Highway Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1980–1981
 | page      = XV}}</ref><ref name="406Done">{{cite journal
 | title       = The Twelve Mile Creek Precast Prestressed Segmental Bridges
 | journal     = PCI Journal
 | publisher   = Prestressed Concrete Institute
 | year        = 1984
 | volume      = 29
 | issue       = 1
 | page        = 46
 | doi         = 10.15554/pcij.11011984.30.47
 | url         = https://www.pci.org/PCI_Docs/Publications/PCI%20Journal/1984/November/The%20Twelve%20Mile%20Creek%20Precast%20Prestressed%20Segmental%20Bridges.pdf
 | access-date = December 1, 2022
 | quote       = The bridges were opened to traffic in October 1984 on completion of Highway 406 to the Queen Elizabeth Way| last1 = Bassi
 | first1 = Kris G.
 | last2 = Lin
 | first2 = Watone L.
 | last3 = Ai-Bazi
 | first3 = George
 | last4 = Ramakko
 | first4 = Osmo E.
 }}</ref>
Highway{{nbsp}}417 from Ottawa to the Quebec boundary between 1970 and late 1975,<ref name="417Begin">{{cite news
 | title      = Two Big Road Jobs Ending
 | work       = The Ottawa Citizen
 | date       = July 20, 1970
 | page       = 10
 | url        = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=groyAAAAIBAJ&dq=highway-417&pg=3156%2C365086
 | access-date = June 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name="417Done">{{cite book
 | title     = Construction Program
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1976–1977
 | page      = XII}}</ref>
and the expansion of Highway{{nbsp}}27 into Highway{{nbsp}}427 between 1968 and late 1971,<ref name="427Begin">{{cite news
 | title     = Drivers Face Three More Years of QE-27-401 Motoring Misery
 | work      = The Toronto Star
 | date      = July 22, 1969
 | page      = 43}}</ref><ref name="427Done">{{cite news
 | title     = Highway 27 Interchange Fully in Service
 | work      = The Globe and Mail
 | location  = Toronto
 | date      = December 4, 1971
 | page      = 5}}</ref>
as well as its extension from Highway{{nbsp}}401 to Highway{{nbsp}}7 between 1976 and 1991.<ref name="427extBegin">{{cite report
 | title     = Construction Program
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year      = 1976–77
 | page      = XIV}}</ref><ref name="427extDone">{{cite report
 | title     = Provincial Highways Construction Projects
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation
 | year      = 1991–92
 | page      = 13
 | issn      = 0714-1149}}</ref>
[[Ontario Highway 410|Highway&nbsp;410]] was also built, initially as a two lane road, between 1975 and late 1978.<ref>{{cite news
| title      = Years of Headaches Driver' Prospect as 401 is Widened
| first      = Thomas
| last       = Claridge
| work       = The Globe and Mail
| location   = Toronto
| date       = May 3, 1975
| volume     = 132
| issue      = 39,125
| page       = 1}}</ref><ref name="410Done">{{cite press release
| title     = Highway 410 Opens November 15
| author    = Public and Safety Information Section
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
| date      = November 9, 1978}}</ref><ref>{{cite report
| title     = Annual Report
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
| date      = March 31, 1979
| section   = Regional and District Operations: Central Region
| page      = 14}}</ref>

=== 1996–1999: Highway Transfers ===
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 lower levels of government, a process referred to as ''[[Decommissioned highway|downloading]]''. Several thousand kilometres of provincially maintained highways were transferred to the various [[municipality|municipalities]] in which they are located. These transfers were performed under the reasoning that they served a mostly local function, as a cost-saving measure and as part of a broader exchange of responsibilities between the province and its municipalities.
On April{{nbsp}}1, 1997, {{convert|1767.6|km}} of highways were removed from the King's Highway system.<ref name="downloaded">{{cite report
 | title     = Highway Transfers List
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date      = April 1, 1997}}</ref>
This was followed by the removal of {{convert|3211.1|km}} on January 1, 1998,<ref name="WDW">{{cite report
 | title     = Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What"
 | publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date      = June 20, 2001}}</ref>
for a total of {{convert|4978.7|km}}; the move was criticized by the media.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Rough Roads Ahead Under Tories
 | first       = John | last = Ibbitson
 | work        = The Ottawa Citizen 
 | date        = February 1, 1997
 | page        = E10
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73488949/rough-roads-ahead-under-tories/
 | access-date = March 13, 2021
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | title       = On A (Back) Road to Ruin?
 | first       = Randy | last = Boswell
 | work        = The Ottawa Citizen 
 | date        = July 21, 1997
 | page        = B3
 | department  = City
 | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73483600/on-a-back-road-to-ruin/
 | access-date = March 13, 2021
 | via         = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In the 1980s and 1990s, [[Ontario Highway 416|Highway&nbsp;416]] was constructed through a process known as twinning in which a second [[dual carriageway|carriageway]] is built parallel to the existing road. In addition, existing intersections were rebuilt as [[grade separation|grade-separated]] interchanges.<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = What is Involved in Constructing a Four Lane Highway?
 | publisher   = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | url         = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/highway69/construction.shtml
 | access-date  = October 12, 2011
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110608073939/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/highway69/construction.shtml
 | archive-date = June 8, 2011}}</ref>
[[Ontario Highway 16#Highway 16 New|Highway&nbsp;16 New]] was built during the 1960s and 1970s, establishing the right-of-way and alignment of a future freeway as a two-lane highway.<ref name="link">{{cite news
 | title    = New 45-Mile Highway to Link Ottawa with 401
 | work     = The Globe and Mail
 | location = Toronto
 | date     = November 14, 1967
 | page     = 4
 | volume   = 124
 | issue    = 36,795}}</ref>
Planning for a connection to [[Ontario Highway 417|Highway&nbsp;417]] began in 1987,<ref name="ea report">{{cite report
 |title        = EA-86-01
 |publisher    = Environmental Assessment Board
 |date         = July 31, 1987
 |page         = 9
 |url          = http://www.ert.gov.on.ca/files/DEC/ea8601d1.pdf
 |access-date  = September 30, 2011
 |archive-date = September 29, 2018
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180929203733/http://www.ert.gov.on.ca/files/DEC/ea8601d1.pdf
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
and was completed on July{{nbsp}}31, 1997.<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = Highway 416 North
 |author       = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 |publisher    = Government of Ontario
 |date         = June 17, 2010
 |url          = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/north.shtml
 |access-date  = October 26, 2011
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110831132605/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/north.shtml
 |archive-date = August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref name="ea report" />
Work to twin Highway{{nbsp}}16 New began in mid-1996,<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Highway 416 South
 |author      = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 |publisher   = Government of Ontario
 |date        = June 17, 2010
 |url         = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/south.shtml
 |access-date  = October 26, 2011
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20010520171046/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/june12.htm
 |archive-date = May 20, 2001}}</ref>
and was completed in sections between June 1997,<ref>{{cite press release
 | title        = Transportation Minister Officially Opens Another 7.6 Kilometres of Highway 416
 | author       = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | publisher    = Government of Ontario
 | date         = June 12, 1997
 | url          = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/south.shtml
 | access-date  = October 26, 2011
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20010520171046/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/416/june12.htm
 | archive-date = May 20, 2001}}</ref>
and September 1999, after which nearly the entire length of Highway{{nbsp}}16 was redesignated as Highway{{nbsp}}416.<ref>{{cite news
 | title      = Ottawa Highway Link Opens
 | agency     = Canadian Press
 | work       = Toronto Star
 | date       = September 24, 1999
 | department = Ontario
 | page       = A4}}</ref>

=== 2000–2023: Recent history ===
{{see also|Ontario Highway 11#Expansion and rerouting|Ontario Highway 69#Four-laning|Ontario Highway 407#Highway 407 East project|Ontario Highway 401#Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway}}
In recent years, highway construction has generally been limited to the expansion of existing highways, principal among them Highway{{nbsp}}11, Highway{{nbsp}}400/69, and the Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway{{nbsp}}401 into Windsor. The four-laning of {{convert|240|km}} of Highway{{nbsp}}11 between Barrie and North Bay was a long-term expansion that was completed August{{nbsp}}8, 2012, having been worked on since 1955.<ref>{{cite report
 | title       = Annual Report
 | edition     = 1954
 | publisher   = Department of Highways
 | date        = April 1, 1955
 | page        = 14
 | section     = Report of the Chief Engineer, W. A. Clarke}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Mary Beth | last = Hartill
 | title       = Four-laning finally done
 | work        = Huntsville Forester
 | publisher   = [[Metroland Media Group]]
 | date        = August 16, 2012
 | url         = https://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/3576429-four-laning-finally-done/
 | access-date = September 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | first        = Gord | last = Young
 | title        = Highway 11 four-laning complete
 | work         = North Bay Nugget
 | publisher    = Canoe Sun Media
 | date         = August 10, 2012 
 | url          = http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/10/highway-11-four-laning-complete
 | access-date  = December 30, 2019
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714185022/http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/10/highway-11-four-laning-complete
 | archive-date = July 14, 2014}}</ref>
The four-laning of Highway{{nbsp}}69, which will be replaced by Highway{{nbsp}}400, has progressed northward from [[Waubaushene]] since 1991,<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Ian | last = Ross
 | title       = Highway 69 and 11 expansion rolling north: Northerners say safety, efficiency, new development will open up the region
 | work        = Northern Ontario Business
 | date        = July 13, 2008
 | url         = https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/construction/highway-69-and-11-expansion-rolling-north-364909
 | access-date = August 14, 2021}}</ref>
reaching as far as [[Nobel, Ontario|Nobel]] on October{{nbsp}}26, 2010.<ref>{{cite news
 | title        = $177-million section of highway now open
 | work         = CottageCountryNow.ca
 | date         = October 27, 2010
 | url          = http://www.cottagecountrynow.ca/community/parrysound/article/893665
 | access-date  = August 14, 2021
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726150237/http://www.cottagecountrynow.ca/community/parrysound/article/893665
 | archive-date = July 26, 2011}}</ref>
Work has also progressed south from Sudbury since 2005,<ref>{{cite news
 | title = Contract awarded for widening of highway 69
 | work  = [[Sault Star]]
 | date  = December 18, 2004
 | page  = A6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title        = Status of Construction Activity
 | author       = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | publisher    = Government of Ontario
 | year         = 2006
 | url          = http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/highway69/status.htm
 | access-date  = August 24, 2021
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061219020533/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/highway69/status.htm
 | archive-date = December 19, 2006}}</ref>
and as of 2022 has reached the [[French River (Ontario)|French River]], leaving a {{convert|68|km|adj=on}} gap of two-lane highway between Toronto and Sudbury.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Ontario Opens Newly Expanded Highway 69
 | publisher   = Government of Ontario
 | date        = December 23, 2021
 | url         = https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001376/ontario-opens-newly-expanded-highway-69
 | access-date = December 23, 2021}}</ref>

Construction began in 2012 on a provincially operated {{convert|65|km|mi|adj=on}} long extension to the 407{{nbsp}}ETR, known as Highway{{nbsp}}407 East (or 407E) during planning, with the project undertaken in two separate phases. Phase{{nbsp}}1 was opened on June{{nbsp}}20, 2016, consisting of a {{convert|22|km|mi|adj=on}} extension to Harmony Road in Oshawa, as well as the {{convert|10|km|mi|adj=on}} Highway{{nbsp}}412.<ref name="phase1">{{cite web
 | title       = Hwy. 407 eastern extension opens between Pickering and Oshawa
 | url         = http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/6734110-hwy-407-eastern-extension-opens-between-pickering-and-oshawa/
 | website     = Inside Toronto
 | date        = June 21, 2016}}</ref> The extension was free of tolls until February{{nbsp}}1, 2017.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/06/20/highway-407-extension-opens-in-durham-region/
 | title      = Highway 407 extension opens in Durham Region
 | date       = June 20, 2016
 | publisher  = 680 News Toronto}}</ref>
Phase{{nbsp}}2A, which opened on January{{nbsp}}2, 2018, added a {{convert|9.6|km|mi|adj=on}} extension to Taunton Road at the future Highway{{nbsp}}418 interchange.<ref name="phase2a">{{cite web
 | title       = Ontario Opens New Section of Highway in Durham Region
 | url         = https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2018/01/ontario-opens-new-section-of-highway-in-durham-region.html
 | website     = Ontario Newsroom
 | access-date = January 2, 2018
 | language    = en}}</ref> Phase{{nbsp}}2B, which opened on December{{nbsp}}9, 2019, added a {{convert|23.3|km|mi|adj=on}} extension to Highway{{nbsp}}35 and Highway{{nbsp}}115, as well as the {{convert|12.8|km|mi|adj=on}} Highway{{nbsp}}418.<ref name="phase2b">{{cite web
 | title       = Extension of Ontario Hwy. 407, new Hwy. 418 open east of Toronto
 | url         = https://www.on-sitemag.com/roads/extension-of-ontario-hwy-407-new-hwy-418-open-east-of-toronto/1003966229/
 | website     = On-Site
 | access-date = December 11, 2019
 | language    = en
 | date        = December 9, 2019}}</ref>

In 2004, a joint announcement by the [[federal government of the United States]] and [[Government of Canada]] confirmed a new Canada–U.S. border crossing would be constructed between [[Detroit]] and Windsor. The MTO took advantage of this opportunity to extend Highway&nbsp;401 to the Canada–US border and began an [[environmental impact assessment]] on the entire project in late 2005.<ref name="DRIC study team">{{cite web
 | title        = DRIC Reports (Canada)
 | author       = Detroit River International Crossing Study team
 | publisher    = Detroit River International Crossing Project
 | url          = http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/
 | access-date  = February 26, 2010
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100504083556/http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/
 | archive-date = May 4, 2010}}</ref>
Despite protest from area residents,<ref>{{cite news
 | title        = DRIC Controversy Goes On
 | first        = Natalie | last = Liltwin
 | publisher    = Canwest Publishing
 | work         = Windsor Star
 | date         = June 3, 2009
 | url          = http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=81cc9ee0-8f37-405e-aadf-d01c1cf7723b
 | access-date  = June 16, 2010
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090611124110/http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=81cc9ee0-8f37-405e-aadf-d01c1cf7723b
 | archive-date = June 11, 2009}}</ref>
as well as a dismissed lawsuit from [[Ambassador Bridge]] owner [[Manuel Moroun|Matty Moroun]],<ref>{{cite news
 | title        = Ambassador Bridge Boss Sues Canada, U.S.
 | publisher    = CBC News
 | date         = March 25, 2010
 | url          = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ambassador-bridge-boss-sues-canada-u-s-1.904666
 | access-date  = June 16, 2010
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110409211928/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/03/25/windsor-ambassador-bridge-owner-sues.html
 | archive-date = April 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | title        = Sierra Club, Bridge Lose bid to Derail DRIC
 | first        = Dylan | last = Kristy
 | work         = The Windsor Star
 | date         = May 5, 2011
 | url          = http://buildthedricnow.com/2011/05/05/sierra-club-bridge-lose-bid-to-derail-dric/
 | access-date  = January 2, 2012
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120423142202/http://buildthedricnow.com/2011/05/05/sierra-club-bridge-lose-bid-to-derail-dric/
 | archive-date = April 23, 2012}}</ref>
it was announced on May{{nbsp}}1, 2008, that a preferred route had been selected and the new route would be named the ''Windsor–Essex Parkway''.<ref name="DRIC">{{cite press release
 | title        = The DRIC Announces Preferred Access Road
 | author       = Detroit River International Crossing Study team
 | publisher    = URS Corporation
 | date         = May 1, 2008
 | url          = http://www.weparkway.ca/NewsRelease.html
 | access-date  = February 26, 2010
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101202064919/http://weparkway.ca/NewsRelease.html
 | archive-date = December 2, 2010}}</ref>
The below-grade route has six through-lanes and follows Huron Church Road from the former end of Highway{{nbsp}}401 to the E.{{nbsp}}C. Row Expressway, which it then follows alongside to near the border.<ref name="WEPmap">{{cite web
 | title        = Parkway Map
 | author       = Detroit River International Crossing Study team
 | publisher    = URS Corporation
 | date         = May 1, 2008
 | url          = http://www.weparkway.ca/pdfs/Prelim_Parkway-Rendered_June09(608x2250)2.pdf
 | access-date  = February 26, 2010
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213130/http://www.weparkway.ca/pdfs/Prelim_Parkway-Rendered_June09(608x2250)2.pdf
 | archive-date = July 6, 2011}}</ref>
Construction began in August 2011,<ref>{{cite news
 | title        = Ground Breaks on Windsor-Essex Parkway
 | publisher    = Today's Trucking
 | date         = August 19, 2011
 | url          = http://www.todaystrucking.com/ground-breaks-on-windsor-essex-parkway
 | access-date  = May 27, 2015
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150527231539/http://www.todaystrucking.com/ground-breaks-on-windsor-essex-parkway
 | archive-date = May 27, 2015}}</ref>
It was partially opened on June{{nbsp}}28, 2015,<ref>{{cite news
 | title        = Herb Gray Parkway Opening This Weekend to Traffic
 | first        = Dave | last = Battagello
 | work         = The Windsor Star
 | date         = June 24, 2015
 | url          = http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/herb-gray-parkway-opening-this-weekend-to-traffic
 | access-date  = June 25, 2015
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150625224013/http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/herb-gray-parkway-opening-this-weekend-to-traffic
 | archive-date = June 25, 2015}}</ref>
and completed to the [[Ojibway Parkway]] on November{{nbsp}}21,<ref>{{cite press release
 | author       = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | title        = Highway 401 Section of the New Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway Now Complete
 | publisher    = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date         = November 20, 2015
 | url          = http://hgparkway.ca/sites/default/files/NR-%20Hwy%20401%20section%20of%20Parkway%20complete.pdf
 | access-date  = March 10, 2016
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062207/http://hgparkway.ca/sites/default/files/NR-%20Hwy%20401%20section%20of%20Parkway%20complete.pdf
 | archive-date = March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | title        = Meeting Gauges Feedback on How Highway 401 Should Cross Ojibway Parkway
 | first        = Chris | last = Thompson
 | work         = Windsor Star
 | date         = December 16, 2015
 | url          = https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/meeting-gauges-feedback-on-how-highway-401-should-cross-ojibway-parkway
 | access-date  = March 10, 2016
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225084914/http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/meeting-gauges-feedback-on-how-highway-401-should-cross-ojibway-parkway
 | archive-date = December 25, 2015}}</ref>
The [[Gordie Howe International Bridge]] is scheduled for completion {{Update after|2025|11|text=in 2025}}, and will tie Highway{{nbsp}}401 in with [[Interstate_75_in_Michigan|Interstate&nbsp;75]] in [[Detroit]].<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = John | last = Gallagher
 | title       = Gordie Howe Bridge groundbreaking message: No stopping this bridge now
 | newspaper   = [[Detroit Free Press]]
 | date        = July 15, 2018
 | url         = https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/john-gallagher/2018/07/15/groundbreaking-message-gordie-howe-bridge-cant-stopped/779151002/
 | access-date = December 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilhelm |first=Trevor |date=2024-01-04 |title=Gordie Howe bridge opening delayed 10 months; price tag up $700M |url=https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/gordie-howe-bridge-opening-delayed-till-2025-price-to-rise-700m |work=[[Windsor Star]]}}</ref>

== Future ==
{{see also|Ontario Highway 413|Bradford Bypass}}
The current proposals by the {{abbr|MTO|Ministry of Transportation of Ontario}} consist of two new freeways in the {{abbr|GTA|Greater Toronto Area}} and continued widening and four-laning of existing highways. [[Ontario Highway 413|Highway&nbsp;413]] is a proposed four-to-six lane freeway bypass of the GTA around [[Brampton]], connecting Highway{{nbsp}}401 and Highway{{nbsp}}407 with Highway{{nbsp}}400 north of Vaughan. The {{convert|52|km|adj=on}} route would include extensions of Highway{{nbsp}}410 and Highway{{nbsp}}427 as well as a right-of-way for a [[transitway]]; the highway has attracted considerable attention, with opinions divided over the benefits of shorter travel times versus irreversible environmental impacts and [[induced demand|urban sprawl]].<ref>{{cite web
 | title       = Proposed Highway to Pave Parts of Greenbelt Proving Controversial
 | first       = Noor | last = Javed
 | date        = January 2, 2015
 | url         = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/01/02/proposed_highway_to_pave_parts_of_greenbelt_proving_controversial.html
 | access-date = March 17, 2021
 | website     = [[Toronto Star]]
 | language    = en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title       = GTA West Highway: Forward Thinking or Retro Mistake?
 | first       = Noor | last = Javed
 | date        = January 30, 2015
 | url         = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2015/01/30/gta-west-highway-forward-thinking-or-retro-mistake.html
 | access-date = March 17, 2021
 | website     = [[Toronto Star]]
 | language    = en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | first1       = Steve | last1 = Buist | first2 = Noor | last2 = Javed | first3 = Emma | last3 = McIntosh
 | title       = Friends with benefits? An inside look at the money, power and influence behind the Ford government's push to
 | work        = The Toronto Star
 | date        = April 3, 2021
 | language    = en-CA
 | url         = https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2021/04/03/ford-friends-with-benefits-an-inside-look-at-the-money-power-and-influence-behind-the-push-to-build-highway-413.html
 | url-access  = subscription
 | access-date = November 2, 2021
 | issn        = 0319-0781
 | quote       = One study commissioned by the previous Liberal government estimated the proposed highway would save drivers a mere 30 to 60 seconds of driving time. The Ministry of Transportation contends that it would save drivers 30 minutes.}}</ref>
The [[Bradford Bypass]] is a proposed four lane rural freeway connecting Highway{{nbsp}}400 and Highway{{nbsp}}404 north of [[Bradford, Ontario|Bradford]] and Newmarket.<ref name="1997ea-p141">{{cite report
 | title       = Highway 400 – Highway 404 Extension Link (Bradford Bypass) – Route Planning and Environmental Assessment Study
 | author      = McCormick Rankin
 | publisher   = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
 | date        = December 1997
 | pages       = 141–148
 | url         = https://www.bradfordbypass.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BBP-RoutePlanningEA-1997.pdf
 | access-date = April 1, 2021
 | language    = en-CA}}</ref>
Like Highway{{nbsp}}413, it has attracted criticism for its environmental impact,<ref>{{cite web
 | title        = Groups Request the Federal Government Conduct Environmental Assessments for Two Proposed Ontario Highways On Environmentally Sensitive Land
 | website      = [[Environmental Defence]]
 | date         = February 3, 2021
 | url          = https://environmentaldefence.ca/2021/02/03/groups-request-federal-government-conduct-environmental-assessments-two-proposed-ontario-highways-environmentally-sensitive-land/
 | archive-url  = https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220130/https://environmentaldefence.ca/2021/02/03/groups-request-federal-government-conduct-environmental-assessments-two-proposed-ontario-highways-environmentally-sensitive-land/
 | archive-date = January 30, 2022
 | url-status   = live
 | access-date  = May 3, 2021
 | language     = en-CA}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="rlsc">{{cite web
 | title        = Fact Sheet: Bradford Bypass (aka the Holland Marsh Highway)
 | website      = Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition
 | url          = https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fact-Sheet-Bradford-Bypass.pdf
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210119022631/https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fact-Sheet-Bradford-Bypass.pdf
 | archive-date = January 19, 2021
 | url-status   = live
 | access-date  = May 3, 2021
 | language     = en-CA}}</ref>
though it has the support of adjacent municipalities.<ref name="york">{{cite news
 | title       = York Region Council Vote to Send Letter to Federal Government in Support Bradford Bypass Project
 | first       = Natasha | last = Philpott
 | date        = March 21, 2021
 | work        = Bradford Today
 | url         = https://www.bradfordtoday.ca/local-news/york-region-council-vote-to-send-letter-to-federal-government-in-support-bradford-bypass-project-3559610
 | access-date = April 7, 2021
 | language    = en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Letter to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, RE: Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review – Highway 400–404 Connecting Link
 |publisher   = Town of East Gwillimbury
 |date        = August 12, 2016
 |url         = http://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/Assets/5+2015+Government/404+connecting+link/Letter+to+Minister+Mauro.pdf
 |access-date = April 7, 2021
 |language    = en-CA
}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Preliminary construction works for the route are underway as of 2022.<ref>{{cite press release
 | title       = Ontario Taking Next Steps to Build Bradford Bypass
 | publisher   = [[Government of Ontario]]
 | date        = November 9, 2022
 | url         = https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002462/ontario-taking-next-steps-to-build-bradford-bypass
 | access-date = November 27, 2022}}</ref>

While planning for the twinning of Highway{{nbsp}}11/17 between Thunder Bay and [[Nipigon]] began in 1989,<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Accesllerated highway improvement program for Northwestern Ontario
 | work        = The Nipigon-Red Rock Gazette
 | date        = December 19, 1989
 | volume      = 25 | issue = 51
 | pages       = 1, 15
 | url         = https://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/Nipigon/NPL002293306pf_0001.pdf<!-- Page 15: https://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/Nipigon/NPL002293306pf_0015.pdf -->
 | access-date = September 4, 2022}}</ref>
construction did not begin until 2009.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = Open for business: MTO opens new section of divided highway
 | author      = Staff
 | work        = [[TBNewsWatch.com]]
 | date        = August 17, 2012
 | url         = https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/open-for-business-mto-opens-new-section-of-divided-highway-392005
 | access-date = September 3, 2022}}</ref>
As of 2022, {{convert|55|km}} of two-laned highway remains to be twinned or bypassed, almost all of which is in the engineering phase.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = A new Highway 11-17 twinning project begins
 | author      = Staff
 | work        = [[TBNewsWatch.com]]
 | date        = December 8, 2020
 | url         = https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/a-new-highway-11-17-twinning-project-begins-3-photos-3165996
 | access-date = September 3, 2022}}</ref>
The four-laning of the remaining {{convert|68|km|adj=on}} gap of Highway{{nbsp}}69 has been promised by multiple governments, but no timeline for completion has been announced as of 2022.<ref>{{cite news
 | title       = West reiterates call to complete Hwy. 69 four-laning
 | publisher   = [[Sudbury.com]]
 | date        = September 1, 2022
 | url         = https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/west-reiterates-call-to-complete-hwy-69-four-laning-5768838
 | access-date = November 27, 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Ontario|Roads|Canada}}
* [[List of Ontario provincial highways]]
{{-}}

== References ==
=== Footnotes ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book

 | title      = The Yonge Street Story: 1793–1860
 | first      = F.R. | last = Berchem
 | publisher  = McGraw-Hill Ryerson
 | year       = 1977
 | isbn       = 0-07-082567-X}}
* {{cite book

 | title      = Keeping Ontario Moving: The History of Roads and Road Building in Ontario
 | first      = Robert | last = Bradford
 | publisher  = Dundurn Press
 | year       = 2015
 | isbn       = 978-1-4597-2412-9
 }}
* {{cite book
 | title      = Toronto's Lost Villages
 | first      = Ron
 | last       = Brown
 | publisher  = Polar Bear Press
 | location   = Toronto
 | year       = 1997
 | isbn       = 978-1-896757-02-5}}
* {{cite book

 | title       = Appendix to the Report of the Ontario Bureau of Industries
 | author      = Legislative Assembly of Ontario
 | year        = 1896
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=nn4fAAAAYAAJ
 | access-date = March 28, 2021
 }}
* {{cite book

 | title       = Report of the Provincial Instructor in Road-Making
 | author      = Legislative Assembly of Ontario
 | year        = 1897
 | publisher   = Ontario Department of Agriculture
 | url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=zb01AQAAMAAJ
 | access-date = March 28, 2021
 }}
* {{cite book |title=A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969 |year=1970 |publisher=Ontario Department of Highways |ref={{sfnref|Ontario Department of Highways|1970}}}}
* {{cite book

 | title      = From Footpaths to Freeways
 | first1     = John | last1 = Shragge
 | first2     = Sharon | last2 = Bagnato
 | publisher  = Historical Committee, Ministry of Transportation and Communications
 | year       = 1984
 | isbn       = 978-0-7743-9388-1}}
* {{cite book

 | title      = QEW – Canada's First Superhighway
 | first      = Robert M. | last = Stamp
 | publisher  = The Boston Mills Press
 | year       = 1987
 | isbn       = 0-919783-84-8}}

== GIS datasets ==
{{Reflist|group=GIS}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Highways in Ontario}}
*[https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-transportation Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO)]
*[http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/mto-100/#before1916 MTO 100th Anniversary - History]
*[http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/map/ Official Ontario road map]
*[https://511on.ca/ Ontario 511 Traveller Information] - Highway conditions
*[https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-highway-programs Ontario's Highway Programs]
*[https://aims.archives.gov.on.ca/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/DESCRIPTION_WEB/WEB_DESC_DET/SISN%2015272?SESSIONSEARCH Road maps of Ontario, 1923–2010]

{{Ontario Provincial Highways}}
{{Canadian highways|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Provincial Highway Network of Ontario}}
[[Category:Ontario provincial highways| ]]
[[Category:Lists of roads in Ontario|*]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in Ontario]]