Ontario has several distinct classes of highways (Frenchvoie publique): King's Highways, (which includes Controlled-access highways) and secondary highways, with individual highways referred to as "that part of the King's Highway known as No. xx," or simply "the King's Highway known as No. xx." Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act; R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER P.50 For the purposes of legal jurisdiction, however, the Highay Traffic Act deems that tertiary roads are also considered to be King's Highways (Frenchroute principale),Highway Traffic Act; R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER H.8
The term King's Highways has been deprecated over the past quarter century, and the old signs were replaced circa 1993.Currently, these highways are designated "provincial highways"Municipal Act, 2001; SO 2001, c. 25 or "provincially maintained highways"Provincially Maintained Highways by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The Highway Traffic Act, amended as recently as 2006, still refers to them as King's HighwayBoth terms are sometimes used within the same regulation as the older term is phased out.Conservation Authorities Act; R.R.O. 1990, REGULATION 164, Amended to O. Reg. 172/06
King's Highways
A King's Highway shield
The King's Highways are currently numbered 2 to 148. The Ministry of Transportation never designated a Highway 1.
400-Series Highways are a special class. The 400-series highways include Highways 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 416, 417, 420, 427, and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), which is actually designated as Highway 451. Some highway numbers are suffixed with a letter. The letter will be one of 'A' ("Alternate route"), 'B' ("Business route"), or 'S' ("Scenic route").
Highway markers take on one of three designs depending on its use. Standard road shields placed on the highway itself consist of a shield design topped with a crown. In the current design, the highway number and the word "ONTARIO" appear on the shield. Junction signs (used at intersections and on the signs of 400-Series Highways) show a large white crown with the route number in it. Trailblazer signs (those indicating a route "to" a highway) will look like one of the first two but will be green instead of white.
The speed limit on King's Highways is generally 80 km/h (50 mph), except for the Trans-Canada Highway routes and certain other highways in northern Ontario, which are 90 km/h (55 mph), and 400-series highways and most other freeways, which are generally 100 km/h (65 mph).
Secondary
Secondary highways exist in northern Ontario (and used to exist in Central and Eastern Ontario) to connect towns and remote areas. These highways are currently numbered from 502 to 673. Secondary highway markers are trapezoid-shaped. On the face of the marker appear, in order from top to bottom, the Ontario coat of arms, the number of the highway, and the word "ONTARIO".
A few secondary highways remain gravel-surfaced, although most have been paved. The speed limit on nearly all of these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although Highway 655 is posted at 90 km/h (55 mph).
Tertiary
Tertiary roads connect those regions in northern Ontario not served by secondary highways. Legally, "road" (Frenchroute) has the same meaning as highway. These roads are currently numbered 801 to 811, and are marked by a simple rectangular marker with rounded corners bearing the number of the highway and the word "ONTARIO".
Most of these roads are gravel-surfaced and low-standard. The speed limit on these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although design standards generally override such.
Others
In addition to these three classes of highways, the Ministry of Transportation maintains other roads (Resource roads, Industrial roads) that are of strategic importance to the Ministry, but which are not important enough to be given any special marking. These roads are designated with 7000-series numbers, though they are not publicly marked as such.
Also, in Southern Ontario and in the city of Greater Sudbury there are systems of regional, municipal or county roads that are also numbered. These roads are maintained by the local government (Township, City, or County/District/Region), not by the province.
In 1997 and 1998, many sections of the provincial highway network were downloaded to local municipalities (such as cities, counties or regional municipalities) by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as a cost-saving measure. While highways were occasionally transferred to local governments in the past, the 1997-1998 downloads represented the most significant changes to Ontario's highway network. Many highways were completely devolved, while of others only short sections remain under provincial jurisdiction (Highway 2, once stretching across Southern Ontario, now is only a few kilometres long). Below is a partial list of partially or wholly devolved highways since 1997. *Highway 2 – Windsor to the Ontario-Quebec boundary, now Lake Shore Boulevard, Kingston Road, Toronto Road, and Loyalist Road. Its purpose was largely superseded by Highway 401; only a 4.4 kilometre section near Gananoque remains. *Highway 2A – Scarborough, Ontario. Was once an expressway in the 1940's until highway 401 took over its current route in 1952. *Highway 3 – between St. Thomas and Leamington. *Highway 11A – Toronto; Gardiner Expressway/Lake Shore Boulevard to Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (ON-401) now known only as, York Street then University Avenue, Avenue Road, and Oriole Parkway. *Highway 11B – Cobalt-New Liskeard. *Highway 14 – Marmora to Highway 62 near Foxboro. *Highway 19 – From terminus at Port Burwell to Highway 3 in Tillsonburg; From Highway 401 to terminus at Highway 86 near Milverton. The section from Tillsonburg to Highway 401 remains. *Highway 20 – QEW exit 88 E of Hamilton to QEW/ON-420 interchange, now Confederation Parkway, through Stoney Creek, Rymal Road, and Lundy's Lane. *Highway 22 – London, Ontario to near Warwick, Ontario, connecting to Sarnia, Ontario and to Arkona by Highway 7; replaced by most of routing of Highway 402 *Highway 24 – 2 km south of Cambridge and northward through Guelph, Orangeville, Shelburne, and Collingwood on Georgian Bay. *Highway 25 – (Oakville (Bronte, suburban Toronto) to north of Grand Valley) now Bronte Road (south of Steeles Avenue in Milton). *Highway 27 – Etobicoke, Ontario to Midhurst, Ontario; now referred to as Highway 27 in Toronto and York Regional Road 27 in Vaughan *Highway 28 – Port Hope to ON-7A, (which had a joint with ON-115 for 13 km to the Parkway exit), up to NE of Lakefield, at ON-134. *Highway 29 – Brockville to Arnprior *Highway 30 – Brighton to Havelock *Highway 31 – Morrisburg to Ottawa *Highway 32 – Gananoque to Seeley's Bay *Highway 36 – Lindsay to Highway 28 at Burleigh Falls. *Highway 38 – Kingston to Highway 7 near Sharbot Lake; now referred to as County Road 38 *Highway 39 – Windsor to south of Belle River. *Highway 42 – Westport to Forthton. *Highway 43 – Perth to Alexandria, via Smiths Falls, and Winchester decommissioned in 1998--Perth to Smith Falls was Highway 15 prior to completion of Highway 7 in 1950s. *Highway 45 – Cobourg to Norwood. *Highway 46 – from Ontario Hwy 7 to Victoria County Rd. 48 near Bolsover. Now Victoria County Rd. 46. *Highway 47 – Highway 48 north of Stouffville to highways 7 & 12 south of Greenbank. *Highway 50 – Toronto section; also referred to as Albion Road to highway 89 west of Alliston. *Highway 51 – North of Cataract to Caledon. *Highway 52 – East of Alberton to Highway 8 at Peters Corners. *Highway 53 – Stoney Creek to Eastwood. *Highway 56 – Highway 3 west of Canfield to Stoney Creek. *Highway 68 – became Highway 6 on Manitoulin Island. *Highway 70 – renamed Highway 6 from Hepworth to Springmount. *Highway 73 – Port Bruce, Ontario to Dorchester, Ontario *Highway 74 – New Sarum to Nilestown. Decomissioned in 1997. *Highway 88 – Highway 27 junction at Bond Head to Highway 11 junction in Bradford. Existed from 1938 to 1988 *Highway 90 – Barrie to Angus and C.F.B. Borden. *Highway 95 – Wolfe Island *Highway 96 – Wolfe Island *Highway 97 – Freelton to Hickson, through Galt/Cambridge. *Highway 98 – Essex County in the 1950's and 1960's. It was decomissioned, becoming Essex County Road 46, and Kent County (now Chatham-Kent) Road 8. Its western terminus was downtown Windsor, and its eastern terminus was downtown Blenheim, at highways 40 and 3. *Highway 99 – Governor's Road (original alignment of Dundas Street from Highway 24 North of Brantford to Ancaster *Highway 100 – MCF (ON-401) at exit 194 to Former ON-2, eastern part of London, now Airport Road. *Highway 103 – Highway 400 and 12 to Highway 69 junction, first Highway 69, now Highway 400. *Highway 104 – to Grand Valley from Highway 9, then Highway 25. *Highway 117 – Highway 11 north of Bracebridge to Dorset. *Highway 121 – Highway 35 south of Fenelon Falls to Haliburton. Eastward is renamed Highway 118. *Highway 126 – MCF (ON-401) S of London, Ontario (partially superhighway--Wenige Expressway) to ON-2, some think extended to ON-22 (present Fanshawe Park Road East), now known as Highbury Avenue. (The part between ON-401 and the south Thames River had no name, while a half-mile section from the Thames to Hamilton Road was the Wenige Expwy, and north from there was Highbury Avenue.) *Highway 131 – Renamed Simcoe County Road 27. *Highway 134 – Renamed Highway 28. *Highway 135 – Short highway in London, between Highway 401 and former Highways 2 & 4. Now called Exeter Road. *Highway 136 – Cataract to Orangeville. Formerly Highway 24. *Highway 169 – Brechin to Foot's Bay via Gravenhurst, shared space with Highway 11 from Washago to Gravenhurst. *Highway 517 – Used to run from Boulter to Combermere at Highway 62. Downgraded to County Rd. status in Hastings and Renfrew counties. *Highway 800 – now Ontario Hwy 527 near Thunder Bay to Armstrong.