Ontario Highway 117

King's Highway 117, commonly referred to as Highway 117, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Two routes have been given the designation over the years, both of which have since been decommissioned. The first iteration existed in Vaughan Township between 1961 and 1970, following Bathurst Street between Steeles Avenue and Highway 7. In 1974, a second iteration of Highway 117 was assumed through Muskoka, connecting Highway 11 near Bracebridge with Highway 35 in Dorset. This route existed until 1997, when it was transferred to the District Municipality of Muskoka.

Route description

The most recent iteration of Highway 117 connected Highway 11 north of Bracebridge with Highway 35 in Dorset. More than half of the route travels along the southern shoreline of Lake of Bays. While a majority of the route is surrounded by rock and forest as it winds through the Canadian Shield, it passes through the communities of Baysville, Ninth Grove, Grandview, Browns Brae and Grove Park.^[2]

History

The original Highway 117 designation existed from 1961 to 1970, along the 2.1-kilometre (1.3 mi) stretch of Bathurst Street extending from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7 in Vaughan Township.

The second Highway 117, which existed from 1974 to 1998, extended 43 kilometres (27 mi) between the communities of Bracebridge and Dorset in the Muskoka region. On January 1, 1998, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario decommissioned the entire route.^[3] Jurisdiction over the road was transferred to the District Municipality of Muskoka and renumbered as Muskoka Road 117.^[2]

References