Ontario Highway 12

Highway 12
Route information
Length:	145.1 km[1] (90.2 mi)
Existed:	January 14, 1922[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	Gatineau hydro corridor south of Brooklin
	Highway 7 – Brooklin  Highway 7 – Sunderland  Highway 48 (near Beaverton)  Highway 11 – Orillia  Highway 400 – Coldwater
North end:	Highway 93 – Midland
Location
Major cities:	Orillia, Whitby
Towns:	Blackwater, Sunderland, Waubaushene, Midland
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways List 400-series Former <td width="100%" align=center" colspan="3" style="padding:0;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center">Current highways ←  Highway 11   Highway 15  → Former highways     Highway 14  →

King's Highway 12, commonly referred to as Highway 12 and historically known as the Whitby and Sturgeon Bay Road, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway connects the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) with Kawartha Lakes (via Highway 7), Orillia and Midland before ending at Highway 93. It forms a part of the Trans-Canada Highway system from north of Sunderland to Coldwater. Highway 12 connects several small towns along its 146 km (91 mi) route, and bypasses a short distance from many others. The rural portions of the highway feature a posted speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph), often dropping to 50 km/h (31 mph) through built-up areas. The entire route is patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police.

Highway 12 was first established in early 1922 between Highway 2 in Whitby and Lindsay. The section running east from Sutherland became part of Highway 7 before route numbering was introduced in 1925. Highway 12 was then routed through Beaverton and around the eastern and northern shores of Lake Simcoe to Orillia and later to Midland; Beaverton was bypassed during the 1960s. The section south of Highway 7 in Brooklin was transferred to the Regional Municipality of Durham in mid-1997 and redesignated as Durham Regional Highway 12. A majority of Highway 12 follows the historic Whitby and Sturgeon Bay Road, constructed in the mid-1800s to connect Whitby and Penetanguishene, both important naval ports of the time.

Route description

Highway 12 east of Beaverton

The highway begins at the hydro easement (the future location of Highway 407^[3]) just south of the community of Brooklin in the town of Whitby.^[1] It travels north and joins with Highway 7 on the southern edge of Brooklin. Highway 7 travels west to Markham, and is signed concurrently with Highway 12 for 39.1 km (24.3 mi) north of this point to Sunderland. North of Sunderland, Highway 7 separates and travels east to Lindsay; Highway 12 thereafter is designated as the Central Ontario Route of the Trans-Canada Highway.^[4]

The highway continues north, following the eastern and northern shores of Lake Simcoe and bypassing Beaverton while curving to the northwest towards Orillia. It bypasses south of Orillia, and shares a routing with Highway 11 northwards for approximately two kilometres between interchanges 131 and 133. At the latter interchange, Highway 12 branches northwest towards Coldwater, where it joins Highway 400 between interchanges 141 and 147; this concurrency is not signed.^[4]

At Waubaushene, the Trans-Canada Highway designation continues north along Highway 400 towards Parry Sound and Sudbury, while Highway 12 continues west towards Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, and the Martyrs' Shrine.^[4] The highway ends at a junction with Highway 93 at the western town limits of Midland.^[1]

History

The southern terminus of Highway 12 lies immediately south of Highway 7. This is also the future location of an interchange with Highway 407 East.^[1]

The oldest portion of Highway 12 was originally known as the Coldwater Portage and later the Coldwater Road, connecting the modern sites of Orillia and Coldwater by a 14 mi (23 km) trail. Upper Canada Governor John Colborne surveyed the portage in 1830 and ordered it to be widened for wagon use. As the area was settled and an increasing need for land connection with the south arose, a new road was proposed from Whitby to Sturgeon Bay (near Waubaushene). In February 1843, the residents formally petitioned the government to construct the route. The Sturgeon Bay Road, from Coldwater to Sturgeon Bay, was opened as a rough wagon road in 1844. The Atherley Narrows, separating Lake Simcoe from Lake Couchiching, were surveyed in the early 1840s and the first causeway and bridge constructed in the years that followed. The portion of the route between Whitby and Orillia, however, was still under construction during the second half of the decade.^[5]

Highway 12 was first introduced into the provincial highway system on January 22, 1922,^[2] The highway, initially known as the Whitby–Lindsay Road, was not numbered until the summer of 1925.^[6] The route followed the present–day Highway–12 from Whitby to Sunderland, then travelled east to Lindsay.^[7]

Highway assumptions carried out on June 22 and July 2, 1927, extended Highway 7 east from Brampton to Peterborough. In doing so, it became concurrent with Highway 12 between Whitby and Sunderland. The route of Highway 12 between Sunderland and Lindsay was renumbered as part of Highway 7 at this time. Highway 12 was later extended north to Orillia, via Beaverton. This was accomplished through two assumptions. on August 17, the majority of the route through Brock, Thorah and Mara Townships was assumed. Several more miles were assumed on December 28, 1927, extending Highway 12 as far as Orillia.^[8] On August 5, 1931, Highway 12 was extended from Orillia to Midland.^[9] The majority of the route paralleled an existing railway that was constructed over a native portage.

Highway 12 southeast of Orillia

Highway 12 remained unaltered for several decades, until the mid-1960s, when the Beaverton Bypass was constructed. On November 4, 1966, the 10.3 km (6.4 mi) bypass opened,^[10] routing Highway 12 to the east. Portions of the former route of Highway 12 were renumbered as Highway 48B.^[11] The highway again remained unchanged for several decades, until a short portion of the southern end of the highway was decommissioned in the late 1990s. On April 1, 1997, the portions of Highway 12 south of Brooklin were transferred to the Regional Municipality of Durham, which subsequently redesignated the road as Durham Regional Highway 12.^[12][13]

Prior to the highway downloadings of 1997 and 1998, Highway 12 was also not routed along Highway 400 between Coldwater and Waubaushene, but instead followed a separate route, parallel to the 400, along what is now Simcoe County Road 16.

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 12, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.^[1] 

Division	Location	km[1]	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Durham	Whitby	-8.1	−5.0	Highway 401 – Toronto, Kingston	Section decommissioned on April 1, 1997,[12] since redesignated as Durham Regional Highway 12[13]
		0.0	0.0	Spencers Road	Future Highway 407 East interchange[3]
	Brooklin	1.9	1.2	Highway 7 west – Markham	Southern end of Highway 7 concurrency
	Whitby	6.0	3.7	Regional Road 26 (Thickson Road)
	Manchester	16.1	10.0	Highway 7A – Peterborough, Port Perry
	Scugog	19.0	11.8	Regional Road 8 (Reach Street) – Port Perry, Uxbridge
		23.2	14.4	Durham Regional Highway 47 west – Uxbridge
	Saintfield	29.0	18.0	Regional Road 6 (Saintfield Road) – Seagrave
	Sunderland	38.2	23.7	Regional Road 10 (Sunderland Road)
	Brock	41.0	25.5	Highway 7 east – Peterborough, Lindsay	Northern end of Highway 7 concurrency
		50.9	31.6	Highway 48 west – Toronto, Sutton
		57.0	35.4	Regional Road 15 (Simcoe Street) – Beaverton
		61.1	38.0	Regional Road 23 (Mara Road) – Beaverton
		63.6	39.5	Durham Regional Highway 48 (Portage Road) – Coboconk
		64.3	40.0	Regional Road 50 – Gamebridge
Simcoe	Ramara	74.1	46.0	County Road 169 – Washago	Formerly Highway 169
	Atherley	88.9	55.2	County Road 44 (Rama Road) – Casino Rama
	Orillia	91.4	56.8	Atherley Road
		93.6	58.2	West Street
		94.9	59.0	Memorial Avenue
		96.8	60.1	Highway 11 south – Barrie	Southern end of Highway 11 concurrency
		99.2	61.6	Highway 11 north – North Bay, Gravenhurst	Northern end of Highway 11 concurrency
	Prices Corners	105.0	65.2	County Road 22 (Horseshoe Valley Road) – Craighurst
	Oro-Medonte	115.8	72.0	County Road 19 (Moonstone Road) – Elmvale
	Severn	118.9	73.9	Coldwater Road – Coldwater Woodrow Road
		120.6	74.9	Highway 400 south – Toronto County Road 16 / County Road 23	Exit 141; southern end of Highway 400 concurrency
	Waubaushene	126.5	78.6	Highway 400 north – Parry Sound, Sudbury County Road 23 – Fesserton	Exit 147; northern end of Highway 400 concurrency
	Victoria Harbour	132.7	82.5	Park Street
		134.1	83.3	Newton Street
	Tay	139.1	86.4	County Road 58 (Old Fort Road)
	Midland	145.1	90.2	Highway 93 south (Penetanguishene Road) – Barrie County Road 93 north – Penetanguishene
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former

References

External links

• Canada NewsWire Press Release
• Highway 12 Photos

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