Ontario Highway 80
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| Route information | ||||||||||
| Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation | ||||||||||
| Length: | 69.6 km[1] (43.2 mi) | |||||||||
| Existed: | August 11, 1937[2] – April 1, 1997[3] | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| West end: | St. Clair Parkway (old Highway 40) in Courtright | |||||||||
 Highway 40 – Sarnia Highway 21 – Petrolia, Oil Springs Highway 79 – Alvinston | ||||||||||
| East end: |
 Highway 2 – Strathburn | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Towns: | Courtright, Bringdon, Glencoe, Strathburn | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
<td width="100%" align=center" colspan="3" style="padding:0;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center">Current highways
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King's Highway 80, commonly referred to as Highway 80, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It travelled in an east–west direction south of Sarnia from Courtright to Strathburn.
Route description
Highway 80 was a rural connector highway in Lambton County and Middlesex County. The generally-straight route followed Courtright Line and Dundonald Road, both concession roads created through statute labour during the 1800s.[4]
Beginning near the shore of the St. Clair River, at the St. Clair Parkway, the former highway travels east, encountering Highway 40 approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) inshore. Between there and the community of Kimball, the route veers several times to avoid natural obstacles. It bisects the Brigden Crown Game Preserve, a Carolinian bird sanctuary, before entering the village of Brigden at the eastern boundary of the preserve. Between Brigden and former Highway 21 at Oil City, the route crosses a flat agricultural area and encounters the historic Sarnia Plank Road.[5]
East of Oil City, Highway 80 continues through a large swath of farmland, passing south of the communities of Glen Rae, Weidman and Inwood. Prior to crossing the Sydenham River and entering Middlesex County, the route encounters former Highway 79 south of the town of Alvinston. Within Middleex County, the highway curves southeast onto Dundonald Road. It crosses both the CN and CP railways in the vicinity of Glencoe, which the route bisects. The final 5 km (3.1 mi) of the highway travels through farmland before entering the community of Strathburn, where the route ends at former Highway 2 (Longwoods Road).[5]
History
Highway 80 was first established as a provincial highway on August 11, 1937, when the Department of Highways (DHO), predecessor to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), assumed the road between Alvinston and Glencoe, connecting Highway 2 and Highway 79.[2] In it original incarnation, Highway 80 met Highway 79 in Alvinston at the intersection of Nauvoo Road and Centre Street. From there it travelled east to River Street, where it jogged north to Sydenham Street. From there, the route crossed the Sydenham River and followed the Gardner Trail, Lobelia Street, Conservation Road and Calvert Drive to arrive at the more modern routing of the highway. The original length of Highway 80 was 13.9 mi (22.4 km).[6]
However, this winding route proved to be too dangerous and difficult for the explosion of vehicle traffic that came following World War II. Alvinston was originally reliant on the Canada Southern Railroad, which was taken over by the Michigan Central Railway and that by New York Central. However, by 1960 the use of the rails had declined so much that service was stopped. The tracks were lifted two years later.[7] In response, the DHO sought to improve the connection between Alvinston and Glencoe. Courtright Line, which ended at Cameron Road and did not cross the Sydenham River, was chosen as an ideal route to drive east. This new route opened in May 1962.[8][9]
In 1963, Highway 80 was extended west to Highway 40 at Courtright, bringing it to its peak length of 69.6 km (43.2 mi). Prior to being renumbered, the DHO reconstructed the road, originally built through statute labour and improved slightly as a township road, and referred to it as Development Road 471.[10] There are conflicting dates as to when this extension became Highway 80. The 1963 Annual report indicates both July 1 and August 12 as the assumption date. However, an annual average daily traffic log published in 1970 indicates that the extension was assumed on September 4.[8][11][12] The new extension was immediately paved, as it was a gravel road.[13] The route remained unchanged for the next 34 years, until April 1, 1997, when it was transferred, or downloaded, to Lambton County and Middlesex County.[3] The former highway is now known as County Road 80 throughout its length.[5]
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 80, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]
| Division | Location | km[1] | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambton | Courtright | 0.0 | 0.0 | County Road 33 (St. Clair Parkway) | Old Highway 40 |
| St. Clair | 4.9 | 3.0 | Highway 40 | ||
| Kimball | 10.5 | 6.5 | County Road 31 (Kimball Road) | ||
| St. Clair–Enniskillen boundary | 19.7 | 12.2 | County Road 26 (Mandaumin Road) | ||
| Enniskillen | 28.7 | 17.8 | County Road 21 (Oil Heritage Road) | Formerly Highway 21 | |
| Brooke–Alvinston | 40.5 | 25.2 | County Road 8 (Inwood Road) | ||
| 49.6 | 30.8 | County Road 79 (Nauvoo Road) | Formerly Highway 79 | ||
| 51.1 | 31.8 | River Street / Cameron Road | Formerly Lambton County Road 23 | ||
| Middlesex | Southwest Middlesex | 56.1 | 34.9 | County Road 10 (Calvert Drive) | |
| Glencoe | 64.9 | 40.3 | County Road 14 north (Glendon Drive) | ||
| 65.7 | 40.8 | County Road 14 south (Concession Drive) | |||
| Strathburn | 69.6 | 43.2 | County Road 2 (Longwoods Road) | Formerly Highway 2 | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Provincial Highways Distance Table. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 1989. p. 76–77. ISSN 0825-5350.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1938. p. 80.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Highway Transfers List (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. April 1, 1997. p. 6.
- ↑ add the 1880 county atlas here
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Peter Heiler Ltd (2010). Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). pp. 7, 12–13, section V6–W13. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
- ↑ Ontario Department of Highways (1938–39). Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Section F9–G10.
- ↑ McLean, Ian. "Alvinston History". Alvinston Community Access Program (Lambton County Library System). Retrieved July 15, 2012.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969. Ontario Department of Highways. 1970. p. 107.
- ↑ Ontario Department of Highways (1962). Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Section U29.
- ↑ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1962. p. 31.
- ↑ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1964. p. 268.
- ↑ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1964. p. 296.
- ↑ Tregaskes, H.A. (March 31, 1964). Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. p. 31.
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