Harbour Expressway

Harbour Expressway

Maintained by	City of Thunder Bay - Department of Roads
Length	3.5 km (2.2 mi)
West end	Highway 11 / Highway 17 (Shabaqua Highway)
Major junctions	Highway 11 / Highway 17 (Thunder Bay Expressway) Memorial Avenue
East end	Main Street

The Harbour Expressway is a four-lane highway with signalized intersections running the Intercity business district of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Thunder Bay City Council has looked at renaming the road as it doesn't fit the general definition of an expressway, but has decided that it would be unnecessary.^[1]

Route description

The entire route of the Harbour Expressway is four lanes and undivided. Its intersections are all at-grade. Plans to divide the expressway and build interchanges are on hold, and the city of Thunder Bay maintains a right of way for these expansion plans in its official plan. In some places there is evidence of these plans.

The highway bisects the Intercity area which is primarily composed of big box retail stores and office parks. The road is one of the busiest in Thunder Bay.

History

The Harbour Expressway was built along the existing route of Highway 11 and Highway 17, though both now bypass northwest of the expressway and travel along the Thunder Bay Expressway. A contract was awarded to local construction firm Armbro Materials and Construction Limited in 1978. The Harbour Expressway was opened by Transportation Minister James Snow at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 27, 1979. It cost C$3.5 million to construct.^[2]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Harbour Expressway, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. The entire route is located in Thunder Bay District. The intersections on the expressway are unnumbered. 

References