Ontario Highway 651

Highway 651 shield

Highway 651
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length: 52.9 km[1] (32.9 mi)
History: Established July 1, 1967
Extended April 30, 1969[2]
Major junctions
South end:  Highway 101
North end: CPR crossing in Missanabie
Location
Districts: Algoma
Highway system
← Highway 650Highway 652 →

Secondary Highway 651, commonly referred to as Highway 651, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway is 52.9 kilometres (32.9 mi) in length, connecting Highway 101 east of Wawa with the remote community of Missanabie.

Highway 651 was established on the Centennial anniversary of Confederation, but did not connect to any other roads originally; access to the route was provided from Missanabie. While this situation has since been remedied, the route nevertheless remains extremely isolated.

Route description

Highway 651 is a 52.9-kilometre (32.9 mi) route which connects the community of Missanabie with Highway 101, also providing access to the western side of the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. The southern terminus of the route is a junction with Highway 101, midway between Wawa and Chapleau. From there it proceeds north through an isolated region of northern Ontario, passing through the thick forests of the Canadian Shield. At the midpoint of the route, a short road branches off to the east, connecting with Dalton, a siding on the Canadian Pacific Railway's transcontinental line. North of Dalton, the railway — which acts as the southwestern boundary of the preserve — and highway travel parallel to one another. The route ends immediately east of Missinabie.[3]

History

Highway 651 was assumed by the Department of Highways (DOH) on the day of Canada's Centennial, July 1, 1967. At that point in time, Highway 101 had not yet been completed between Wawa and Chapleau, and so the route was connected to the rest of the province solely by rail. The isolated highway provided access between the community of Missanabie and the flag stop at Dalton, to the south. It was approximately half of the current length of the route.[2]

Presumably, Highway 651 was assumed by the DOH to provide better access to the remote region between Wawa and Chapleau, aiding in the construction of Highway 101. That highway, as well as a southward extension of Highway 651 to intersect it, opened to traffic on April 30, 1969.[2] The route has remained unchanged since that time.[3]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 651, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[1] The entire route is located in Algoma District.[3] 

Locationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Unorganized Algoma District0.00.0 Highway 101 – Timmins, Wawa, Chapleau
27.917.3Dalton Road – Dalton
Missanabie52.932.9Renable RoadMissanabie CPR flag stop
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2008). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Government of Ontario. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969 (Report). Department of Highways. 1970. p. 145.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 104. § H–J13. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.