Connecting Link

For transportation corridors, see Fixed Link, bridge, and tunnel.

For the rolling chain connector, see Master link.

A sign denoting the beginning of a Connecting Link. This particular sign is located on Highway 24 south of Cambridge.

The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which are not owned by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Connecting links are governed by several regulations, including section 144, subsection 31.1 of the Highway Traffic Act and section 21 of the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act. While the road is under local control and can be modified to their needs, extensions and traffic signals require the approval of the MTO to be constructed.^[1][2]

The Connecting Link program was established in 1927.^[3] Today, 355.4 kilometres (220.8 mi) of roadway in 77 municipalities are maintained under the program. These links cross 70 bridges also maintained under the program.^[4]

In return for that particular road being downloaded, the town or county receives money and assistance in maintaining it, and is able to still sign and list it as a provincial highway, though not all connecting links are signed as provincial highways. Some connecting links, however, were never provincial highways at all, but rather county or regional roads, or even local streets that the town or city has assistance in maintaining. Conversely, not all roads formerly signed as highways are connecting links. In cases where the former highway terminates in a city and doesn't revert into a provincially maintained route, such as the section of Highway 11 (Yonge Street) through Toronto, highway designations were originally applied for continuity, and subsequently removed.

Most connecting links are busy municipal or county roads that were once provincial highways, and are designated by small yellow squares or diamonds with the text "C/L" or "CL" on them at their start and end termini. These are similar to, but not always related to 7000-series highways.

Current links

The following table lists the current connecting links in the province by highway.^[5]

Highway	Location	Local street name(s)	Southern/western terminus	northern/eastern terminus	Length
Highway 3	Windsor	Huron Church Road			6.35 km (3.95 mi)
	Aylmer	Talbot Street			2.25 km (1.40 mi)
	Delhi	King Street James Street			2.10 km (1.30 mi)
	Simcoe	Queensway West Queensway East			4.00 km (2.49 mi)
	Jarvis	Talbot Street			1.65 km (1.03 mi)
	Cayuga	Talbot Road			1.25 km (0.78 mi)
	Dunnville	Broad Street George Street Main Street			4.65 km (2.89 mi)
Highway 4	Lucan Biddulph	Main Street			2.00 km (1.24 mi)
	Exeter	Main Street			3.15 km (1.96 mi)
	Clinton	Victoria Street			1.30 km (0.81 mi)
Highway 6	Jarvis	Main Street			2.30 km (1.43 mi)
	Hagersville	Main Street			1.60 km (0.99 mi)
	Guelph	Woolwich Street Woodlawn Road			2.55 km (1.58 mi)
	Fergus	St. David Street Tower Street Bridge Street			3.00 km (1.86 mi)
	Arthur				1.90 km (1.18 mi)
	Mount Forest				2.65 km (1.65 mi)
	Durham	Garafraxa Street			2.25 km (1.40 mi)
	Chatsworth	Garafraxa Street			0.55 km (0.34 mi)
	Owen Sound	9th Avenue East 10th Avenue West			3.85 km (2.39 mi)
	Wiarton	Berford Street			2.00 km (1.24 mi)
	Little Current	Highway 6			1.60 km (0.99 mi)
	Espanola	Centre Avenue			4.10 km (2.55 mi)
Highway 7	Stratford	Erie Street Ontario Street			7.25 km (4.50 mi)
	Guelph	Woodlawn Road Wellington Street Wyndham Street York Road			10.00 km (6.21 mi)
	Acton	Highway 7			2.80 km (1.74 mi)
	Georgetown	Guelph Street			5.10 km (3.17 mi)
	Omemee, Kawartha Lakes	King Street			2.65 km (1.65 mi)
	Havelock	Highway 7			1.90 km (1.18 mi)
	Marmora	Matthew Street			1.3 km (0.81 mi)
Highway 8	Goderich	Toronto Street Huron Road Elgin Avenue			2.10 km (1.30 mi)
	Clinton	Huron Street Ontario Street			2.10 km (1.30 mi)
	Seaforth	Goderich Street			1.45 km (0.90 mi)
	Mitchell	Ontario Road Huron Road			2.90 km (1.80 mi)
	Stratford	Huron Street Ontario Street			5.80 km (3.60 mi)
Highway 9	Mildmay	Elora Street			1.85 km (1.15 mi)
	Clifford	Elora Street			1.75 km (1.09 mi)
	Harriston	Elora Street			0.80 km (0.50 mi)
Highway 10	Caledon	Hurontario Street			28 km (17 mi)
	Shelburne	Highway 10 Owen Sound Street Highway 10 / 89 Main Street			2.15 km (1.34 mi)
	Flesherton	Sydenham Street Toronto Street			0.55 km (0.34 mi)
	Markdale	Toronto Street			1.45 km (0.90 mi)
Highway 11	Kapuskasing	Highway 11			6.80 km (4.23 mi)
	Hearst	Highway 11			1.75 km (1.09 mi)
	Fort Frances	Highway 11 Highway 11 / 71			8.90 km (5.53 mi)
	Rainy River	Highway 11			2.70 km (1.68 mi)
Highway 15	Smiths Falls	Highway 15			4.65 km (2.89 mi)
Highway 17	Sturgeon Falls	Highway 17			2.40 km (1.49 mi)
	Blind River	Highway 17			4.40 km (2.73 mi)
	Sault Ste. Marie	Highway 17			19.40 km (12.05 mi)
	Dryden	Highway 17			4.70 km (2.92 mi)
Highway 19	Tillsonburg	Broadway Street Oxford Street Simcoe Street Vienna Street			5.45 km (3.39 mi)
Highway 21	Forest	Main Street King Street			3.55 km (2.21 mi)
	Grand Bend	Ontario Street			3.00 km (1.86 mi)
	Goderich	Victoria Street Bayfield Road Brittania Road			2.55 km (1.58 mi)
	Port Elgin	Goderich Street			4.25 km (2.64 mi)
	Southampton	Albert Street Railway Street			5.55 km (3.45 mi)
	Owen Sound	Highway 6 / 21 10th Avenue West			2.65 km (1.65 mi)
Highway 23	Mitchell	Blanshard Road St. George Street			2.10 km (1.30 mi)
	Listowel	Main Street Wallace Avenue			2.45 km (1.52 mi)
Highway 24	Simcoe	Norfolk Street			2.55 km (1.58 mi)
	Brantford	King George Road			2.30 km (1.43 mi)
Highway 26	Owen Sound	Highway 26 16th Street East			3.15 km (1.96 mi)
	Meaford	Sykes Street			3.45 km (2.14 mi)
	Thornbury	Arthur Street King Street			2.40 km (1.49 mi)
	Collingwood	Lakeshore Front Huron Hume Street Pretty River Parkway			11.10 km (6.90 mi)
	Stayner	King Street Main Street			2.00 km (1.24 mi)
	Barrie	Bayfield Street			2.40 km (1.49 mi)
Highway 28	Bancroft	Highway 28			3.50 km (2.17 mi)
Highway 33	Bloomfield	Bloomfield Main Street			2.10 km (1.30 mi)
	Picton	Main Street			2.75 km (1.71 mi)
	Bath	Main Street			2.75 km (1.71 mi)
Highway 34	Vankleek Hill				1.30 km (0.81 mi)
	Hawkesbury				2.25 km (1.40 mi)
Highway 37	Tweed				2.10 km (1.30 mi)
Highway 40	Chatham–Kent	Grand Avenue East St. Clair Street			7.60 km (4.72 mi)
	Wallaceburg	Dufferin Avenue McNaughton Avenue Murray Street			4.20 km (2.61 mi)

References

See also

• List of Ontario provincial highways
• County roads in Ontario