List of unused highways in Canada

An unused highway may reference a highway or highway ramp that was partially or fully constructed but was unused^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]} or later closed.^[10][11][12] An unused ramp can be referred to as a stub ramp,^[13] stub street,^[2][14][15] stub-out,^[2] or simply stub.^[16][17] The following is a list:

Canada

Alberta

In Calgary:

In the 1990s, to improve safety, Calgary began removing one loop of existing cloverleaf intersections and replacing it with traffic signals and a left-turn lane.

• At the Highway 1/Sarcee Trail SW interchange just west of Calgary, the remains of a cloverleaf ramp are still there. The old cloverleaf ramp has been replaced with a single left-turn ramp.
• Another example of the conversion of a Calgary Cloverleaf is the Glenmore Trail / Blackfoot Trail interchange, where the SW leaf (Glenmore E to Blackfoot N) was removed and replaced with a left-turn lane and traffic signals.

Ontario

In Burlington:

• From Plains Road East, heading Westbound, looping around in a cloverleaf ramp to Queen Elizabeth Way Eastbound/Southbound. It was restored and opened in 2010.

In Newmarket:

• From Vivian Road, heading Eastbound, unused ramp to Woodbine Avenue. (Pleasantville Curve) Currently, that ramp is used for test painting.

In Markham:

• An abandoned ramp from Ninth Line northbound to Highway 407 eastbound that was never built.
• An abandoned ramp from Donald Cousens Parkway northbound to Highway 407 westbound and eastbound that was never built.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake:

• From Glendale Avenue, heading Eastbound, looping to an abandoned portion of former Highway 55.

In Oshawa:

• There is what appears to be a former on-ramp from Farewell Street at Bloor Street out towards the eastbound Highway 401. There is a dead-end sign at the very end, and it can be clearly seen from the highway. It's now entirely blocked to traffic. Note: this is the former original alignment of Bloor Street, prior to the building of the 401 extension east of Oshawa, not an abandoned on-ramp.

In Seguin:

• A part of Oastler Park Drive that once served as the southbound ramp onto the former Highway 69 before Highway 400 was extended northward through the region. As of June, 2011 it remains passable by car, but entry to Highway 400 is blocked by the crash barrier

In Toronto:

• From the Bloor Street-Don Valley Parkway connector to a now-abandoned alignment of Bayview Avenue.
• An abandoned on/off-ramp that used to be the Eastern terminus of the Humber - Jameson section of the Gardiner Expressway dating back to 1958 when the expressway was still under construction east of Jameson Avenue. It linked the expressway to Lake Shore Blvd West.
• An abandoned arterial known as Indian Line exists by Highway 427 and Albion Road. Before the extension of Highway 427 northward, the highway ended leading traffic onto this arterial. The abandoned section includes an overpass of the CN York Subdivision.
• An abandoned westbound to southbound ramp is located at DVP and York Mills which is disused since the 1990s.
• An abandoned ramp from EB 401 to NB 400 is abandoned, but used when the main ramp requires maintenance.

In Windsor:

• From Highway 401 to Provincial Road, there is an abandoned SB to EB loop ramp. it has now been supplanted by a left-turn lane to the NB-to-EB ramp. It is abandoned, but easily visible from both the road and freeway.

Near St. Joseph Island:

• On the smaller island between the bigger bridge and a smaller bridge of the Highway 548 connector route, lies a leftover segment of roadway before the smaller bridge got re-aligned to the west. This former segment of Highway 548 is actually used for motorists who park their cars so they can go fishing near the bridge.

In Vaughan:

• At Highway 407 and Centre Street are two abandoned sections of roadway, one on each side of Highway 407. Originally a portion of Highway 7, The road was abandoned in the 1980s when Highway 7 was realigned, and later cut into two pieces with the construction of Highway 407 in the mid 1990s.

In Mississauga:

• At the Highway 401 and Highway 403/410 interchange there is an on ramp on WB 401 as it crosses over NB 403/410. This ramp would have been used to travel from NB 403/410 looping onto WB 401. It was never finished except for the extra unused merge lane on the WB 401 bridge and a partial paved ramp section just before it. A tall mast lamp is also located in what would have been the center of the loop of the ramp had it been constructed. There is a dirt road that follows what would have been the ramp, typically used by tow trucks as a shortcut. Additionally there is extra room for more lanes under all the 401 bridges as they cross the NB 403/410 sections. In 2015 construction began to actually finish this ramp (along with the also missing EB 401 to SB 403 ramp). The new ramp will begin well south of the 401 bridges and used the extra spaces underneath them all to lead into the ramp.

British Columbia

A 4 km stretch of Highway 3 was abandoned when the alignment of the highway was shifted subsequent to the Hope Slide. Locals report that it has occasionally been used as an emergency landing strip for airplanes caught in bad weather in the area.

A 3.7 km stretch of Highway 97 between Penticton and Kaleden west of Skaha Lake was abandoned when the highway was rerouted lower down the mountain.

Many ramp stubs in BC are remains of ramps from older interchanges that have been reconfigured. Often these ramp stubs are minimally maintained and are sometimes used as service roads for tow-trucks and emergency response vehicles.

• On Highway 1, some ramp stubs exist at the Exit 37—Gaglardi Way Interchange. Seen from the overpass, and somewhat clearly from Highway 1, they give a sign that Gaglardi Way once had a plan to be extended.
• Two ramp stubs exist at Exit 44—Cape Horn Interchange on Highway 1. Seen from the overpass, the ramp stubs show that this was a trumpet interchange-reconfigured due to weaving.
• A few ramp stubs exist at Highway 1 at Exit 58, 200 St. When the interchange was reconfigured into a diamond-SPUI hybrid, the remaining ramps can be seen unclearly from the overpass on Highway 1. The remains of the old road to the now demolished old overpass can be seen clearly. However, the space inside the former ramps are now being developed, and these ramp stubs may disappear among townhouses and business complexes. An overhead view of the interchange can be seen here
• The No. 3 Road exit near Abbotsford on Highway 1 clearly bears a closed ramp, which has been replaced by a cloverleaf ramp.
• Ramp stubs also exist at what used to be an interchange between Highway 99 and Railway Drive in Surrey; this is located between exits 10 and 16, at Highway 99's overpass over the Burlington Northern railway. It is very probable that this interchange was abandoned simply because this is a sparsely populated area and the nearby train station is no longer used.
• A few ramp stubs exist at the Highway 99/Highway 91 interchange in Richmond.
• A ramp stub exists at the Highway 99/Sea Island Way interchange in Richmond. It was most likely an access road to the Ministry of Transport office and works yard that used to be located between the open rainwater ditch and the northbound on-ramp.
• At the Grand McConachie/Russ Baker Way interchange, there is a small unused concrete strip, which suggests the interchange's configuration before the Sea Island Bridge was constructed. Westbound traffic from the Moray Channel Bridge used to bear right and merge with the present overpass that deposits traffic westbound towards YVR. The greater portions of this access road were recently removed due to area reconfiguration.
• An old road bed exists at the Highway 91/Nordel Way interchange, near the NB 91-WB Nordel Way cloverleaf ramp. This indicates that the ramp may have been moved east, probably due to safety concerns, especially in light of the very abbreviated merge section had the original layout remained.
• A short stub of concrete and a strip of grass lie on the Southwestern side of the Highway 1/Highway 11 interchange, indicating a diamond interchange configuration was used in the past.
• Also in Abbotsford, a ramp stub exists at the intersection of South Fraser Way and Townline Road. The remains of a slip-ramp from Highway 1 to this intersection are clearly seen from the highway; there is also a green painted-over exit sign at the former exit. This ramp was used for special direct access to the nearby Abbotsford International Airport during the annual Abbotsford International Airshow a few times.
• At the Peardonville Rd. overpass of Highway 1 in Abbotsford, a disused onramp from South Fraser Way can be seen, formerly providing access to westbound Highway 1.
• In Abbotsford, at the S. Fraser Way/Cyril Street intersection, unused strips of concrete suggest Highway 11's alignment before the Sumas Way bypass was constructed.
• Two unused strips of concrete located near the Highway 11/1 interchange in Abbotsford appear to be a continuation of Highway 11 before it was realigned. This may have been a portion of the original Clearbrook—Chilliwack expressway constructed in 1962. One of these stubs is now being used to access a Visitor Information Centre.
• A ramp stub is visible where a partial cloverleaf ramp once connected Highway 99 to King George Boulevard/8th Ave in Surrey. The road of Highway 99A was changed into a ramp to merge on to the then-new Highway 99 after it was built. When Highway 99A lost is designation, the ramp was rebuilt. The new ramp was built between 2004 and 2005. Nearby vegetation also suggests where the ramps once stood.

Manitoba

• An unused strip of concrete on the Perimeter Highway to Highway 59 suggests an old alignment before a northeastern section was constructed. Another concrete strip suggesting a cloverleaf ramp was constructed but never finished.
• Other small strips along the Perimeter Highway (notably the northeastern section) are dotted along the highway. However most of these disappeared when the Perimeter Highway was twinned.

Saskatchewan

• The Highway 7/Highway 14 interchange near Saskatoon, which has been recently improved, bears a short strip of unused concrete on nearby Fairlight Drive, which connected the road to 22nd Street W/Highway 14. Travellers now use Diefenbaker Drive and Fairmont Drive to get from Fairlight to Highway 14.

Québec

• There is also a stub ramp at the end of Commerce A-1 off Autoroute 50 at Mirabel, as well as a stub ramp off A-50 westbound just prior to the interchange. See it here. Note: Since the Mirabel Airport is being phased out, and its closure is planned, we are to expect major changes in highway planning in this area. Unfinished Highways 13 and 50 lose part of their strategic importance.
• There are stub ramps on eastbound and westbound Autoroute 40 near Montréal just west of the interchange with Boulevard des Anciens-Combattants .
• There are ramp stubs at the northern terminus of Autoroute 13 at Autoroute 640 in Boisbriand. There are two extra overpasses (for a total of four), an unused cloverleaf loop, stub ramps where the final two cloverleafs would be constructed, and even the grading for a continuation of the freeway north of here.
• Autoroute 440 (Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency) has ramp stubs just above Rue St-Vallier Est (St. Vallier Road East) in downtown Quebec City, for a proposed completion of A-440 and link to A-973 (Autoroute Laurentienne)/Route 175 via an under-city Tunnel (much like Autoroute 720 in Downtown Montreal) in the St-Roch and Limoilou neighbourhoods. The ramps would have connected to the tunnel, but it was never built, and the freeway remains in two sections to this day, separated by downtown. The western end of A-440 starts at the Autoroute 40/Autoroute 73 interchange, and currently ends its freeway segment at Avenue St-Sacrement, continuing as Boulevard Charest (Charest Boulevard). It resumes at the intersection of St. Vallier Road East, continuing along the river to Route 138 in Boischatel. (Note: The ramps are now being demolished and might not appear on the following pictures as they are updated)
• Autoroute 15 in Brossard and La Prairie has ramp stubs for a proposed Autoroute-to-Autoroute interchange (Autoroute 6). The interchange was graded as a Y-interchange, but the carriageways for A-15 were built closer together, and the interchange has been cancelled. A-6 may have been routed towards the Farnham, Quebec area, possibly with the name Autoroute Haute-Richelieu (Upper Richelieu Autoroute). An interchange ramp was also graded for Boulevard Taschereau (Taschereau Boulevard, Route 134), but has been cancelled as well.
• Autoroute 40 and Autoroute 55 in Trois-Rivières. Autoroute 40 was planned to continue straight East from this interchange. What remain is a partial cloverleaf interchange, with a visible 'ramp from nowhere' merging onto 40 East on the western part of the interchange, and a discarded right lane made of large white stripes on the roadway. Quebec-Montreal travelling vehicles coming from A-55 North and going westbound on A-40 need to weave with traffic exiting A-40 East to A-55 North within the rather small distance separating the loops.
• Autoroute 40 and Autoroute 73 in Quebec city. A 4-way interchange converted to a very huge and fast turning 3-way interchange, with at least 4 visible ramp stubs. Autoroute 40 was supposed to continue westbound to the airport, merging with Autoroute 40 in the curve between route 367 and route 138. The Autoroute 40 going south from this interchange to the Autoroute 73 interchange would have become another section of Autoroute 440. The corridor for the unbuilt highway is clearly visible through the neighbourhood. Bridges were also constructed in the 40/73 interchange to accommodate the extension of Autoroute 40.

Nova Scotia

• In Halifax, there was an abandoned stub ramp/bridge at the intersection of Highway 111 and Barrington Streets. It was abandoned in 1992 with the construction of the adjacent two-lane ramp.^[18] Work finally began to demolish the ramp in 2009.^[19]
• A portion of Highway 103 near Halifax was abandoned after the twinning project necessitated realignment.

Prince Edward Island

When the original Northumberland Strait crossing project was announced, approaches were created on both the PEI and NB sides. The NB approach ended up getting used in the eventual Confederation Bridge project. However the PEI approach was simply abandoned. It is simply an overgrown dirt path with the exception of a bridge over it at these coordinates: 44.679319,-63.796345

See also

• List of unused highways
• List of ghost towns

References