Highway 35 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 35, also known as Highway 35, is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Ontario
, linking Highway 401 with Peterborough
, Kawartha Lakes
, and Algonquin Park. The highway travels from west of Newcastle
, through Lindsay
and the Kawarthas and into Haliburton
before terminating at Highway 60 to the west of Algonquin Park, the province's largest. The winding course of the highway, combined with the picturesque views offered along its length, have led some to declare it the most scenic highway in Ontario.
Most of the highway, including a portion of today's Highway 60, was assumed by the Department of Highways by 1940. In 1961, Highway 115 was signed concurrently with Highway 35 for 19 kilometres (11.8 mi). This was widened to a divided expressway in the late eighties. In the mid-1950s, several bypasses were constructed to divert Highway 35 away from town centres such as Lindsay, Fenelon Falls and Minden
.
Highway 35 is patrolled along its entirety by the Ontario Provincial Police
. The speed limit for most of the length of the highway is 80 kilometres per hour (49.7 mph), slowing to 50 km/h (31.1 mph) within built-up areas, and increasing to 90 kilometres per hour (55.9 mph) when it connects with Highway 115.
with Highway 115 for 18.9 km (11.7 mi) to Enterprise Hill.
For the length of this concurrency, it is a divided four lane expressway with no left turns, known as right-in/right-out
(RIRO). At Enterprise Hill, Highway 35 exits the divided highway (which continues as Highway 115 east to Peterborough) and proceeds north as a two lane road. The highway crosses the Oak Ridges Moraine
as it passes into the City of Kawartha Lakes
.
The terrain flattens approaching Lindsay
, which the highway bypasses. Between Lindsay and Coboconk, the route is generally straight and crosses through a mix of agricultural lands and forest. After passing through Coboconk, it descends from the flat limestone plateau into the rocky Canadian Shield
south of Norland
.
The highway hugs the Gull River
north of Norland and cuts through granite
along its route into the Haliburton Highlands.
After passing Minden
, the scenic highway begins diving into valleys and along cliffs overlooking several lakes.
Highway 35 generally follows the former Bobcaygeon Colonization Road north of Minden, though several realignments over the years have led to its current winding route. At Carnarvon, it meets with Highway 118.
Heading northward into increasingly mountainous terrain, the highway crosses into Muskoka near Dorset
, and shortly thereafter reaches its terminus at Highway 60 west of Algonquin Park.
Traffic volumes on Highway 35 vary considerably over the length of the highway, as well as over the course of the year due to its use for recreational purposes, including snowmobiling, cottaging
and camping. Along the Highway 35 and Highway 115 concurrency, the average daily vehicle count is above 20,000. This drops as Highway 35 splits off at Enterprise Hill to under 10,000. This volume is fairly consistent as far north as Minden, at which point the vehicle count drops below 5,000 and tapers off as low as 2,000 at Highway 60.
and eventually cross into the Canadian Shield
, began as several trails connecting settlements. Most of the southern portion of the highway follows various sidelines and concessions
. Between Lindsay and Fenelon Falls, Highway 35 follows the former Fenelon Road, while north of there it follows The Cameron Road, a trail carved in the 1850s between Fenelon and Minden
. North of Minden, the highway generally follows The Bobcaygeon Road, a colonization road built as far north as Dwight in the 1850s.
The Highway 35 designation was first applied in 1931 to the road between Lindsay and Fenelon Falls. In 1934 it was extended along the road between Fenelon Falls and Rosedale,
bringing the length of the highway up to 38.9 km (24.2 mi). The Department of Northern Development had meanwhile spent the early 1930s upgrading the trails north of the Trent–Severn Canal that fell under their jurisdiction. A new road was constructed north of Dorset as part of the Ontario Northern Highways Program, avoiding the straight Bobcaygeon Road.
The entire route from Rosedale to Huntsville became part of Highway 35 on April 1, 1937 when the Department of Northern Development merged into the Department of Highways,
adding an additional 138.4 km (86 mi) to the route. Finally in 1938, Highway 35 was extended south to Newcastle.
At this point, much of the assumed route was a gravel road
. Only the section south of Orono was paved. The Lindsay to Norland section was paved in the 1940s, and north of that point beginning in 1954. It would take until 1958 for paving to commence south of Lindsay.
In 1953, Highway 115 was built as a two lane road eastward from Highway 35 near Pontypool
. It was completed to Peterborough
by 1954,
and co-designated with Highway 35 southwards in 1961.
Construction began to widen both to four lanes beginning in 1984,
which was completed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The concurrency with Highway 60 was removed from Highway 35 after 1961,
but before 1969.
Beginning in 1954, several bypasses were constructed around the towns and villages along the route.
The first of these was in Minden, bypassing the old route along the Bobcaygeon Road and South Water Street.
This was followed by the bypassing of Fenelon Falls in 1955. Highway 35 followed present day Kawartha Lakes Road 121
and Kawartha Lakes Road 8
into and out of the village until the Seventh Concession Line was paved and the highway rerouted onto it.
In 1956, Newcastle was bypassed and Highway 35 connected directly to the then eastern terminus of Highway 401 west of the village. The former route is now Durham Regional Road 19.
By 1958, construction had begun on several bypasses of Lindsay,
including the Lindsay Bypass that Highway 7 and 35 follow today. Prior to the opening of the bypass, Highway 35 followed Lindsay Street to Kent Street and jogged northwest along William Street and Colborne Street. It then followed today's Kawartha Lakes Road 4 north and west to the current intersection with Highway 35. This routing became Highway 35B when the bypass opened in 1959.
In the 1960s, the route through Pontypool (now known as John Street) was bypassed.
Prior to 2007, the highway was extensively rehabilitated between Kawartha Lakes Road 121, near Fenelon Falls and Highway 118 in Carnarvon. This included widening the highway for a third passing lane, as well as the resurfacing of several sections.
Work has also commenced on the widening of the Lindsay Bypass section of Highways 35 and 7 from two lanes to four.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, linking Highway 401 with Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes
The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
, and Algonquin Park. The highway travels from west of Newcastle
Newcastle, Ontario
Newcastle is a community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. The Town of Newcastle was also the original name of what is now Clarington....
, through Lindsay
Lindsay, Ontario
Lindsay is a community of 19,361 people on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough...
and the Kawarthas and into Haliburton
Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...
before terminating at Highway 60 to the west of Algonquin Park, the province's largest. The winding course of the highway, combined with the picturesque views offered along its length, have led some to declare it the most scenic highway in Ontario.
Most of the highway, including a portion of today's Highway 60, was assumed by the Department of Highways by 1940. In 1961, Highway 115 was signed concurrently with Highway 35 for 19 kilometres (11.8 mi). This was widened to a divided expressway in the late eighties. In the mid-1950s, several bypasses were constructed to divert Highway 35 away from town centres such as Lindsay, Fenelon Falls and Minden
Minden, Ontario
Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population...
.
Highway 35 is patrolled along its entirety by the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
. The speed limit for most of the length of the highway is 80 kilometres per hour (49.7 mph), slowing to 50 km/h (31.1 mph) within built-up areas, and increasing to 90 kilometres per hour (55.9 mph) when it connects with Highway 115.
Route description
Highway 35 begins at a trumpet interchange with Highway 401, and is concurrentConcurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with Highway 115 for 18.9 km (11.7 mi) to Enterprise Hill.
For the length of this concurrency, it is a divided four lane expressway with no left turns, known as right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out and left-in/left-out refer to a type of road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. RIRO is usual where vehicles drive on the right, and LILO is usual where vehicles drive on the left...
(RIRO). At Enterprise Hill, Highway 35 exits the divided highway (which continues as Highway 115 east to Peterborough) and proceeds north as a two lane road. The highway crosses the Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...
as it passes into the City of Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes
The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
.
The terrain flattens approaching Lindsay
Lindsay, Ontario
Lindsay is a community of 19,361 people on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough...
, which the highway bypasses. Between Lindsay and Coboconk, the route is generally straight and crosses through a mix of agricultural lands and forest. After passing through Coboconk, it descends from the flat limestone plateau into the rocky Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
south of Norland
Norland, Ontario
Norland is a small rural community located within the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the Canadian province of Ontario.It is located in a scenic spot on the Gull River at the north end of Shadow Lake, the northernmost Kawartha lake...
.
The highway hugs the Gull River
Gull River (Balsam Lake)
The Gull River is a river in Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al, Haliburton County and the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada...
north of Norland and cuts through granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
along its route into the Haliburton Highlands.
After passing Minden
Minden, Ontario
Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population...
, the scenic highway begins diving into valleys and along cliffs overlooking several lakes.
Highway 35 generally follows the former Bobcaygeon Colonization Road north of Minden, though several realignments over the years have led to its current winding route. At Carnarvon, it meets with Highway 118.
Heading northward into increasingly mountainous terrain, the highway crosses into Muskoka near Dorset
Dorset, Ontario
Dorset is a small community located on the boundary between the Lake of Bays Municipality in Muskoka District and the Algonquin Highlands Township in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. In 1859 Francis Harvey became the first white settler here....
, and shortly thereafter reaches its terminus at Highway 60 west of Algonquin Park.
Traffic volumes on Highway 35 vary considerably over the length of the highway, as well as over the course of the year due to its use for recreational purposes, including snowmobiling, cottaging
Cottaging
Cottaging is a British gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory , or cruising for sexual partners with the intention of having sex elsewhere...
and camping. Along the Highway 35 and Highway 115 concurrency, the average daily vehicle count is above 20,000. This drops as Highway 35 splits off at Enterprise Hill to under 10,000. This volume is fairly consistent as far north as Minden, at which point the vehicle count drops below 5,000 and tapers off as low as 2,000 at Highway 60.
History
Highway 35, like many highways that begin at Lake OntarioLake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and eventually cross into the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
, began as several trails connecting settlements. Most of the southern portion of the highway follows various sidelines and concessions
Concession road
In Upper and Lower Canada, concession roads were laid out by the colonial government through undeveloped land to define lots to be developed; the name comes from a Lower Canadian French term for a row of lots. Concession roads are straight, and follow an approximately square grid, usually oriented...
. Between Lindsay and Fenelon Falls, Highway 35 follows the former Fenelon Road, while north of there it follows The Cameron Road, a trail carved in the 1850s between Fenelon and Minden
Minden, Ontario
Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population...
. North of Minden, the highway generally follows The Bobcaygeon Road, a colonization road built as far north as Dwight in the 1850s.
The Highway 35 designation was first applied in 1931 to the road between Lindsay and Fenelon Falls. In 1934 it was extended along the road between Fenelon Falls and Rosedale,
bringing the length of the highway up to 38.9 km (24.2 mi). The Department of Northern Development had meanwhile spent the early 1930s upgrading the trails north of the Trent–Severn Canal that fell under their jurisdiction. A new road was constructed north of Dorset as part of the Ontario Northern Highways Program, avoiding the straight Bobcaygeon Road.
The entire route from Rosedale to Huntsville became part of Highway 35 on April 1, 1937 when the Department of Northern Development merged into the Department of Highways,
adding an additional 138.4 km (86 mi) to the route. Finally in 1938, Highway 35 was extended south to Newcastle.
At this point, much of the assumed route was a gravel road
Gravel road
A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States. In New Zealand, they are known as 'metal roads'...
. Only the section south of Orono was paved. The Lindsay to Norland section was paved in the 1940s, and north of that point beginning in 1954. It would take until 1958 for paving to commence south of Lindsay.
In 1953, Highway 115 was built as a two lane road eastward from Highway 35 near Pontypool
Pontypool, Ontario
Pontypool is an unincorporated village within the southernmost part of the amalgamated city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.Prior to amalgamation, Pontypool was an unincorporated village within the township of Manvers, in the county of Victoria....
. It was completed to Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
by 1954,
and co-designated with Highway 35 southwards in 1961.
Construction began to widen both to four lanes beginning in 1984,
which was completed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The concurrency with Highway 60 was removed from Highway 35 after 1961,
but before 1969.
Beginning in 1954, several bypasses were constructed around the towns and villages along the route.
The first of these was in Minden, bypassing the old route along the Bobcaygeon Road and South Water Street.
This was followed by the bypassing of Fenelon Falls in 1955. Highway 35 followed present day Kawartha Lakes Road 121
Kawartha Lakes Road 121
Kawartha Lakes Road 121 is a municipally-maintained class-3 roadway...
and Kawartha Lakes Road 8
Kawartha Lakes Road 8
Kawartha Lakes Road 8 is a municipally-maintained class-3 roadway...
into and out of the village until the Seventh Concession Line was paved and the highway rerouted onto it.
In 1956, Newcastle was bypassed and Highway 35 connected directly to the then eastern terminus of Highway 401 west of the village. The former route is now Durham Regional Road 19.
By 1958, construction had begun on several bypasses of Lindsay,
including the Lindsay Bypass that Highway 7 and 35 follow today. Prior to the opening of the bypass, Highway 35 followed Lindsay Street to Kent Street and jogged northwest along William Street and Colborne Street. It then followed today's Kawartha Lakes Road 4 north and west to the current intersection with Highway 35. This routing became Highway 35B when the bypass opened in 1959.
In the 1960s, the route through Pontypool (now known as John Street) was bypassed.
Prior to 2007, the highway was extensively rehabilitated between Kawartha Lakes Road 121, near Fenelon Falls and Highway 118 in Carnarvon. This included widening the highway for a third passing lane, as well as the resurfacing of several sections.
Future
The MTO is currently performing an environmental assessment on Highway 35 between the Highway 115 split and Lindsay, in preparation for a four-lane expansion.Work has also commenced on the widening of the Lindsay Bypass section of Highways 35 and 7 from two lanes to four.
Major intersections
| Division | Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham Region | Newcastle Newcastle, Ontario Newcastle is a community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. The Town of Newcastle was also the original name of what is now Clarington.... |
0.0 | Beginning of divided highway; southern end of concurrency | |
| Lovekin Road | No access across highway | |||
| 1.3 | ||||
| 4.2 | Clarke 3rd Concession | |||
| 6.2 | Clarke 4th Concession | |||
| Orono Orono, Ontario Orono is a community in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Highway 35/115, approximately a 45 minute drive east of Toronto.-History:... |
8.1 | Southbound exit and entrance; northbound exit, access to Main Street via Clarke 5th Concession | ||
| 8.6 | Station Street | No access across highway | ||
| 10.2 | Mill Street | Southbound exit and entrance | ||
| Tamblyn Road | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| Co-Op Road Clarke 6th Concession |
Southbound exit and entrance | |||
| 9.9 | Clarke 6th Concession |
No access from southbound 35/115 to Clarke 6th Concession; No access to southbound 35/115 | ||
| Clarington Clarington, Ontario Clarington is a municipality in Ontario, Canada in the Regional Municipality of Durham. It took its present name in 1994 after having been known as the Town of Newcastle from 1974-93. The name change was made to alleviate long-standing confusion between the municipality as a whole and the included... |
13.4 | Clarke 7th Concession |
||
| Highway 407 | Future interchange | |||
| Clarke 8th Concession | ||||
| Skelding Road | Southbound exit and entrance | |||
| Beaucage Road | Southbound entrance | |||
| Wilcox Road | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| Enterprise Hill | 18.9 | Northern end of concurrency | ||
| End of divided highway | ||||
| Durham | 20.4 | |||
| Kawartha Lakes Kawartha Lakes The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural.... |
||||
| Pontypool Pontypool, Ontario Pontypool is an unincorporated village within the southernmost part of the amalgamated city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.Prior to amalgamation, Pontypool was an unincorporated village within the township of Manvers, in the county of Victoria.... |
22.9 | |||
| 30.5 | Southern end of concurrency | |||
| 32.0 | Northern end of concurrency | |||
| 39.1 | ||||
| 40.6 | ||||
| Lindsay Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 19,361 people on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough... |
50.0 | / | Beginning of concurrency; City Road 15 formerly Highways 7B and 35B | |
| 55.5 | End of concurrency; beginning of concurrency | |||
| 56.3 | / Uniroyal Road (South) | End of concurrency; Highway 35 continues north; eastbound road continues as Highway 7B, formerly Highways 7B and 35B | ||
| 59.5 | ||||
| 62.9 | ||||
| Cameron | 67.2 | |||
| 72.4 | Formerly | |||
| 76.6 | Formerly | |||
| 77.4 | ||||
| Coboconk | 92.5 | |||
| 92.9 | ||||
| 93.7 | Formerly | |||
| Norland Norland, Ontario Norland is a small rural community located within the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the Canadian province of Ontario.It is located in a scenic spot on the Gull River at the north end of Shadow Lake, the northernmost Kawartha lake... |
101.4 | Formerly | ||
| Haliburton Highlands Haliburton County, Ontario Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874... |
Minden Hills | 111.8 | ||
| Minden Minden, Ontario Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population... |
126.0 | Formerly | ||
| 128.7 | ||||
| 130.5 | Formerly | |||
| Carnarvon | 143.6 | |||
| Halls Lake | 154.2 | |||
| Ox Narrows | 160.4 | |||
| Dorset, Ontario Dorset, Ontario Dorset is a small community located on the boundary between the Lake of Bays Municipality in Muskoka District and the Algonquin Highlands Township in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. In 1859 Francis Harvey became the first white settler here.... |
177.9 | Formerly | ||
| Muskoka | Lake of Bays Lake of Bays, Ontario Lake of Bays is a township within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is named after the Lake of Bays.Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. Because of its natural beauty, it is an... |
|||
| Dwight | 195.6 | , Algonquin Park | ||
