Highway 400A (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 400A, once known as the Highway 400 Extension, is an unsigned
400-series highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The short 1.1 kilometre (0.683510010314787 mi) freeway stub connects Highway 400 with Highway 11 and Simcoe County Road 93, formerly Highway 93
. The highway was created in late 1959 by the opening of Highway 400 to Coldwater, although it has always featured Highway 400 signage along the southbound lanes and Highway 11 signage northbound.
for the majority of its length. It is unsigned and features a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph). On an average day, roughly 11,900 vehicles use it. The route begins as Highway 400 exits on the right, with the northbound lanes rising up on an embankment and crossing Highway 400A. After the bridge, the highway ascends, with grasslands to the east and an embankment to the west, then gently curves to the northeast. As it crosses Simcoe County Road 93 (Penetanguishene Road), formerly Highway 93
, the divided highway becomes Highway 11.
prompted the Department of Highways to extend the route north to Highway 12 and Highway 103 in Coldwater. This section opened as a super two
on December 24, 1959, redirecting Highway 400 southwest of the Crown Hill junction. To remedy this situation, the 1.1 km (0.683510010314787 mi) gap was internally designated as Highway 400A.
The highway has never been publicly signed as 400A. Instead, northbound it is indicated as Highway 11 and southbound as Highway 400. With the restructuring of the provincial highway system in 1997, Highway 11's entire route south of the Crown Hill interchange was downloaded to the local municipalities. As a result, Highway 11 begins as Highway 400A ends; crossing over Penetanguishene Road.
Unusually, traffic to and from the Highway 400 extension enters and exits at the right of the roadway, while traffic to and from Highway 400A/11 simply continues on the same roadway. The interchange
is also incomplete; drivers must either use the Forbes Road and Penetanguishene Road interchanges, or continue southbound into Barrie and switch direction at Duckworth Street in order to travel from southbound Highway 400A to northbound Highway 400 or from southbound Highway 400 to northbound Highway 400A.
{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
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|colspan="4" align="center"|Continues south as Highway 400 towards Toronto
|-
|rowspan="2"|Springwater
|0.0
|
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|1.1
|
|formerly Highway 93
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|
Continues north as Highway 11 towards North Bay
Unsigned highway
An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear conventional road markings that would normally be used to identify the route with that number...
400-series highway in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
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....
. The short 1.1 kilometre (0.683510010314787 mi) freeway stub connects Highway 400 with Highway 11 and Simcoe County Road 93, formerly Highway 93
Ontario Highway 93
King's Highway 93, commonly referred to as Highway 93, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located entirely within Simcoe County, the highway extends for from an interchange with Highway 400 in Springwater, just south of the community of Hillsdale, to an...
. The highway was created in late 1959 by the opening of Highway 400 to Coldwater, although it has always featured Highway 400 signage along the southbound lanes and Highway 11 signage northbound.
Route description
Highway 400A is a short highway with a narrow grass medianCentral reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
for the majority of its length. It is unsigned and features a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph). On an average day, roughly 11,900 vehicles use it. The route begins as Highway 400 exits on the right, with the northbound lanes rising up on an embankment and crossing Highway 400A. After the bridge, the highway ascends, with grasslands to the east and an embankment to the west, then gently curves to the northeast. As it crosses Simcoe County Road 93 (Penetanguishene Road), formerly Highway 93
Ontario Highway 93
King's Highway 93, commonly referred to as Highway 93, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located entirely within Simcoe County, the highway extends for from an interchange with Highway 400 in Springwater, just south of the community of Hillsdale, to an...
, the divided highway becomes Highway 11.
History
Highway 400A formed the original routing of Highway 400 from 1950 to 1959. In 1950, the freeway was extended north through Barrie to the junction of Highway 11 and Highway 93 in Crown Hill, and deemed fittingly the Highway 400 Extension. In the late-1950s, the construction of the Trans-Canada HighwayTrans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
prompted the Department of Highways to extend the route north to Highway 12 and Highway 103 in Coldwater. This section opened as a super two
Super two
A super two, super two-lane highway or wide two lane is a two-lane surface road built to high standards, typically including partial control of access, occasional passing lanes and hard shoulders...
on December 24, 1959, redirecting Highway 400 southwest of the Crown Hill junction. To remedy this situation, the 1.1 km (0.683510010314787 mi) gap was internally designated as Highway 400A.
The highway has never been publicly signed as 400A. Instead, northbound it is indicated as Highway 11 and southbound as Highway 400. With the restructuring of the provincial highway system in 1997, Highway 11's entire route south of the Crown Hill interchange was downloaded to the local municipalities. As a result, Highway 11 begins as Highway 400A ends; crossing over Penetanguishene Road.
Unusually, traffic to and from the Highway 400 extension enters and exits at the right of the roadway, while traffic to and from Highway 400A/11 simply continues on the same roadway. The interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is also incomplete; drivers must either use the Forbes Road and Penetanguishene Road interchanges, or continue southbound into Barrie and switch direction at Duckworth Street in order to travel from southbound Highway 400A to northbound Highway 400 or from southbound Highway 400 to northbound Highway 400A.
Exit list
There are only two interchanges along Highway 400A; the start and end termini. The entirety of the highway is located within Simcoe County{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|Continues south as Highway 400 towards Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
|-
|rowspan="2"|Springwater
Springwater, Ontario
Springwater is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Simcoe County near Barrie. It includes the former townships of Flos and Vespra. Springwater is the County seat of Simcoe.-Communities:...
|0.0
|
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|1.1
|
|formerly Highway 93
Ontario Highway 93
King's Highway 93, commonly referred to as Highway 93, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located entirely within Simcoe County, the highway extends for from an interchange with Highway 400 in Springwater, just south of the community of Hillsdale, to an...
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...