Highway 40 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
Highway 40 is the main North-South Provincial highway in Southwestern Ontario
, linking Chatham, Ontario
to Sarnia, Ontario
.
in Chatham, Ontario
to Highway 7
/Highway 22 in Sarnia, Ontario
. It was created in 1934. The original length was 87 km, and travelled from Highway 2 in Chatham, to Highway 7/22 in Sarnia.
with at-grade intersections, but no driveways and adjacent properties.
Until the 1970s, the Bluewater Bridge Approach (Which evolved into today's Highway 402) led directly to an interchange with Highway 40 (now used as Highway 40's interchange with Exmouth Street, a Parclo A2), before terminating at an intersection with London Road (Former Highway 7). When it was re-aligned, another interchange (a Parclo B4) was constructed just north of the existing interchange.
Exmouth Street would be redirected to meet Highway 7 at that junction, using the former bypassed alignment of old Highway 402.
The bypass was temporarily designated as Highway 40A (until the Bypass was completed and open to traffic). Upon completion, the Sarnia Bypass was re-named Highway 40 (Highway 40A was deleted) (in 1965), and the old alignment along Brock Street, Vidal Street, and Front Street on the west side of Sarnia was re-numbered as Highway 40B, until being deleted in 1993.
During the early 1970s, the province extended Highway 40 along Kent County Road 11, to meet with Highway 3 in Blenheim, Ontario
, adding an additional 17 km to the roadway's distance.
and Sarnia. The old alignment of the road was bypassed by a newly constructed (and much straighter) road around 5 km inland from the St. Clair River
. This new alignment of Highway 40 opened in stages in the mid-1970s. From roughly half-way between Highway 80 (now Lambton CR 80) and CR 4, to the Sarnia Bypass, the road was built as a four-lane divided highway
. Once this new alignment was created, the road's length was 103 km, as around 44 km of the old alignment was bypassed.
The old alignment was turned back from Sarnia to Sombra in 1979, from Sombra to Walpole Island
in 1980, and finally from Walpole Island to Wallaceburg in 1984. The old alignment was given the name St. Clair Parkway
, and designated as Lambton County Road 33 and Kent County Road 33.
The new (current) alignment of Highway 40 was built with a wide-enough right of way for future twinning
and upgrading to become a freeway, if the need ever arises. There are no private properties on Highway 40's new alignment, and the only access is at intersecting roads, or at traffic signal-governed intersections, which may become overpass
es and interchange
s if upgrading takes place. The entire Sarnia Bypass (along the south and east ends of Sarnia) is also built to this standard for relatively easy upgrading. At the moment, the only parts of the Bypass which are four-lane divided are the Michigan Avenue to Wellington Street stretch and from Indian Road to Churchill Road, the latter where Highway 40 changes direction from east-west to north-south to lead to Wallaceburg. The Highway 40 remains a four-lane divided road from the change of direction to north-south to just south of Rokeby Line.
January 1, 1998 saw further changes to Highway 40. It was rerouted through Chatham
, Ontario
along the route of Former Highway 2
(along Grand Avenue), instead of its old route through downtown via Third Street, Wellington Street, Lacroix Street, and Park Avenue. The length of Hwy 40 is now 91.8 km.
). See the main article for more information on the trail's path.
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
, linking Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
to Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
.
Origins
The road originally connected Highway 2Highway 2 (Ontario)
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
in Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
to Highway 7
Highway 7 (Ontario)
King's Highway 7, commonly referred to as Highway 7 and historically as the Northern Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
/Highway 22 in Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
. It was created in 1934. The original length was 87 km, and travelled from Highway 2 in Chatham, to Highway 7/22 in Sarnia.
Re-alignments and upgrades
Eventually, traffic on the road started to increase, and by 1962, the Sarnia Bypass was constructed, and finished in 1965. The Sarnia Bypass is a divided highwayDivided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
with at-grade intersections, but no driveways and adjacent properties.
Until the 1970s, the Bluewater Bridge Approach (Which evolved into today's Highway 402) led directly to an interchange with Highway 40 (now used as Highway 40's interchange with Exmouth Street, a Parclo A2), before terminating at an intersection with London Road (Former Highway 7). When it was re-aligned, another interchange (a Parclo B4) was constructed just north of the existing interchange.
Exmouth Street would be redirected to meet Highway 7 at that junction, using the former bypassed alignment of old Highway 402.
The bypass was temporarily designated as Highway 40A (until the Bypass was completed and open to traffic). Upon completion, the Sarnia Bypass was re-named Highway 40 (Highway 40A was deleted) (in 1965), and the old alignment along Brock Street, Vidal Street, and Front Street on the west side of Sarnia was re-numbered as Highway 40B, until being deleted in 1993.
During the early 1970s, the province extended Highway 40 along Kent County Road 11, to meet with Highway 3 in Blenheim, Ontario
Blenheim, Ontario
Blenheim is a community located in south-central Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,800.- History :By 1783, there were French settlers in Detroit and Windsor. There were also settlers in the Niagara and Kingston region, but no real settlers to speak of in the Kent County region...
, adding an additional 17 km to the roadway's distance.
St. Clair Parkway
Construction began in the early 1970s on a major realignment of Highway 40 between WallaceburgWallaceburg, Ontario
Wallaceburg is an unincorporated community and town located in the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southern Ontario, Canada. Originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumber and boat building industries and strategic location along the banks of the...
and Sarnia. The old alignment of the road was bypassed by a newly constructed (and much straighter) road around 5 km inland from the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
. This new alignment of Highway 40 opened in stages in the mid-1970s. From roughly half-way between Highway 80 (now Lambton CR 80) and CR 4, to the Sarnia Bypass, the road was built as a four-lane divided highway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
. Once this new alignment was created, the road's length was 103 km, as around 44 km of the old alignment was bypassed.
The old alignment was turned back from Sarnia to Sombra in 1979, from Sombra to Walpole Island
Walpole Island
Walpole Island is an island and Indian reserve in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the border between Ontario and Michigan in the United States. It is located in the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, approximately thirty miles northeast of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.In...
in 1980, and finally from Walpole Island to Wallaceburg in 1984. The old alignment was given the name St. Clair Parkway
St. Clair Parkway
The Saint Clair Parkway is maintained by the Saint Clair Parks Commission. The road was the original Highway 40, which was re-aligned about 5 km inland from the river on a new alignment as a Super-2 expressway from Wallaceburg to Sarnia...
, and designated as Lambton County Road 33 and Kent County Road 33.
The new (current) alignment of Highway 40 was built with a wide-enough right of way for future twinning
Twinning (roads)
Twinning a road involves the construction of a similar or identical parallel road. It is usually done when an existing highway requires a significant increase in capacity. Twinning is frequently advantageous because it allows traffic capacity to be doubled and produces a dual carriageway with...
and upgrading to become a freeway, if the need ever arises. There are no private properties on Highway 40's new alignment, and the only access is at intersecting roads, or at traffic signal-governed intersections, which may become overpass
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
es and 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...
s if upgrading takes place. The entire Sarnia Bypass (along the south and east ends of Sarnia) is also built to this standard for relatively easy upgrading. At the moment, the only parts of the Bypass which are four-lane divided are the Michigan Avenue to Wellington Street stretch and from Indian Road to Churchill Road, the latter where Highway 40 changes direction from east-west to north-south to lead to Wallaceburg. The Highway 40 remains a four-lane divided road from the change of direction to north-south to just south of Rokeby Line.
Highway 40 today
April 1, 1997 saw a huge change in Ontario's provincial highway network: over 4000 km of highways were turned back to county, city, and local authorities. Highway 40 was largely spared, although south of Highway 401, the road was turned back, shortening the road by the 17 km it gained in the 1970s.January 1, 1998 saw further changes to Highway 40. It was rerouted through Chatham
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
, 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....
along the route of Former Highway 2
Highway 2 (Ontario)
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
(along Grand Avenue), instead of its old route through downtown via Third Street, Wellington Street, Lacroix Street, and Park Avenue. The length of Hwy 40 is now 91.8 km.
African-Canadian Heritage Tour
The African-Canadian Heritage Tour follows part of Highway 40, from its Interchange with Higwhay 401, to Chatham-Kent CR 29 (Countryview Line) in Oungah, Ontario, where it turns right (eastbound) onto CR 29 (towards Dresden, OntarioDresden, Ontario
Dresden is a community in southwestern Ontario, Canada, part of the municipality of Chatham-Kent. Dresden is best known as the home of Josiah Henson, the former U.S. slave whose life story was the inspiration for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin...
). See the main article for more information on the trail's path.