Highway 4 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 4, also known as Highway 4, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. Originally much longer than its present 100.8 km (62.6 mi) length, more than half of Highway 4 was transferred to the responsibility of local governments in 1998. In its present form, it travels between Highway 3
in Talbotville Royal, north-west of St. Thomas
, and Highway 8
in Clinton
.
Highway 4 was first designated in 1920, when a 27 km (16.8 mi) route between Talbotville Royal and Elginfield was assumed by the Department of Highways. Over the next half century it was extended north and east to Highway 24
near Singhampton, and south to Port Stanley
.
, Scottsville, Lambeth
, London
, Northcrest, Uplands
, Arva, Birr, Elginfield, Lucan, Clandeboye, Mooresville, Centralia, Exeter
, Hay, Hensall
, Kippen, Brucefield, Vanastra
, and Clinton.
Highway 4 travels through the following municipalities: Southwold Township
, London, Middlesex Centre Township
, Lucan Biddulph Township
, North Middlesex
, South Huron
, Bluewater
, and Central Huron
.
As of April 2008, Highway 4 officially does not exist within the City of London except south of Glanworth Drive, but instead is now signed with green "TO 4" trailblazer crown signs. The City was considering alternate routes for Highway 4 through the city in the early 2000s but this never materialized. Further north in Clinton, Highway 4 ends at the southern limits, though it remains signed.
in Flesherton. In the 1970s, Highway 4 reached its maximum length when it was extended from Flesherton to Singhampton. However, in 1998, the Mike Harris
government, seeking to balance the provincial budget, off-loaded responsibility for the Clinton–Singhampton section of Highway 4—almost 65% of its total length—back onto municipal governments.
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....
. Originally much longer than its present 100.8 km (62.6 mi) length, more than half of Highway 4 was transferred to the responsibility of local governments in 1998. In its present form, it travels between Highway 3
Ontario Highway 3
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
in Talbotville Royal, north-west of St. Thomas
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
, and Highway 8
Ontario Highway 8
Provincial Highway 8 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its total length is 138.5 km, though it was once much longer, running farther east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, before the Queen Elizabeth Way replaced its role.- History :Highway 8 is one of the...
in Clinton
Clinton, Ontario
Clinton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the municipality of Central Huron. Established in 1831, Clinton first began when Jonas Gibbings, Peter and Stephen Vanderburg cleared out a small area to start. Clinton started to grow in 1844 when William Rattenbury laid out...
.
Highway 4 was first designated in 1920, when a 27 km (16.8 mi) route between Talbotville Royal and Elginfield was assumed by the Department of Highways. Over the next half century it was extended north and east to Highway 24
Ontario Highway 24
Highway 24 is a highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which presently begins at Highway 3 in Simcoe, and ends at Highway 401, in Cambridge. Highway 24 runs in a north/south direction and has been in service since 1927...
near Singhampton, and south to Port Stanley
Port Stanley, Ontario
Port Stanley is a community in the Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, Elgin County, located on the north shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of Kettle Creek.-History:...
.
Route Description
In its present form, Highway 4 travels through Talbotville Royal, TempoTempo, Ontario
Tempo, Ontario is a former neighbourhood in London, Ontario, just South of Lambeth. Tempo no longer goes by Tempo, just London. Its residents usually call the area "South of the 401 overpass"....
, Scottsville, Lambeth
Lambeth, Middlesex County, Ontario
Lambeth is a neighbourhood in the City of London, Ontario, Canada.Lambeth was formerly a population centre in Westminster Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada...
, London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Northcrest, Uplands
Uplands, Ontario
Uplands is a neighbourhood in London, Ontario....
, Arva, Birr, Elginfield, Lucan, Clandeboye, Mooresville, Centralia, Exeter
Exeter, Ontario
Exeter is a Canadian community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White Squirrel", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals...
, Hay, Hensall
Hensall, Ontario
Hensall is a community in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Firmly rooted in the heart of Huron County's rich agricultural land, Hensall is home to three large processing facilities: Thompsons Limited, Hensall Co-op and Cook's Division of Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd...
, Kippen, Brucefield, Vanastra
Vanastra, Ontario
Vanastra, Ontario is located in the municipality of Huron East in Huron County, three kilometres south of Clinton, Ontario.It is located on the property of CFB Clinton, a former Canadian Forces Base and prior to 1968, a Royal Canadian Air Force station used for radar training.The present name...
, and Clinton.
Highway 4 travels through the following municipalities: Southwold Township
Southwold, Ontario
Southwold is a township in Elgin County, in Ontario, Canada, located on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is a rich agricultural zone producing predominantly corn and soybeans.-History:...
, London, Middlesex Centre Township
Middlesex Centre, Ontario
Middlesex Centre is a township in south-western Ontario, Canada. It is located to the north and west of London and is in Middlesex County. The Corporation of the Township of Middlesex Centre, formed on January 1, 1998 with the amalgamation of the former Townships of Delaware, Lobo, and London...
, Lucan Biddulph Township
Lucan Biddulph, Ontario
Lucan Biddulph is an incorporated township in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed on January 1, 1999 by amalgamating the Village of Lucan with Biddulph Township...
, North Middlesex
North Middlesex, Ontario
North Middlesex is a municipality in Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.The restructured municipality of North Middlesex was incorporated on January 1, 2001. This amalgamation joined five municipalities — the townships of East Williams, West Williams and McGillivray, the town of Parkhill and the...
, South Huron
South Huron, Ontario
South Huron is a municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the southern part of Huron County. It was formed by amalgamation of the townships of Stephen and Usborne with the Town of Exeter in 2001, in an Ontario-wide municipal restructuring imposed by the provincial...
, Bluewater
Bluewater, Ontario
The Municipality of Bluewater is located in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 2001 when the Ontario Government instituted the amalgamation of municipalities throughout the province. Specifically, the former townships of Hay and Stanley were merged with the villages of Bayfield,...
, and Central Huron
Central Huron, Ontario
Central Huron is a township in western Ontario, Canada, in Huron County. It is situated on Lake Huron between the Maitland River and the Bayfield River....
.
As of April 2008, Highway 4 officially does not exist within the City of London except south of Glanworth Drive, but instead is now signed with green "TO 4" trailblazer crown signs. The City was considering alternate routes for Highway 4 through the city in the early 2000s but this never materialized. Further north in Clinton, Highway 4 ends at the southern limits, though it remains signed.
History
The King's Highway 4 was originally designated in 1920 when the provincial government assumed the road running from Talbotville Royal to Elginfield through London. In 1927, the highway was further extended with the assumption of the road from Elginfield to Clinton. In the 1930s, the highway was again extended as far as the intersection of Highway 10Highway 10 (Ontario)
King's Highway 10, commonly referred to as Highway 10 and historically as the Toronto–Sydenham Road, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
in Flesherton. In the 1970s, Highway 4 reached its maximum length when it was extended from Flesherton to Singhampton. However, in 1998, the Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
government, seeking to balance the provincial budget, off-loaded responsibility for the Clinton–Singhampton section of Highway 4—almost 65% of its total length—back onto municipal governments.
Major intersections
| County | Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Elgin County, Ontario Elgin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario with a current population of approximately 46,000. The county seat is St. Thomas.It consists of:*Town of Aylmer*Municipality of Bayham*Municipality of Central Elgin... |
Talbotville Royal | 0.0 | ||
| 6.0 | Exit 177 | |||
| Middlesex Middlesex County, Ontario Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city... |
London London, Ontario London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city... |
10.5 | ||
| 12.5 | Longwoods Road / Colonel Talbot Road | Formerly Highway 2 Ontario Highway 2 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... west |
||
| 23.1 | Dundas Street | Formerly Highway 2 east | ||
| Arva | 31.6 | |||
| 37.2 | ||||
| Elginfield | 45.4 | |||
| Clandeboye | 54.3 | |||
| Mooresville | 58.1 | Mooresville Drive | ||
| Huron Huron County, Ontario Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province... |
Centralia | 64.2 | ||
| Exeter Exeter, Ontario Exeter is a Canadian community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White Squirrel", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals... |
72.4 | Formerly Highway 83 | ||
| Hensall Hensall, Ontario Hensall is a community in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Firmly rooted in the heart of Huron County's rich agricultural land, Hensall is home to three large processing facilities: Thompsons Limited, Hensall Co-op and Cook's Division of Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd... |
80.3 | Formerly Highway 84 | ||
| Kippen | 84.3 | |||
| Brucefield | 90.4 | |||
| Clinton Clinton, Ontario Clinton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the municipality of Central Huron. Established in 1831, Clinton first began when Jonas Gibbings, Peter and Stephen Vanderburg cleared out a small area to start. Clinton started to grow in 1844 when William Rattenbury laid out... |
100.8 |