Highway 538 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
Secondary Highway 538, commonly referred to as Highway 538, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The highway is 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) in length and follows an older alignment of Highway 17 east of Blind River
, between the Canadian Pacific Railway
tracks and the shoreline of the North Channel
of Lake Huron
, while the present Highway 17 runs north of the railway tracks. The route was designated in 1956 and has remained unchanged since.
It passes several shops and continues towards the shoreline, at which point it curves northeast. The highway travels around Bootlegger's Bay before diverging from the shoreline, turning north and ascending towards Highway 17. From this point until its eastern terminus, the highway travels alongside a parcel of the North Channel Inshore Provincial Park, a waterway park scattered along the North Channel shoreline.
Immediately south of Highway 17 and the CPR tracks, the route curves east and follows parallel to Highway 17 for several kilometres. Following this, it abruptly curves north, crosses the railroad tracks and ends.
It was once an alignment of Highway 17, but was bypassed due to several sharp corners. The route has not changed since it was designated.
{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|Algoma Mills
|0.0
|
|
|-
|0.9
|Miranda Boulevard
|
|-
|Township of North Shore
|5.6
|
|
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 highway is 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) in length and follows an older alignment of Highway 17 east of Blind River
Blind River, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 3780* Population in 2001: 3969* Population in 1996: 3152 * Population in 1991: 3355-Economy:Its main businesses are tourism, fishing, logging, and uranium refining....
, between the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
tracks and the shoreline of the North Channel
North Channel (Ontario)
The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay, on the west by the St. Marys River, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin, Cockburn,...
of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, while the present Highway 17 runs north of the railway tracks. The route was designated in 1956 and has remained unchanged since.
Route description
Highway 538 is a short and narrow highway which follows a former alignment of Highway 17, at which it begins and ends. It starts in the west at Algoma Mills, travelling east initially before turning south and passing beneath a CPR rail line. The route descends along the western bank of Lauzon Creek before turning southeast and crossing it.It passes several shops and continues towards the shoreline, at which point it curves northeast. The highway travels around Bootlegger's Bay before diverging from the shoreline, turning north and ascending towards Highway 17. From this point until its eastern terminus, the highway travels alongside a parcel of the North Channel Inshore Provincial Park, a waterway park scattered along the North Channel shoreline.
Immediately south of Highway 17 and the CPR tracks, the route curves east and follows parallel to Highway 17 for several kilometres. Following this, it abruptly curves north, crosses the railroad tracks and ends.
History
Highway 538 was designated in 1956.It was once an alignment of Highway 17, but was bypassed due to several sharp corners. The route has not changed since it was designated.
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 538. The entirety of the highway is located within Algoma District.{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|Algoma Mills
|0.0
|
|
|-
|0.9
|Miranda Boulevard
|
|-
|Township of North Shore
North Shore, Ontario
North Shore is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District. The township had a population of 549 in the Canada 2006 Census...
|5.6
|
|