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Highway 55 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 55, commonly referred to as Highway 55 and historically as the Niagara Stone Road and Black Swamp Road, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, which connected the Queen Elizabeth Way
(QEW) with Niagara-on-the-Lake
, following Niagara Stone Road. The route divides a swath of fruitland at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment
, passing at an oblique angle to the concession road
grid.
A former Highway 55 designation connected Highway 6 with Highway 53
, passing through the Mountain district of Hamilton
. The more recent designation was applied in 1970, following the establishment of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. On April 1, 1997, Highway 55 was transferred to Niagara and designated as Niagara Regional Road 55.
, until 1970, when it became Niagara Regional Road 81; it is also known as Queenston Street to the west and York Road to the east. The roadway carrying Highway 55 continued south as Taylor Road (Niagara Regional Road 70). Pressing north, the highway passed beneath the QEW, which ascends over the Garden City Skyway
to cross the Welland Canal
. The highway entered Homer, then curved north east and entered farmland
. From here to its northern terminus, the highway was dead-straight. It passed south of the St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport
and later intersected Niagara Regional Road 106.
Highway 55 passed through the small town of Virgil, which is centred on the Four Mile Creek. It intersected Four Mile Creek Road (Niagara Regional Road 100) in the centre of the town, then entered back into an agricultural area. Shortly thereafter, the highway entered the urban area of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it ended at Mary Street (Niagara Regional Road 87).
Several wineries are established along the former route of Highway 55, most notably the Jackson-Triggs
Estate.
, passing through the Mountain district of Hamilton
; this route was decommissioned in 1961. The more recent designation was applied in late 1970, following the establishment of Niagara Region.
During the initial settlement period of the Niagara area, following the American Revolutionary War
, new wagon routes were built over native footpaths. Grimsby
and Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) quickly became established settlements, but travel was cumbersome between them. Pioneers were forced to travel south along the Niagara Road to Queenston
, where they turned west and followed the Iroquois Road.
To remedy the situation, locals gathered in 1798 and constructed the Black Swamp Road to connect Newark with the Iroquois Road near its crossing of Ten Mile Creek (now the location of the Welland Canal).
The route, often subject to flooding from the waterlogged soil which it travelled over, was gradually improved, especially during the 1830s.
During the latter half of the 1800s, the road was macadamized, and gradually came to be known as the Niagara Stone Road as the surrounding swampland was drained and farmed.
The original incarnation of Highway 55 travelled through Hamilton. It was established in 1937, following Upper Gage Avenue
north from Rymal Road (itself designated Highway 53 that same year) to Crockett Avenue and the Sherman Access. It turned west and followed the access down the Niagara Escarpment
, ending at Highway 6 (John Street
).
The route of this highway changed several times through the late-1950s as the Burlington Skyway was constructed. By 1959, a route down the new Kenilworth Access, north along Kenilworth Avenue
and along what is now Burlington Street to the QEW; both routes existed simultaneously between 1957 and 1958.
By 1961, this route had been decommissioned.
The recent incarnation of Highway 55 was designated on November 5, 1970, during the same year that the Regional Municipality of Niagara was formed.
The route followed the entire length of the Niagara Stone Road from Homer to Niagara-on-the-Lake and remained unchanged over its 27 years of existence. Highway 55 was transferred to the Regional Municipality of Niagara on April 1, 1997, as part of the first round of mass downloading.
The route is now known as Niagara Regional Road 55.
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....
, which connected the Queen Elizabeth Way
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...
(QEW) with Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
, following Niagara Stone Road. The route divides a swath of fruitland at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
, passing at an oblique angle to the concession road
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...
grid.
A former Highway 55 designation connected Highway 6 with Highway 53
Ontario Highway 53
Highway 53 is a former provincial highway in Southern Ontario, connecting Woodstock to Hamilton via Brantford. For much of its history, the road was co-signed with Highway 2 from Woodstock to Eastwood, where they parted ways...
, passing through the Mountain district of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. The more recent designation was applied in 1970, following the establishment of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. On April 1, 1997, Highway 55 was transferred to Niagara and designated as Niagara Regional Road 55.
Route description
Highway 55 began at an intersection with the old Iroquois Road, which later became Highway 8Ontario 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...
, until 1970, when it became Niagara Regional Road 81; it is also known as Queenston Street to the west and York Road to the east. The roadway carrying Highway 55 continued south as Taylor Road (Niagara Regional Road 70). Pressing north, the highway passed beneath the QEW, which ascends over the Garden City Skyway
Garden City Skyway
The Garden City Skyway is a major high-level bridge located in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, that allows the Queen Elizabeth Way to cross the Welland Canal without the interruption of a lift bridge. Six lanes of traffic are carried across the bridge, which is 2.2km in...
to cross the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
. The highway entered Homer, then curved north east and entered farmland
Farmland
Farmland generally refers to agricultural land, or land currently used for the purposes of farming. It may also refer to:*Arable land, land capable of cultivating crops*Farmland, Indiana, a town in the United States...
. From here to its northern terminus, the highway was dead-straight. It passed south of the St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport
St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport
St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport, , is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, on Niagara Stone Road at Airport Road , just north of the Queen Elizabeth Way and east of the City of St. Catharines...
and later intersected Niagara Regional Road 106.
Highway 55 passed through the small town of Virgil, which is centred on the Four Mile Creek. It intersected Four Mile Creek Road (Niagara Regional Road 100) in the centre of the town, then entered back into an agricultural area. Shortly thereafter, the highway entered the urban area of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it ended at Mary Street (Niagara Regional Road 87).
Several wineries are established along the former route of Highway 55, most notably the Jackson-Triggs
Jackson-Triggs
Jackson-Triggs is a Canadian winery with vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia and the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario.In 1993 Donald Triggs and Allan Jackson founded Mississauga-based company Vincor Canada which began to produce Jackson-Triggs wine...
Estate.
History
A former Highway 55 designation connected Highway 6 and the QEW with Highway 53Ontario Highway 53
Highway 53 is a former provincial highway in Southern Ontario, connecting Woodstock to Hamilton via Brantford. For much of its history, the road was co-signed with Highway 2 from Woodstock to Eastwood, where they parted ways...
, passing through the Mountain district of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
; this route was decommissioned in 1961. The more recent designation was applied in late 1970, following the establishment of Niagara Region.
During the initial settlement period of the Niagara area, following the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, new wagon routes were built over native footpaths. Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
and Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) quickly became established settlements, but travel was cumbersome between them. Pioneers were forced to travel south along the Niagara Road to Queenston
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
, where they turned west and followed the Iroquois Road.
To remedy the situation, locals gathered in 1798 and constructed the Black Swamp Road to connect Newark with the Iroquois Road near its crossing of Ten Mile Creek (now the location of the Welland Canal).
The route, often subject to flooding from the waterlogged soil which it travelled over, was gradually improved, especially during the 1830s.
During the latter half of the 1800s, the road was macadamized, and gradually came to be known as the Niagara Stone Road as the surrounding swampland was drained and farmed.
The original incarnation of Highway 55 travelled through Hamilton. It was established in 1937, following Upper Gage Avenue
Upper Gage Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)
Upper Gage Avenue is an Upper City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at Concession Street in front of Mountain Drive Park and works its way southward and ends just past Rymal Road beside Broughton West Park 2...
north from Rymal Road (itself designated Highway 53 that same year) to Crockett Avenue and the Sherman Access. It turned west and followed the access down the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
, ending at Highway 6 (John Street
John Street (Hamilton, Ontario)
John Street, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Originally it was known as Mountain Road or Ancaster Road. It starts off at the base of Arkledun Avenue, a Mountain-access road in the city, just east of St.Joseph's Hospital where it's a one-way street going north and tunnels...
).
The route of this highway changed several times through the late-1950s as the Burlington Skyway was constructed. By 1959, a route down the new Kenilworth Access, north along Kenilworth Avenue
Kenilworth Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)
Kenilworth Avenue, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at the Kenilworth Traffic Circle and Kenilworth Access, a mountain-access road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and is a two-way street throughout stretching northward through the city's North End...
and along what is now Burlington Street to the QEW; both routes existed simultaneously between 1957 and 1958.
By 1961, this route had been decommissioned.
The recent incarnation of Highway 55 was designated on November 5, 1970, during the same year that the Regional Municipality of Niagara was formed.
The route followed the entire length of the Niagara Stone Road from Homer to Niagara-on-the-Lake and remained unchanged over its 27 years of existence. Highway 55 was transferred to the Regional Municipality of Niagara on April 1, 1997, as part of the first round of mass downloading.
The route is now known as Niagara Regional Road 55.