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Highway 7 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
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
. At its peak, Highway 7 measured 716 km (444.9 mi) in length, stretching from Highway 40 east of Sarnia
in Southwestern Ontario
to Highway 417 southwest of Ottawa
in Eastern Ontario
.
Highway 7 was first designated in 1920 between Sarnia and Guelph
. It was extended to Brampton the following year. Between 1927 and 1932, the highway more than doubled in length as it was gradually extended eastward to Perth
, where Highway 15 continued to Ottawa. In the early 1960s, that section of Highway 15 was renumbered as Highway 7.
In 1997 and 1998, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation downloaded significant portions of the highway to regional and municipal governments. Because of this, there are now two separated sections of Highway 7.
in the southwest to the Halton
- Peel border at Norval
near Brampton
. This covers a distance of 152.6 km. This highway is a freeway for a 23.4 km stretch from Waterloo Regional Road 51 south of Baden
to Highway 85
in Kitchener
; this is part of the Conestoga Parkway
. Plans to build a freeway bypass of Highway 7 from Kitchener to Guelph
are currently in development. With only two travel lanes, the section between Kitchener and Guelph is one of the most congested in the province.
At one point Highway 7 ran as far west as Sarnia, being the main route to the Blue Water Bridge
. Upon entering Sarnia, there is a plethora of motels and restaurants, the Sarnia Airport, and attractions such as the bingo hall, Hiawatha Racetrack and Waterpark, giving that stretch the nickname "Golden Mile
". At Highway 40, Highway 7 ended and the short freeway Highway 402 continued westwards to the Bluewater Bridge at the border. Since 1982, the extension of Highway 402 to London has meant that most traffic bypasses Highway 7, due to 402's larger volume capabilities and higher allowable speeds. Consequently, most of the Golden Mile motels have gone into decline. Nonetheless, Highway 7 remained provincially maintained until that segment was downloaded on January 1, 1998 and is now known as Lambton County Road 22 and London Line.
The western segment was separated from the rest of Highway 7 on April 1, 1997, when the stretch from Brampton to Markham
was downloaded due to the opening of Highway 407. Part of that segment through Richmond Hill
was relocated on a new alignment (as a 6 lane at-grade expressway) in 1987 in order to make way for Highway 407; the former routing incorporated Langstaff Road. Shortly before the opening of Highway 407, some recently erected signage on Highway 404 still referenced Highway 7 as a provincial highway; this was not changed after the downloading.
Within Peel Region, Highway 410 and Highway 7 ran concurrently north-south between Bovaird Drive and Queen Street East prior to the downloading. The Queen Street East portion of the road was numbered Peel Regional Road 21 on July 10, 1997, but renumbered as Peel Regional Road 107 on March 26, 1998.
A subsequent western segment of Highway 7 within Brampton known locally today as Bovaird Drive West and Bovaird Drive East was transferred to the Region of Peel on July 12, 2002 and subsequently numbered Regional Road 107 to maintain its consistency as being known as the former Highway 7. despite the segment of Bovaird Drive East east of Highway 410 maintaining its designation as Regional Road 10.
Highway 7 through York Region, despite no longer being a provincial highway, is still officially named Highway 7 and received the number York Regional Road 7, displacing Islington Avenue which was redesignated York Regional Road 17. In 2005, Highway 7 was made the second main arterial for York Region's VIVA
rapid transit service (after Yonge Street). Parts of the Markham portion were once called Wellington Street, but only a stub of the old road exists today east of Markham Road.
(York Regional Road 48) in Markham to Highway 417 in Ottawa, a length of 384 km.
At its junction with Highway 12 at Brooklin
, Highway 7 assumes a north-south routing and is concurrent with Highway 12 to Sunderland. The section from Highway 12 north of Sunderland
to its eastern terminus is designated as part of the Trans-Canada Highway
.
The Durham Region section from the York-Durham Line (Regional Road 30) to Sideline 16 at Brougham (the eastern terminus of Highway 407 was scheduled to be downloaded to Durham Region in 2006, but these plans were cancelled.
Between 1997 and 2003, the eastern segment of Highway 7 was split into two parts by a downloaded section between highways 7A and 28/115. This discontinuity was eliminated in 2003 by renumbering the portion of Highway 7A east of its former concurrency with Highway 115 as Highway 7, and signing Highway 7 concurrently with Highway 115 from the former Highway 7A junction easterly to the end of the Peterborough bypass.
The former eastern segment of Highway 7, which was separated from the central segment by only 6 km, had a total length of 242.8 km. It began at Highway 115
in Peterborough, and ran to Highway 417 near Kanata, which is now part of the city of Ottawa
. This highway was a freeway for its first 6.5 km, from Highway 115 to Lansdowne Street East (once Highway 7B) in Peterborough. Its entire length was part of the Trans-Canada Highway.
In 2003, these two segments were connected by a renumbering around Peterborough, which created a new concurrency with Highway 115 and renumbered 7A to 7 in southwest Peterborough in order to connect them. The same year, construction started on a 21-km four-phase project between the 417 in Ottawa and Carleton Place
to convert Highway 7 to a four-lane, controlled access highway. Construction was initially promised to be complete by 2006. In late 2010 the 4-lane Highway 7 opened between Highway 417 and Ashton Station Road. The remaining short section from there to McNeely Avenue in Carleton Place is scheduled for completion by the fall of 2011.
The eastern section from Peterborough to Perth
was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression
, as a public works
employment project. The road used an abandoned CP Rail corridor that was built in the 1880s, and used hand-power to dig and build the road whenever possible.
On April 27, 1921, the route was extended east to the Wellington–Halton boundary. Several days later, on May 4, the highway was extended further east to Hurontario Street
in Brampton.
The Great Northern Highway, as it was known at the time, was numbered as Highway 7 during the summer of 1925.
Assumptions on June 22 and July 2, 1927 extended Highway 7 from Brampton to Peterborough. A portion of the original route of Highway 12 between Sunderland and Lindsay was renumbered in this process and a concurrency established between Brooklin and Sunderland.
In the early 1930s it was decided that Highway 7 would serve as an alternative route between Toronto and Ottawa; at that time the only alternative was Highway 2 and Highway 16. The first step in this undertaking was extending Highway 7 to Madoc along existing settler routes. This section was assumed on September 17, 1930.
On November 18, 1931, construction was accelerated between Madoc and Perth as a major depression
-relief project when eight contracts were set to build the new route. Over 2700 men blasted rock, dredged muskeg and endured a constant barrage of blood
-sucking
insects
in order to construct this new link. The majority of it followed along an abandoned Grand Trunk Railroad right-of-way which had been cleared in 1881, deviating at times to provide a better alignment, avoid large muskeg or to lessen excavation work.
On February 10 and February 17, the route, still incomplete, was surveyed and assumed as an extension of Highway 7. The new highway was opened to traffic in August, 1932.
Between the 1930s and 1960s, Highway 7 connected Sarnia with Perth; Highway 15 continued from Perth to Ottawa. In 1961, this section of Highway 15 was renumbered as part of Highway 7, bringing the highway to its peak length of 700 kilometres (435 mi).
As part of budget cuts instituted by the Mike Harris
government, many highways deemed to serve a local or regional function were downloaded to local jurisdiction. The sections of Highway 7 west of London were transferred to Lambton County and Middlesex County
, largely supplanted by the construction of nearby Highway 402 in the late 1970s. On April 1, 1997, the section from Sarnia to Thedford
was transferred to Lambton County.
The section from Thedford to Elginfield was transferred to Lambton and Middlesex counties on January 1, 1998.
As the construction of Highway 407 progressed across the northern end of the Greater Toronto Area
, the MTO transferred sections of Highway 7 to the regions of Peel and York. On April 1, 1997, the section between Highway 410 and Highway 404 was transferred to the regions of Peel and York; the section from Highway 404 to McCowan Road was transferred to York Region on April 1, 1999. Several months later, on September 1, a short section between McCowan Road and Markham Road was transferred. Finally, on January 25, 2007, the section between Markham Road and 185 m (607 ft) east of Donald Cousens Parkway, where the highway narrows to two lanes today, was transferred.
In the Peterborough area, Highway 7 was rerouted from travelling through the city to bypassing it along Highway 115. This situation took over six years to set in place. On April 1, 1997, the sections of Highway 7 entering the western edge of Peterborough along North Monaghan Parkway and Sir Sanford Fleming Drive were transferred to the county and city, creating a gap between Springville and the Peterborough Bypass. This situation was rectified on May 1, 2003, when the section of Highway 7A that until then was a continuation of the road south from Springville to Highway 115 was renumbered as Highway 7. The concurrency with Highway 115 was extended southwest to remove the discontinuity entirely.
, in which a second carriageway
is built parallel to an existing road and grade-separated
interchanges constructed.
Plans for this expansion were first conceptualized in 1979 when a planning study was undertaken. However, budgetary constraints forced an early end to this study in 1981. In 1988, the project was reinstated. A study released that year recommended that Highway 7 be widened to five lanes with a centre turning lane south of Carleton Place as an interim measure; this was carried out in 1993.
Full planning on the four-laning of the route began in 1993.
In mid-2005, the Government of Ontario announced the project to the public. The work was carried out over three contracts: from Highway 417 to Jinkinson Road, from Jinkinson Road to Ashton Station Road, and from Ashton Station Road to Highway 15. In
July 2007, a C$45 million contract was awarded to R.W. Tomlinson for the first phase of the route.
Bot Construction was awarded the $73.2 million contract for the second phase, which included two interchanges, four overpasses and service roads, in early 2008.
The first phase was opened to traffic on July 31, 2008
Towards the end of 2009, the $25.8 million contract for the third phase was awarded to Aecon Group.
The second phase was completed in the third quarter of 2010, bypassing south of the former route at Ashton Station Road and merging to two lanes east of Cemetery Sideroad. The third phase is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
announced an Environmental Impact Assessment
for a four lane controlled-access highway
between Kitchener
, and Guelph
, as traffic on Highway 401 is growing steadily and approaching capacity, along with the current two-lane alignment of Highway 7. This would connect to the Conestoga Parkway
via an expansion of the existing Wellington Road interchange, the new junction would be a four level interchange; the government's eventual plan is to have a Highway 7 freeway running from Stratford to Guelph. The eastern end of the proposed Highway 7 freeway would terminate at the Hanlon Parkway
(Highway 6), which is also scheduled for upgrades to a full freeway.
Work to widen Highway 7 to four lanes from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 12 in Whitby is underway and should be completed sometime in 2012.
In early 2011, Ontario Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli
hinted at possible plans to extend the four-laning of Highway 7 west from Carleton Place to Perth.
agreement within Stratford, Guelph, Acton, Georgetown, Omemee, Havelock and Marmora.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Division
!Location
!km
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"|Middlesex
|rowspan="2"|Elginfield
|0.0
|
|
|-
|1.2
|
|
|-
|Lucan Biddulph–Middlesex Centre
|10.1
|
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|Perth
–Middlesex
|rowspan="2"|Perth South
–Thames Centre
|12.4
|North Thames River
crossing
|
|-
|17.6
|
|
|-
|Perth South
–Zorra
|24.0
|
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|Perth
|rowspan="3"|Stratford
|36.0
|Perth 29th Line
|Beginning of Stratford connecting link
agreement
|-
|40.0
|
|Western end of Highway 8 concurrency
|-
|43.3
|
|End of Stratford connecting link agreement
|-
|rowspan="2"|Shakespeare
|rowspan="2"|52.0
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|Formerly Highway 59
|-
|rowspan="5"|Waterloo
|-
|rowspan="2"|New Hamburg
|60.2
|
|rowspan="2"|New Hamburg Bypass
|-
|63.5
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|Wilmot
|64.4
|
|
|-
|65.8
|
|
|-
|colspan="5"|Western end of Conestoga Parkway
Controlled-access highway
begins 1.4 km (0.869921831309729 mi) east of Natziger Road
|-
|rowspan="9"|Waterloo
|rowspan="3"|Wilmot
|68.0
|
|
|-
|73.1
|
|
|-
|76.9
|
|
|-
|rowspan="6"|Kitchener
|-
|80.0
|
|
|-
|82.4
|
|Eastbound entrance via Ottawa Street South
|-
|83.7
|Courtland Avenue
|
|-
|85.1
|
|End of Highway 8 concurrency; no access from Highway 7 to King Street
|-
|86.4
|Ottawa Street North
|
|-
|colspan="5"|Highway 7 exits Conestoga Parkway
at Victoria Street; continues along the parkway
|-
|rowspan="2"|Waterloo
|rowspan="2"|Kitchener
|88.3
|
|Westbound entrance via Edna Street, eastbound exit via Bruce Street; beginning of Kitchener connecting link
agreement
|-
|94.0
|Woolwich Street
|End of Kitchener connecting link agreement
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....
. At its peak, Highway 7 measured 716 km (444.9 mi) in length, stretching from Highway 40 east of Sarnia
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....
in Southwestern Ontario
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...
to Highway 417 southwest of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
.
Highway 7 was first designated in 1920 between Sarnia and Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
Guelph is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Waterloo and west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it...
. It was extended to Brampton the following year. Between 1927 and 1932, the highway more than doubled in length as it was gradually extended eastward to Perth
Perth, Ontario
Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...
, where Highway 15 continued to Ottawa. In the early 1960s, that section of Highway 15 was renumbered as Highway 7.
In 1997 and 1998, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation downloaded significant portions of the highway to regional and municipal governments. Because of this, there are now two separated sections of Highway 7.
Western segment
The western segment of Highway 7 runs from Elginfield in Middlesex CountyMiddlesex 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...
in the southwest to the Halton
Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality of Ontario, Canada located in Southern Ontario in the southwest part of the Greater Toronto Area and until 1973 was known as Halton County...
- Peel border at Norval
Halton Hills, Ontario
Halton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located within the Greater Toronto Area....
near Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
. This covers a distance of 152.6 km. This highway is a freeway for a 23.4 km stretch from Waterloo Regional Road 51 south of Baden
Baden, Ontario
Baden is a community in Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It has a population of less than 1000 and was named after Baden-Baden in Germany...
to Highway 85
Highway 85 (Ontario)
King's Highway 85, commonly referred to as Highway 85, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway, which is mostly controlled-access, travels through the Regional Municipality of Waterloo along the Conestoga Parkway from its interchange with...
in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
; this is part of the Conestoga Parkway
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
. Plans to build a freeway bypass of Highway 7 from Kitchener to Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
are currently in development. With only two travel lanes, the section between Kitchener and Guelph is one of the most congested in the province.
At one point Highway 7 ran as far west as Sarnia, being the main route to the Blue Water Bridge
Blue Water Bridge
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
. Upon entering Sarnia, there is a plethora of motels and restaurants, the Sarnia Airport, and attractions such as the bingo hall, Hiawatha Racetrack and Waterpark, giving that stretch the nickname "Golden Mile
Golden Mile
There are many geographical features called the "Golden Mile":* The Golden Mile, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * The Golden Mile, Blackpool, UK* The Golden Mile, Brentford, UK* The Golden Mile, Great Yarmouth, UK* The Golden Mile, Leicester, UK...
". At Highway 40, Highway 7 ended and the short freeway Highway 402 continued westwards to the Bluewater Bridge at the border. Since 1982, the extension of Highway 402 to London has meant that most traffic bypasses Highway 7, due to 402's larger volume capabilities and higher allowable speeds. Consequently, most of the Golden Mile motels have gone into decline. Nonetheless, Highway 7 remained provincially maintained until that segment was downloaded on January 1, 1998 and is now known as Lambton County Road 22 and London Line.
The western segment was separated from the rest of Highway 7 on April 1, 1997, when the stretch from Brampton to Markham
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
was downloaded due to the opening of Highway 407. Part of that segment through Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
was relocated on a new alignment (as a 6 lane at-grade expressway) in 1987 in order to make way for Highway 407; the former routing incorporated Langstaff Road. Shortly before the opening of Highway 407, some recently erected signage on Highway 404 still referenced Highway 7 as a provincial highway; this was not changed after the downloading.
Within Peel Region, Highway 410 and Highway 7 ran concurrently north-south between Bovaird Drive and Queen Street East prior to the downloading. The Queen Street East portion of the road was numbered Peel Regional Road 21 on July 10, 1997, but renumbered as Peel Regional Road 107 on March 26, 1998.
A subsequent western segment of Highway 7 within Brampton known locally today as Bovaird Drive West and Bovaird Drive East was transferred to the Region of Peel on July 12, 2002 and subsequently numbered Regional Road 107 to maintain its consistency as being known as the former Highway 7. despite the segment of Bovaird Drive East east of Highway 410 maintaining its designation as Regional Road 10.
Highway 7 through York Region, despite no longer being a provincial highway, is still officially named Highway 7 and received the number York Regional Road 7, displacing Islington Avenue which was redesignated York Regional Road 17. In 2005, Highway 7 was made the second main arterial for York Region's VIVA
Viva (bus rapid transit)
Viva is a bus rapid transit service operating in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Viva service is integrated with York Region Transit's local bus service to operate as one regional transit system providing seamless transit service across York Region and connections to northern Toronto.Viva was...
rapid transit service (after Yonge Street). Parts of the Markham portion were once called Wellington Street, but only a stub of the old road exists today east of Markham Road.
Eastern segment
The eastern segment of Highway 7 runs from Donald Cousens ParkwayYork Regional Road 48
Donald Cousens Parkway, regionally designated as York Regional Road 48 and historically known as the Markham Bypass or Markham Bypass Extension, is a regionally maintained arterial bypass of Markham in the Canadian province of Ontario...
(York Regional Road 48) in Markham to Highway 417 in Ottawa, a length of 384 km.
At its junction with Highway 12 at Brooklin
Brooklin, Ontario
Brooklin is a community in the Town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada. It is located,North of the urban area of Whitby,at the South junction of Ontario Highways 12 and 7....
, Highway 7 assumes a north-south routing and is concurrent with Highway 12 to Sunderland. The section from Highway 12 north of Sunderland
Sunderland, Ontario
Sunderland is a community located approximately 100 km northeast of Toronto, Ontario in Brock Township, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.-Business and Commerce:...
to its eastern terminus is designated as part of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-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...
.
The Durham Region section from the York-Durham Line (Regional Road 30) to Sideline 16 at Brougham (the eastern terminus of Highway 407 was scheduled to be downloaded to Durham Region in 2006, but these plans were cancelled.
Between 1997 and 2003, the eastern segment of Highway 7 was split into two parts by a downloaded section between highways 7A and 28/115. This discontinuity was eliminated in 2003 by renumbering the portion of Highway 7A east of its former concurrency with Highway 115 as Highway 7, and signing Highway 7 concurrently with Highway 115 from the former Highway 7A junction easterly to the end of the Peterborough bypass.
Highway 115 (Ontario)
King's Highway 115, commonly referred to as Highway 115 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that connects Peterborough with Toronto via Highway 401...
in Peterborough, and ran to Highway 417 near Kanata, which is now part of the city of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. This highway was a freeway for its first 6.5 km, from Highway 115 to Lansdowne Street East (once Highway 7B) in Peterborough. Its entire length was part of the Trans-Canada Highway.
In 2003, these two segments were connected by a renumbering around Peterborough, which created a new concurrency with Highway 115 and renumbered 7A to 7 in southwest Peterborough in order to connect them. The same year, construction started on a 21-km four-phase project between the 417 in Ottawa and Carleton Place
Carleton Place, Ontario
Carleton Place is a town in the eastern portion of Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about west of downtown Ottawa. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, halfway between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa...
to convert Highway 7 to a four-lane, controlled access highway. Construction was initially promised to be complete by 2006. In late 2010 the 4-lane Highway 7 opened between Highway 417 and Ashton Station Road. The remaining short section from there to McNeely Avenue in Carleton Place is scheduled for completion by the fall of 2011.
The eastern section from Peterborough to Perth
Perth, Ontario
Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...
was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, as a public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
employment project. The road used an abandoned CP Rail corridor that was built in the 1880s, and used hand-power to dig and build the road whenever possible.
History
The route which would later become Highway 7 was first assumed by the Department of Highways on February 26, 1920. This route connected Sarnia to Guelph.On April 27, 1921, the route was extended east to the Wellington–Halton boundary. Several days later, on May 4, the highway was extended further east to Hurontario Street
Hurontario Street
Hurontario Street is a roadway running in Ontario, Canada between Lake Ontario at Mississauga and Lake Huron's Georgian Bay at Collingwood.Within the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, it is a major urban thoroughfare. Between Caledon and Orangeville, it is part of busy Highway 10, which leaves...
in Brampton.
The Great Northern Highway, as it was known at the time, was numbered as Highway 7 during the summer of 1925.
Assumptions on June 22 and July 2, 1927 extended Highway 7 from Brampton to Peterborough. A portion of the original route of Highway 12 between Sunderland and Lindsay was renumbered in this process and a concurrency established between Brooklin and Sunderland.
In the early 1930s it was decided that Highway 7 would serve as an alternative route between Toronto and Ottawa; at that time the only alternative was Highway 2 and Highway 16. The first step in this undertaking was extending Highway 7 to Madoc along existing settler routes. This section was assumed on September 17, 1930.
On November 18, 1931, construction was accelerated between Madoc and Perth as a major depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-relief project when eight contracts were set to build the new route. Over 2700 men blasted rock, dredged muskeg and endured a constant barrage of blood
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
-sucking
Black fly
A black fly is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. They are related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. There are over 1,800 known species of black flies . Most species belong to the immense genus Simulium...
insects
Deer fly
Deer flies are flies in the genus Chrysops of the family Tabanidae that can be pests to cattle, horses, and humans. A distinguishing characteristic of a deer fly is patterned gold or green eyes....
in order to construct this new link. The majority of it followed along an abandoned Grand Trunk Railroad right-of-way which had been cleared in 1881, deviating at times to provide a better alignment, avoid large muskeg or to lessen excavation work.
On February 10 and February 17, the route, still incomplete, was surveyed and assumed as an extension of Highway 7. The new highway was opened to traffic in August, 1932.
Between the 1930s and 1960s, Highway 7 connected Sarnia with Perth; Highway 15 continued from Perth to Ottawa. In 1961, this section of Highway 15 was renumbered as part of Highway 7, bringing the highway to its peak length of 700 kilometres (435 mi).
Downloads
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) downloaded several sections of Highway 7 to the regional or county governments that those sections lied within. There are three separate issues that led to these downloads.As part of budget cuts instituted by 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, many highways deemed to serve a local or regional function were downloaded to local jurisdiction. The sections of Highway 7 west of London were transferred to Lambton County and Middlesex County
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...
, largely supplanted by the construction of nearby Highway 402 in the late 1970s. On April 1, 1997, the section from Sarnia to Thedford
Thedford, Ontario
Thedford is a small community in northwestern Lambton County, Ontario Canada, situated 8 km south of Kings Highway 21, along Lambton CR 79 . The community began in the 1860's when farmer Nelson Southworth, a native of Vermont, agreed to donate land for the construction of a Grand Trunk Railway...
was transferred to Lambton County.
The section from Thedford to Elginfield was transferred to Lambton and Middlesex counties on January 1, 1998.
As the construction of Highway 407 progressed across the northern end of the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, the MTO transferred sections of Highway 7 to the regions of Peel and York. On April 1, 1997, the section between Highway 410 and Highway 404 was transferred to the regions of Peel and York; the section from Highway 404 to McCowan Road was transferred to York Region on April 1, 1999. Several months later, on September 1, a short section between McCowan Road and Markham Road was transferred. Finally, on January 25, 2007, the section between Markham Road and 185 m (607 ft) east of Donald Cousens Parkway, where the highway narrows to two lanes today, was transferred.
In the Peterborough area, Highway 7 was rerouted from travelling through the city to bypassing it along Highway 115. This situation took over six years to set in place. On April 1, 1997, the sections of Highway 7 entering the western edge of Peterborough along North Monaghan Parkway and Sir Sanford Fleming Drive were transferred to the county and city, creating a gap between Springville and the Peterborough Bypass. This situation was rectified on May 1, 2003, when the section of Highway 7A that until then was a continuation of the road south from Springville to Highway 115 was renumbered as Highway 7. The concurrency with Highway 115 was extended southwest to remove the discontinuity entirely.
Recent work
On August 22, 2006, work officially began on a project to expand Highway 7 between Ottawa and Carleton Place into a freeway through a process known as twinningTwinning (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...
, in which a second carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
is built parallel to an existing road and grade-separated
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
interchanges constructed.
Plans for this expansion were first conceptualized in 1979 when a planning study was undertaken. However, budgetary constraints forced an early end to this study in 1981. In 1988, the project was reinstated. A study released that year recommended that Highway 7 be widened to five lanes with a centre turning lane south of Carleton Place as an interim measure; this was carried out in 1993.
Full planning on the four-laning of the route began in 1993.
In mid-2005, the Government of Ontario announced the project to the public. The work was carried out over three contracts: from Highway 417 to Jinkinson Road, from Jinkinson Road to Ashton Station Road, and from Ashton Station Road to Highway 15. In
July 2007, a C$45 million contract was awarded to R.W. Tomlinson for the first phase of the route.
Bot Construction was awarded the $73.2 million contract for the second phase, which included two interchanges, four overpasses and service roads, in early 2008.
The first phase was opened to traffic on July 31, 2008
Towards the end of 2009, the $25.8 million contract for the third phase was awarded to Aecon Group.
The second phase was completed in the third quarter of 2010, bypassing south of the former route at Ashton Station Road and merging to two lanes east of Cemetery Sideroad. The third phase is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Future
On March 23, 2007, the Government of OntarioGovernment of Ontario
The Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
announced an Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
for a four lane controlled-access highway
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
between Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, and Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, as traffic on Highway 401 is growing steadily and approaching capacity, along with the current two-lane alignment of Highway 7. This would connect to the Conestoga Parkway
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
via an expansion of the existing Wellington Road interchange, the new junction would be a four level interchange; the government's eventual plan is to have a Highway 7 freeway running from Stratford to Guelph. The eastern end of the proposed Highway 7 freeway would terminate at the Hanlon Parkway
Hanlon Parkway
The Hanlon Parkway is a high-capacity at-grade suburban expressway in the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, which connects it with Highway 401. It runs in a general north-south direction in the city's west end. It is signed as Highway 6 for its whole length; from Wellington Street to Woodlawn Road,...
(Highway 6), which is also scheduled for upgrades to a full freeway.
Work to widen Highway 7 to four lanes from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 12 in Whitby is underway and should be completed sometime in 2012.
In early 2011, Ontario Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli
Bob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
hinted at possible plans to extend the four-laning of Highway 7 west from Carleton Place to Perth.
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 7. In addition, it includes some minor junctions that are noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. Highway 7 is maintained under a Connecting LinkConnecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which...
agreement within Stratford, Guelph, Acton, Georgetown, Omemee, Havelock and Marmora.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Division
!Location
!km
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"|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...
|rowspan="2"|Elginfield
|0.0
|
|
|-
|1.2
|
|
|-
|Lucan Biddulph–Middlesex Centre
|10.1
|
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|Perth
Perth County, Ontario
Perth County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford and is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...
–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...
|rowspan="2"|Perth South
Perth South
Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Perth into two ridings...
–Thames Centre
|12.4
|North Thames River
Thames River (Ontario)
The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada.The Thames flows west through southwestern Ontario, through the cities of Woodstock, London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair...
crossing
|
|-
|17.6
|
|
|-
|Perth South
Perth South
Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Perth into two ridings...
–Zorra
|24.0
|
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|Perth
Perth County, Ontario
Perth County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford and is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...
|rowspan="3"|Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
|36.0
|Perth 29th Line
|Beginning of Stratford connecting link
Connecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which...
agreement
|-
|40.0
|
|Western end of Highway 8 concurrency
|-
|43.3
|
|End of Stratford connecting link agreement
|-
|rowspan="2"|Shakespeare
Shakespeare, Ontario
Shakespeare is a village and designated place within the municipality of Perth East in Perth County, Ontario, Canada with a population of 750 in 2006. Shakespeare is located on the Highway 7/8, just east of Stratford and west of Kitchener.-History:Shakespeare was founded in 1832 by David Bell, and...
|rowspan="2"|52.0
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|Formerly Highway 59
|-
|rowspan="5"|Waterloo
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
|-
|rowspan="2"|New Hamburg
New Hamburg, Ontario
New Hamburg is a community of approximately 8,739 in Wilmot Township, a rural township of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario...
|60.2
|
|rowspan="2"|New Hamburg Bypass
|-
|63.5
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|Wilmot
Wilmot, Ontario
The Township of Wilmot is a rural township in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Its 2006 Census population was 17,097.-Communities:*Baden* Mannheim*New Dundee*New Hamburg* Petersburg* Phillipsburg*St...
|64.4
|
|
|-
|65.8
|
|
|-
|colspan="5"|
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
Controlled-access highway
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
begins 1.4 km (0.869921831309729 mi) east of Natziger Road
|-
|rowspan="9"|Waterloo
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
|rowspan="3"|Wilmot
Wilmot, Ontario
The Township of Wilmot is a rural township in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Its 2006 Census population was 17,097.-Communities:*Baden* Mannheim*New Dundee*New Hamburg* Petersburg* Phillipsburg*St...
|68.0
|
|
|-
|73.1
|
|
|-
|76.9
|
|
|-
|rowspan="6"|Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
|-
|80.0
|
|
|-
|82.4
|
|Eastbound entrance via Ottawa Street South
|-
|83.7
|Courtland Avenue
|
|-
|85.1
|
|End of Highway 8 concurrency; no access from Highway 7 to King Street
|-
|86.4
|Ottawa Street North
|
|-
|colspan="5"|
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
at Victoria Street; continues along the parkway
|-
|rowspan="2"|Waterloo
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
|rowspan="2"|Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
|88.3
|
|Westbound entrance via Edna Street, eastbound exit via Bruce Street; beginning of Kitchener connecting link
Connecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which...
agreement
|-
|94.0
|Woolwich Street
|End of Kitchener connecting link agreement