Ontario Highway 89

Highway 89
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Transportation
Length:	107 km[1] (66 mi)
Existed:	1937 – present
Major junctions
West end:	Highway 9 in Harriston (continues as  Highway 23 – London)
	Highway 6 – Mount Forest  Highway 10 – Shelburne
East end:	Highway 400 near Cookstown
Location
Counties:	Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Wellington
Towns:	Alliston, Cookstown, Harriston, Mount Forest, Shelburne
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways 400-series • Former ← Highway 85 Highway 93 →

King's Highway 89, more commonly known as Highway 89, is an east–west provincially maintained highway in southwestern Ontario that stretches 107 kilometres (66 mi) from Highway 400 just east of Cookstown in the east to the junction Highway 9 and Highway 23 in Harriston. The principal urban centres along the route include Alliston, Shelburne and Mount Forest.

Route description

The route forms the main streets of several of the small towns that dot the highway east to west, namely Cookstown, Alliston and Shelburne. The highway also forms the backbone of many small villages and hamlets between the larger centres, such as Conn, Keldon, Primrose, Violet Hill, Rosemont and Nicolston.

The highway formerly continued past its current eastern terminus at Highway 400 to Yonge Street, formerly Highway 11, in the hamlet of Fennell. This section is now numbered as Simcoe County Route 3, Shore Acres Drive. The highway also continued past its current western terminus in Harriston, taking the route to Palmerston that is now numbered as Highway 23.

The highway mostly runs through farmland and small communities, although the route does pass by Earl Rowe Provincial Park and the Honda car manufacturing plant in the Alliston area. Other parks and natural areas that are close to the route are Boyne Valley Provincial Park and Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, both of which are located on the Niagara Escarpment. Further west is the Luther Marsh Conservation Area, a vast wilderness area that surrounds Luther Lake.

History

Highway 89 was created out of a highway rerouting in the late 1930s. Originally, it formed the routing of Highway 9, which until then turned north at Orangeville, travelling concurrently with Highway 10, then turning east to Cookstown. On February 10, 1937, Highway 9 was rerouted along its present course east of Orangeville.^[2] By 1938, Highway 89 was designated along the former route of Highway 9.^[3]

Highway 89 remained as-is until the early 1960s, when it was extended west to Palmerston and east to Highway 400. On April 1 and 2, 1963, the highway was assumed through the counties of Dufferin, Grey and Wellington.^[4]

During the mid-1970s, Highway 89 was extended east to Highway 11 at Fennell. This section was eventually returned to the jurisdiction of Simcoe County on April 1, 1997.

References

1. ^ Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2007). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb?OpenForm&Seq=5. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
2. ^ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1937. p. 51. 
3. ^ Ontario Department of Highways (1938–39). Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Section J7–K8. 
4. ^ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1937. pp. 271–272. 

External links

• Highway 89 at OntHighways.com