Ontario Highway 98

Highway 98
Provincial Road, Middle Road, Essex County Road 46, Chatham-Kent Road
Route information
Length:	96.2 km (59.8 mi) Now Essex County Road 46 and Chatham-Kent Municipal Road 8
Existed:	1823 (as Middle Road), 1929 (as Highway 2A), 1938 (as Highway 98) – 1970
Major junctions
West end:	Highway 2 in Windsor
East end:	Highway 40/Highway 3 in Blenheim
Location
Counties:	Essex, Chatham-Kent
Major cities:	Windsor, Maidstone, Woodslee, Comber, Tilbury, Merlin, Blenheim
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways 400-series • Former

Highway 98 was a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Ontario, designated as part of the provincial highway system from 1938 to 1970. The route travelled through the northern part of Essex County and through south-central Chatham-Kent, extending from Windsor to Blenheim.

The route's function within the provincial transportation network was eventually superseded by Highway 401, and the highway was decommissioned in 1970. The road is now in operation solely as a network of county roads.

History

This road's purpose was to be an alternate route for people travelling on Highways 2 and 3 before Highway 401 opened in 1952. The highway's original length was only 55 km (stretching from Windsor to Tilbury), and was originally known as Highway 2A from 1929 to 1938.

In 1941, the road was extended by 40 km when a new township road in Kent County, extending to Blenheim, was uploaded as Highway 98. This brought the highway up to its maximum length,.

Originally, this road was designated as Highway 2. When Highway 2 was first numbered (in 1925, though it was in provincial power since 1917), it started at the ferry dock between Dougall Avenue and Ouellette Avenue in downtown Windsor, concurrent with Highway 3. Highways 2 and 3 travelled down Ouellette Avenue to Tecumseh Road, where it made a short three-block jog west to Dougall Avenue. It then travelled south to Talbot Road, and headed east along Talbot Road to Malden Road in Maidstone.

From here, Highways 2 and 3 parted ways. Highway 3 continued to Essex and Leamington (via County Road 34's present alignment), while Highway 2 travelled up Malden Road to Middle Road (Essex CR 46), and continued to Tilbury, Chatham, London and points east.

Before 1929, Highway 18 connected Windsor to Tilbury along today's County Road 42/Division Road, while Highways 2 and 3 were concurrent along Ouellette Avenue from the Ferry Docks (located between Howard Avenue and Ouellette Avenue) to Talbot Road. They split company at Maidstone (today's junction of County Road 34 and Former Highway 114). Highway 3 would continue through Essex, Ontario to Leamington and points east, while Highway 2 followed Malden Road (Former Highway 114) to Middle Road (What would become Highway 2A, then Highway 98, ultimately today's County Road 46).

1929: The Great Renumbering

In 1929, the Ambassador Bridge opened, offering the first direct and permanent link to Detroit. This caused a cascade of route re-numberings in the Windsor and Maidstone areas.

Highway 2 was rerouted along North Talbot Road, and diverted onto the newly-built Provincial Road, leading northwest to Howard Avenue. At Howard, the road turned west along Tecumseh Road to Ouellette Avenue, turning north and terminating at the ferry docks. Highway 3 would be routed along the newly-built Huron Church Road to the Ambassador Bridge.

Since Base Line Road (today's County Road 42/Division Road) was much quicker than Highway 2's former alignment along Middle Road, the province decided to extend Highway 18 from Tilbury to Leamington, and to have Highway 2 absorb its Windsor-Tilbury segment. The former routing of Highway 2 (along Middle Road) became Highway 2A (then Highway 98, and today's CR 46).

In 1931, Highway 2 was re-routed along County Road 42's current path, and the precursor to Highway 98 was re-designated as Highway 2A, and this lasted until 1938, when it was re-designated as Highway 98.

Replacement by Highway 401

When the section of Highway 401 opened in 1952 between Windsor and Tilbury, traffic began to decline, favouring the more direct and faster freeway over the two-lane road. Upon the completion of Highway 401's four lanes (having been twinned in 1965), traffic declined rather sharply, and this once-important alternate highway had lost its reason for existence, almost overnight. It was downgraded and removed from the provincial highway network in early 1970.

Until the great highway downgrading spree of 1997-98, this was the longest provincial highway entirely lost to downgrading.

See also

• List of Essex County Roads

External links

• Highway 98 at TheKingsHighway.ca