Ontario Highway 520

Highway 520
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length:	68 km[1] (42 mi)
Major junctions
West end:	Ardbeg CN station
	Highway 124  Highway 510 – Magnetawan
East end:	Highway 11 – Burk's Falls
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways 400-series • Former ← Hwy 519 Hwy 522 →

Secondary Highway 520, commonly referred to as Highway 520, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway is 68 kilometres (42 mi) in length, connecting several small communities in Parry Sound District with Highway 124 and Highway 11.

The highway links several remote First Nation hamlets to the major highway routes of the region. However, the only places of noteworthy size are the village of Magnetawan and the town of Burk's Falls. It is concurrent with Highway 124 for 15.4 kilometres (9.6 mi).

Route description

Highway 520 begins in Ardbeg, at a flag stop crossing of the Canadian National Railway (CN). It loops west, then south through a sparsely populated region of the Canadian Shield, though providing access to several First Nation villages. Upon reaching Highway 124, the two routes travel east, concurrently, for 15.4 kilometres (9.6 mi).^[1] Highway 520 then branches to the south, meets Highway 510 and passes through the village of Magnetawan.^[2]

Southeast of Magnetawan, the highway winds along the northern shore of Cecebe Lake, bisecting several small communities en route. It enters the town of Burk's Falls, where it is known as Ryerson Centre Road. Passing beneath the Burk's Falls Bypass of Highway 11, Highway 520 parallels the Magnetawan River briefly then turns south onto Ontario Street, the former alignment of Highway 11. It crosses the river and travels through the centre of the town, meeting the bypass south of it. The highway ends at an interchange with Highway 11, at Exit 257.^[2]

History

Highway 520 is one of many Secondary Highways assigned a route number in 1956.^[3] Prior to this time, the route was a numbered, but unposted Development Road maintained by the Department of Highways.

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 520. The entirety of the highway is located within Parry Sound District.^[2]

Location[2]	km[1]	Destinations	Notes
Ardbeg	0.0		Highway begins at CN crossing
Whitestone	25.3	Highway 124 west – Parry Sound
Magnetawan	40.7	Highway 124 east – Sundridge
	43.4	Highway 510
Burk's Falls	68.5	Highway 11 (Exit 257) – Huntsville, North Bay
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2007). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Government of Ontario. http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb?OpenForm&Seq=5. Retrieved March 13, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Peter Heiler (2010). Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. pp. 76–77, section M26–N32. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7. 
3. ^ "Ontario Secondary Roads Now Designated 500, 600". 112. The Globe and Mail. February 4, 1956. p. 4. "Two new Ontario road numbers appear on the province's 1956 official road map which will be ready for distribution next week. The new numbers are the 500 and 600 series and designate hundreds of miles of secondary roads which are wholly maintained by the Highways Department. More than 100 secondary roads will have their own numbers and signs this year. All of these secondary roads were taken into the province's main highways system because they form important connecting links with the King's Highways"