Highway 12 (Ontario)

Infobox road
province=ON
type=Hwy
route=12
alternate_name=


length_km=
length_ref=Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, [http://www.raqsa.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb 2004 Annual Average Daily Traffic] ]
length_round=1
established=1920
direction_a=West
terminus_a=jct|state=ON|Hwy|93 near Midland
junction=jct|state=ON|Hwy|11 in Orillia
jct|state=ON|Hwy|7 near Kawartha Lakes
direction_b=South
terminus_b=jct|state=ON|RH|12|county1=Durham near Whitby
cities=Midland, Waubaushene, Orillia, Beaverton, Pt. Perry, Whitby
previous_type=Hwy
previous_route=11
next_type=Hwy
next_route=15

Highway 12 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Ontario, and part of the Trans-Canada Highway system for a portion of its route.

The highway presently begins at the hydro easement (future Highway 407 alignment) just south of the community of Brooklin in the town of Whitby, joining Highway 7 at the south edge of Brooklin. The highway formerly extended southward to Highway 401 at interchange 410, but this portion was downloaded to the Durham Regional Municipality in 1997. The downloaded portion, called Baldwin Street north of Taunton Road, and Brock Street southward, has retained the name "Highway 12" for historical reasons, but is no longer considered part of the provincial highway.

From the southern junction, Highway 12 shares its routing with Highway 7 for about 38 kilometres north to Sunderland, where Highway 7 turns to the east and Highway 12 continues northward. This is the entry point of the Trans-Canada Highway.

The highway then follows the eastern shore of Lake Simcoe, bypassing Beaverton (constructed in the 1960s), then curves to the northwest around Lake Simcoe's northern shore towards Orillia. Here, it bypasses Orillia, and shares routing with Highway 11 northwards for about two kilometres between interchanges 131 and 133. At the latter interchange, Highway 12 then heads northwest towards Coldwater, where it routes onto Highway 400 between interchanges 141 and 147.

At Waubaushene, the Trans-Canada Highway follows the 400 towards Parry Sound and Sudbury, while Highway 12 again heads westwards to pass Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, and the Martyrs' Shrine, and ends at an intersection with Highway 93 at the western town limits of Midland.

External links

* [http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2007/08/28/c2529.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html Canada NewsWire Press Release]

References