- Highway 98 (Ontario)
Infobox road
highway_name = Highway 98
alternate_name = Provincial Road, Middle Road, Essex County Road 46, Chatham-Kent Road 8
marker_
length_km = 96.2
length_notes = Now Essex County Road 46 and Chatham-Kent Municipal Road 8
direction_a = East
direction_b = East
direction = East/West
starting_terminus = Highway 40/Highway 3 in Blenheim
ending_terminus = Highway 2 in Windsor
cities = Windsor, Maidstone, Woodslee, Comber, Tilbury, Merlin, Blenheim
counties =Essex County, Ontario , Chatham-Kent
established =1823 (as Middle Road),
1929 (as Highway 2A),
1938 (as Highway 98)
decommissioned =1970
This moderately long highway travels through the northern part ofEssex County, Ontario and through south-centralChatham-Kent, Ontario , starting its journey inWindsor, Ontario , and ends its journey inBlenheim, Ontario .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 from1929 to1938 .In
1941 , the road was extended by 40 km when a new township road in Kent County (NowChatham-Kent, Ontario ) was uploaded as Highway 98. This brought the highway up to its maximum length, and its eastern terminus was changed toBlenheim, Ontario .Designations and History
Originally, this road was designated as Highway 2. When Highway 2 was first numbered (in
1925 , though it was in provincial power since1917 ), it started at theferry dock between Dougall Avenue andOuellette Avenue in downtown Windsor, concurrent with Highway 3. Highways 2 and 3 travelled down Ouellette Avenue to Tecumseh Road, where it made a short 3-block jog west to Dougall Avenue. It then travelled south to Talbot Road, and headed east along Talbot Road to Malden Road inMaidstone, Ontario .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 andOuellette 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 , theAmbassador 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 98.1929: The Great Renumbering
In
1929 , theAmbassador 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.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.To simplify things, the following designations for Highway 98 are listed below:
* Highway 2 (1925-1929)
* Highway 2A (1929-1938)
* Highway 98 (1938-1970)Enter the
Superhighway When the section of Highway 401 opened in
1952 between Windsor and Tilbury, traffic began to decline, favouring the more direct and fasterfreeway over the two-lane road. Upon the completion of Highway 401's four lanes (having been twinned in1965 ), traffic declined rather sharply, and this once-important alternate highway had lost its reason for existence, almost overnight. It was downloaded and removed from the provincial highway network in early1970 .Until the great highway downloading spree of
1997 and1998 , this was the longest provincial highway entirely lost to downloading.See also
* List of Essex County Roads
* Highway 2
* Highway 18
* Highway 39
* Highway 107
* Highway 114External links
* [http://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway98.htm Highway 98 at TheKingsHighway.ca]
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