Niagara Regional Road 81

Queenston Street redirects here. For Queenston Road in Hamilton, Ontario, see Queenston Road (Hamilton, Ontario). For other uses of St. Paul Street, see St. Paul Street.

Niagara Regional Road 81
Main Street King Street St. Paul Street West Queenston Street York Road
Route information
Maintained by the Niagara Region transportation department
Length:	49.0 km[1] (30.4 mi)
Major junctions
East end:	Niagara Parkway
West end:	Niagara Region / City of Hamilton boundary
Location
Counties:	Niagara Region
Major cities:	Grimsby Lincoln St. Catharines Niagara-on-the-Lake
Highway system
County roads in Ontario

Niagara Regional Road 81 is among one of the longest Niagara Regional Roads in Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada, and served as the routing of Highway 8 prior to its decommissioning in 1970. Due to its length, several local names have been assigned to it, including Main Street, King Street, St. Paul Street West, Queenston Street, and York Road. As the road progresses west and meets the Niagara Region / Hamilton boundary, the road continues as (Hamilton) Highway 8, also a former alignment of the decommissioned King's Highway 8.

Niagara Regional Road 81 served as the alignment for various highways, including Highways 8, Highway 8A, and the Queen Elizabeth Way prior to the construction of the Garden City Skyway.

The road east ends in Queenston at the Niagara Parkway near the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Downloaded segments in St. Catharines

A 2.5 km section of Regional Road 81 running between Westchester Avenue (Regional Road 91) through Downtown St. Catharines was downloaded to the city as a municipally-maintained road in 2002. This effectively breaks Regional Road 81 into two sections joined together by Regional Road 91, which bypasses the downtown core to the south. Through the downtown core, the former route of Regional Road 81 is known as St. Paul Street and Queenston Street and is part of a one-way pair along with King and Church Streets. St. Catharines City Council recently approved a plan to convert all one-way streets through the core into two-way roads over a three-year period. This will make Regional Road 81 and the 2.5km city-maintained section a single through route across the Niagara Peninsula.

Proposed Scenic Parkway

Niagara Regional Road 81 serves as a major thoroughfare for residents of Grimsby and Lincoln, and is the primary east-west road into Downtown St. Catharines. The road is tree-lined and hugs the lower edge of the Niagara Escarpment for the majority of its routing west of St. Catharines. Many small shops and flea markets catering to tourists line the route through the region, and numerous parks and conservation areas are marked along the route. The road is a scenic alternative to the Queen Elizabeth Way when travelling between St. Catharines and Hamilton, and it has been proposed that the route be designated a scenic parkway similar to the Niagara Parkway. The majority of the route is part of the Wine Route, and it is expected that with the completion of the two-way traffic conversion through St. Catharines, the entire route of Regional Road 81 and its downloaded segments will be incorporated into the wine route.

See also

• Wine Route of Ontario
• King Street in Hamilton, Ontario
• Queenston Road in Hamilton, Ontario
• Royal eponyms in Canada

External links

• Google map showing Niagara Regional Road 81 across Niagara Region