Highbury Avenue
Highbury Avenue | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wenige Expressway Formerly Highway 126 | |||||||||||||
Route information | |||||||||||||
Maintained by City of London, Eglin County, Middlesex County | |||||||||||||
Length | 45.6 km (28.3 mi) | ||||||||||||
History | Created 19th century Extended/expanded December 9, 1963 Elginfield | ||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||
Country | Canada | ||||||||||||
Province | Ontario | ||||||||||||
Counties | Elgin, Middlesex | ||||||||||||
Major cities | St. Thomas, London | ||||||||||||
Highway system | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
|
Highbury Avenue is an
North of the Thames River, the road was laid out as part of the survey of London Township. It came to be known as the Asylum Side Road until being renamed Highbury Avenue in 1928. It was extended south of the river to Highway 401 as a four-lane freeway in 1963, which the City of London named the Wenige Expressway in 1965. Between 1963 and 1991, the section from Wilton Grove Road to Hamilton Road was provincially maintained and designated as Highway 126. In the 1990s, Highbury Avenue was continued south to St. Thomas along Hubrey Side Road and Radio Road.
Route description
Highbury Avenue is a 45.6 kilometres (28.3 mi) road that travels north from St. Thomas, through London, to Highway 7, east of Elginfield. Located within
Between St. Thomas and London, approximately 15,000 vehicles travel Highbury Avenue on an average day. This climbs to 48,000 vehicles at the Thames River crossing before gradually dropping to 30,000 vehicles at Fanshawe Park Road. North of there, traffic levels drop to 9,000–10,000 through Middlesex Centre.[2][5]
South of Highway 401
The southern terminus of Highbury Avenue is an intersection with South Edgeware Road, just north of Highway 3 and the eastern end of the St. Thomas Expressway. It travels in a straight line north as a two lane road through an industrial park on the outskirts of St. Thomas and crosses the Ontario Southland Railway tracks. The northeastern corner of a subdivision and a high voltage transmission line meet Highbury Avenue at the intersection of Elgin County Road 52 (Ron McNeil Line), after which the road enters the rural township of Central Elgin. Through Central Elgin, the road is designated as Elgin County Road 30.[6][7]
Dipping into the Kettle Creek valley, Highbury Avenue passes the trailhead of the Dan Patterson Conservation Area at Mapleton Line. It crosses Salt Creek and Kettle Creek within the valley before returning to an agricultural setting at Elgin County Road 48 (Ferguson Line).[6][7] Approaching the Elgin County boundary, the road swerves northwest as it transitions from the Lake Erie-oriented survey of Elgin County to the Thames River-oriented survey of former Westminster Township.[8]
Highbury Avenue crosses from Central Elgin into the city of London at the intersection of Webber Bourne and Thompson Line, although the surroundings remain agricultural. It travels between farm fields for the next 8 km (5 mi), with the
Leaving the farmland to cross two branches of Dingman Creek, Highbury Avenue widens to four lanes, and enters urban London at Wilton Grove Road, where it divides the Wilton Grove Industrial Park.[6][7]Urban London
Proceeding north, Highbury Avenue curves northwest as it crosses Highway 401 at Exit 189. North of that interchange, the opposing carriageways separate as Highbury Avenue transitions into a controlled-access highway. It curves back northward parallel to and east of high-voltage transmission lines before encountering an interchange with Bradley Avenue.[6][7] It continues, sandwiched between the established neighbourhood of Pond Mills and the developing neighbourhood of Summerside, to an interchange with Commissioner's Road.[11][12] It then begins to descend into the Thames River valley as it travels west of the Meadowlily Nature Preserve.[13]
Crossing the Thames River and the Thames Valley Parkway recreational trail, the freeway portion of Highbury Avenue ends at Power Street, alongside the Highbury transformer station.[2] It transitions back to an arterial road as it approaches Hamilton Road, with detached residences lining the route between Hamilton Road and Trafalgar Street. After crossing over the Canadian National Railway (CN) Dundas subdivision and passing the London Transit main office, it continues between residences and crosses the CN Guelph subdivision at grade. Between Dundas Street (former Highway 2) and Oxford Street, Highbury Avenue crosses over the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) Galt subdivision and travels along the western side of the former London Psychiatric Hospital.[6][7][14]
After passing to the west of
Middlesex Centre
Highbury Avenue travels north through the municipality of Middlesex Centre, where it is designated as Middlesex County Road 23. It bisects the communities of Ballymote at Middlesex County Road 28 (Medway Road), and Bryanston at Middlesex County Road 16 (Plover Mills Road). Otherwise, it is almost exclusively surrounded by farmland for the remainder of its length. It ends at Highway 7 (Elginfield Road), the boundary between Middlesex Centre and Lucan Biddulph, approximately 5.0 km (3.1 mi) east of Elginfield.[6][7]
History
North of the Thames River, what would eventually become Highbury Avenue was first laid out as a
Plans to widen Highbury Avenue and extend it south to the new Highway 401 emerged in the late 1950s. In February 1958, a new four-lane overpass of the CPR north of Dundas Street was opened, replacing an old bridge that had existed since at least 1915. This was the first obstacle to widening the entire road as an eastern bypass of London.[16][1] Later in the year, on September 9, Minister of Highways Fred Cass announced that pre-engineering work would begin on the Highbury Avenue extension to Highway 401 the following year.[21] A contract to build a bridge over the Thames River was awarded in November 1960.[22] Dinsmore Construction of Windsor was awarded a separate contract to grade and pave the extension in April 1962.[23] Construction also began that year on an overpass of the CNR tracks north of Trafalgar Street.[1]
The CNR overpass and Highbury Avenue extension were opened together by a motorcade ceremony on December 9, 1963.[1] The extension was built by the
By the time construction had begun on the extension, proposals for a freeway to connect London with St. Thomas were also being considered.[27] In October 1964, potential route locations for several controlled-access highways around London were revealed to Middlesex, Elgin and Oxford county officials. Among them were what would eventually become Highway 402, a link between London and St. Thomas, as well as a route around the northern edge of London.[28] Several months later, deputy minister of highways, A.T.C. McNab, announced on May 19 that planning was underway on the London–St. Thomas link.[29] The DHO-commissioned London Area Highway Planning Study, published in July 1966, examined traffic patterns and determined ideal travel lines and redundant routes. It confirmed the need for and priority of the new link, as well as continuing Highway 126 north then west to Highway 402.[30][31]
Planning studies for the London–St. Thomas route were completed by 1968.[32] The proposed route was presented to the public at the Western Fair on September 8, 1972, along with the St. Thomas Expressway.[33] Ultimately, the St. Thomas Expressway would open alone on September 7, 1981.[34]
With the outward growth of suburban London and the proposed annexation of Westminster Township in the early 1990s, responsibility for Highway 126 was transferred from the provincial government to the City of London effective June 12, 1991.[1] That year also saw an interchange opened at Bradley Avenue.[citation needed] Later in 1994, the Highbury Avenue interchange and overpass at Highway 401 was reconstructed. The reconstruction led to the existing
Future
Work is currently underway to replace the bridge over the Thames River, which as of 2021 is 57 years old. Following completion, a CA$20 million contract is set to begin in late 2022 to rebuild the route south of the bridge to Highway 401. A cost–benefit analysis is being conducted to determine if a concrete or asphalt surface is better suited for the road.[38]
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highbury Avenue.[7][39]
Division | Location | km[7][39] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Thomas | 0.0 | 0.0 | South Edgeware Road | To Highway 3 | |
Elgin County | St. Thomas – Central Elgin boundary | 2.1 | 1.3 | County Road 52 (Ron McNeil Line) | |
Central Elgin | 4.8 | 3.0 | County Road 48 west (Ferguson Line) | ||
Central Elgin – London boundary | 7.8 | 4.8 | Webber Bourne west Thompson Line east | ||
Glanworth | |||||
12.9 | 8.0 | Westminster Drive | Ghost hamlet of Hubrey | ||
15.6 | 9.7 | Wilton Grove Road | Highbury Avenue widens to four lanes | ||
15.9 | 9.9 | Beginning of divided freeway[2] | |||
16.5 | 10.3 | Toronto | Signalized interchange | ||
17.6 | 10.9 | Bradley Avenue | Interchange | ||
19.6 | 12.2 | Commissioners Road | Interchange | ||
20.7 | 12.9 | Wenige Expressway Bridge over the Thames River | |||
21.0 | 13.0 | Power Street | End of divided freeway[2] | ||
21.3 | 13.2 | Hamilton Road | |||
22.1 | 13.7 | Trafalgar Street | |||
23.3 | 14.5 | Florence Street | |||
23.6 | 14.7 | Dundas Street – Woodstock | Former Highway 2 | ||
24.9 | 15.5 | Oxford Street | |||
26.3 | 16.3 | Huron Street | |||
29.0 | 18.0 | Fanshawe Park Road | |||
Ballymote | |||||
37.4 | 23.2 | County Road 16 (Ilderton Road) | |||
38.8 | 24.1 | County Road 16 (Plover Mills Road) | Community of Bryanston | ||
45.6 | 28.3 | Highway 7 (Elginfield Road) | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h AECOM Canada (January 2018). Wenige Expressway Bridge (4-BR-14) – Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (Report). City of London. pp. 10–13. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ ArcGIS.com.
- ^ Middlesex County Road Map (PDF) (Map). 1:130,000. Cartography by Planning Department. County of Middlesex. January 2016. § F2–G4. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Elgin County GIS. "Road Network Dataset". County of Elgin. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ "Traffic Counts Spreadsheet". Middlesex County. 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Google (April 27, 2021). "Highbury Avenue – Length and Route" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ISBN 1-894329-00-7. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ISBN 1-896219-51-9. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ "London SE Pumping Station & Reservoir". CityGreen Stories. City of London. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ "Southeast – Pond Mills". NeighbourGood London. City of London. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "Southeast – Summerside". NeighbourGood London. City of London. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "Meadowlily Woods Environmentally Significant Area" (PDF). Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "London Psychiatric Hospital". Canadian Register of Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ McClelland, Arthur (March 26, 2015). "Finally!!". London Public Library. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Lucan, Ontario. Map Sheet 40-P/03, ed. 1 (Map). 1:63,360. Cartography by Survey Division. Department of Militia and Defence. 1915. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Scholars GeoPortal.
- ^ "Don't Like Name of Asylum Road". The Windsor Star. Vol. 47, no. 83. December 5, 1941. p. 10. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ProQuest 1350741342.
- ^ "Killed Self, Jury Decides". The Windsor Star. Vol. 21, no. 64. November 16, 1928. p. 9. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pond Mills, Ontario. Map Sheet 40-I/14g, ed. 2 (Map). 1:25,000. Cartography by Surveys and Mapping Branch. Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. 1961. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Scholars GeoPortal.
- ^ "Cass Admits 401 Work". The Windsor Daily Star. Vol. 81, no. 8 (Ontario ed.). September 10, 1958. p. 5. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bridge Will Link Roads 401 and 126". The Windsor Star. Vol. 85, no. 67. November 19, 1960. p. B-7. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Given Contract". The Windsor Star. Vol. 88, no. 36. April 11, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ AADT Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969. Ontario Department of Highways. 1969. p. 112.
- ^ "Name Expressway for Wenige". London Free Press. August 7, 1963.
- ^ "City Defies Province 'Wenige' Signs Go Up". London Free Press. May 13, 1965.
- ^ Heine, William C. (July 15, 1961). "Highway For Half Canada's Population". The Ottawa Citizen. Vol. 11, no. 28. p. 22. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Twenty-Year Area Highway Plan". St. Thomas Times-Journal. February 22, 1965. Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Elgin County Archives.
- ^ "Highway 401 St. Thomas Link Ahead". The Windsor Star. Vol. 94, no. 69. May 20, 1965. p. 7. Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Traffic and Planning Studies Division (1966). London Area Highway Planning Study (Report). Ontario Department of Highways.
- ^ "Highway Development a 20-Year Program". The Financial Post. October 1, 1966. p. O18. Retrieved April 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "What One City Faces to Update Highways". National Post. November 30, 1968. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St. Thomas Expressway – Model Unveiled". St. Thomas Times-Journal. September 9, 1972. Retrieved April 29, 2021 – via Elgin County Archives.
- ^ "St. Thomas Expressway – Grand Opening". St. Thomas Times-Journal. September 8, 1981. Retrieved April 29, 2021 – via Elgin County Archives.
- ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Surveys and Mapping Section. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 1998. London inset.
- ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Geomatics Office. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 1999. London inset.
- ^ "Kettle Creek Conservation Authority – Tree Planting". Elgin County Archives. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ Newcombe, Daryl (December 9, 2021). "City to eliminate the Highbury Avenue 'budump-budump' with $20M rebuild". CTV News. London, Ontario. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ISSN 0825-5350.