Ontario Highway 68

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South Baymouth
Location
Country
South Baymouth
Highway system
← Highway 67→ Highway 69

King's Highway 68, commonly referred to as Highway 68, was a

McKerrow
.

The entire route was later redesignated as an extension of Highway 6 in 1980. It remains part of the provincial highway system under its new designation.

Route description

Whitefish Falls

Highway 68 was a 116.8 km (72.6 mi) route that crossed the eastern side of Manitoulin Island in a north–south orientation between South Baymouth and Little Current. North of there, it travelled through the

Chi-Cheemaun ferry service that travels between Tobermory and South Baymouth. This service only operates from May through October.[1]

Today, the former routing is surrounded by farms and ranges outside of the numerous communities it interconnects on Manitoulin Island. On the mainland, the highway passes through mountainous terrain and the rugged Canadian Shield.[2] Communities along the route include South Baymouth,

Whitefish Falls, West River and Espanola.[1]

History

The Little Current Swing Bridge connects Manitoulin Island to the mainland.

The history of Highway 68 dates to 1929, when the

Department of Highways (DHO), and the latter began to assume and number trunk roadways in central and northern Ontario. On August 11, 1937, the DHO took control of the Little Current Road.[3]
At its northern terminus, Highway 17 was rerouted in 1939, bypassing the old alignment between Webbwood and McKerrow. As a result, Highway 68 was extended north by 2 km (1.2 mi) to meet this new alignment.[4]

During World War II, the rail bridge over the North Channel was abandoned, and subsequently redecked for highway use in 1945. Highway 68 was extended across the channel to Little Current, increasing its length by 1 km (0.62 mi). However, Manitoulin Island would still remain without a highway of its own until the mid-1950s. On December 7, 1955, the route was extended 41.5 mi (66.8 km) across the island to South Baymouth.[5]

While the road was re-aligned somewhat throughout its history (many of the re-alignments took place in the late 1950s and early 1960s), and its overall path has not changed, its length has varied considerably during re-alignments, creeping as high as 130 km during the 1960s, before settling back down to its current value of around 116 km. Some former alignments (such as "Devil's Elbow Road") are still in use. The road was fully paved by 1973, making this road the second last Kings Highways in the province to be paved in its entirety (with the last being Highway 129).[6][7]

During the spring of 1980, the entire length of Highway 68 was renumbered as part of Highway 6.[8] The two discontinuous sections of Highway 6 are linked only by a privately operated ferry, MS Chi-Cheemaun, which crosses Georgian Bay daily from May to October between South Baymouth and Tobermory.[9]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 68, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[10] 

DivisionLocationkm[10]miDestinationsNotes
South Baymouth
0.00.0Ferry Docks
Highway 542
Manitowaning
29.918.6Manitowaning Road
Sheguiandah
54.333.7Sheguiandah Bay Road
Highway 540
west (Merideth Street)
64.840.3
North Channel – Little Current Swing Bridge
SudburyEspanola108.767.5Foster DriveBeginning of Espanola Connecting Link agreement
112.670.0Second Avenue
114.170.9Tudhope StreetEnd of Espanola Connecting Link agreement
Massey
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Ontario Highway 68
KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7
    .
  2. ^ Google (September 16, 2012). "Highway 68 length and route" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  3. ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1938. p. 80.
  4. ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1940. p. 93.
  5. ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1956. p. 203.
  6. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Photogrammetry Office. Department of Transportation and Communications. 1972. § B–D19.
  7. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Photogrammetry Office. Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 1973. § B–D19.
  8. ^ Public and Safety Information Branch (December 13, 1979). "Highway 68 on Manitoulin Island to be Renumbered as Highway 6" (Press release). Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
  9. ^ "Ontario Ferries - MS Chi-Cheemaun Schedule". Owen Sound Transportation Company. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  10. ISSN 0825-5350
    .
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