Ontario Highway 140
Highway 140 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Highway 140 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | ||||
| Length | 10.9 km[1](6.8 mi) | |||
| Existed | October 5, 1972[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  Highway 3inPort Colborne | |||
 Highway 58A–Townline Tunnel | ||||
| North end | Main StreetinWelland | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Ontario | |||
| Counties | Regional Municipality of Niagara | |||
| Major cities | Port Colborne,Welland | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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King's Highway 140,commonly referred to asHighway 140,is aprovincially maintained highwayin theCanadian provinceofOntario.The highway connectsPort ColbornenearLake EriewithHighway 406inWelland,via theMain Street Tunnel.It was constructed in the early 1970s as part of theWelland Bypassproject of theWelland Canal,which resulted in the severance of several highways and rail lines. Opened to traffic in late 1972, several months following the tunnel, Highway 140 has remained unchanged since, despite growing calls to resign it as an extension of Highway 406.
Route description
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Highway 140 begins at an intersection withHighway 3on the eastern edge of Port Colborne. From there, Highway 3 continues east toFort Erie;to the west it becomesNiagara Regional Road 3.[3] The roadway carrying Highway 140 continues south of Highway 3 as a local road named Elizabeth Street, whereas Highway 140 travels north, to the west of forestland and aquarry.The highway parallels theWelland Canalthroughout its length, always within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the waterway.[4][5] Wooden high-tension powerlines parallel the highway until it diverges, curving towards the northeast immediately north of Chippawa Road. It travels diagonally for several kilometres before ascending on an overpass and crossing the formerCanadian NationalHumberstone Subdivision tracks.[6]
The highway gradually straightens to a north–south alignment as it crossesHighway 58Aand a set of railway tracks, both of which travel beneath the nearby Welland Canal to the west. Continuing north, Highway 140 passes overLyons Creek,which meanders northeast to converge with theWelland Riverwest of theNiagara River.[5]The highway ends approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of this point at an intersection with Main Street (Niagara Regional Road 27).[1]Main Street travels beneath the Welland Canal immediately west of Highway 140, providing a connection toHighway 406on the opposite side.[7] Because of its importance as both a through route past the canal and in linking Highway 140 with Highway 406, East Main Street between Highways 140 and 406 is maintained theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario(MTO) asHighway 7146.[1]
History
[edit]The history of Highway 140 begins in May 1966, when theSt. Lawrence Seaway Authorityreceived Federal approval for theWelland Bypass,a 13.4-kilometre (8.3 mi) channel that would serve to bypass the canal through downtown Welland, where several crossings proved to be a hazard for shipping traffic and the shipping traffic an impediment to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The new channel would be dug out and flooded,[8] providing the opportunity for the construction of cheapcut and covertunnels beneath the channel. By 1968, construction was underway on tunnels at East Main Street and at the Port Colborne – Welland townline.[9]
Due to the numerous road disconnections that would take place as a result of the Welland Bypass, a new highway was proposed to link Welland with Port Colborne.[4] One of the severed highways wasHighway 58,which then followed Canal Bank Street south from Welland.[10] In late 1970, theDepartment of Highwaystendered contracts for the construction of the new highway on the east side of the bypass. Construction began from the north, reaching as far south as Ramey Road.[11][6]
The section north of Townline Road was completed within a year. Around the same time, the third and final contract was tendered for the section north of Highway 3. On May 20, 1972, the Main Street Tunnel was opened to traffic at a morning ceremony featuring local officials and the Welland Police Association Pipe Band.[12] Highway 140 was opened several months later, without ceremony, on October 5.[2] It has remained unchanged since then, and was not affected by the provincial highway transfers in 1997 and 1998.[13][14]
The various municipalities serviced by Highway 140, as well as Niagara Region, have called for four-laning the route and redesignating it as Ontario Highway 406. However, the MTO is committed to extending Highway 406 to Highway 58 southwest of Welland. On April 4, 2006, theMPPforErie—Lincoln,Tim Hudak,introduced aPrivate Member's Bill.[15] TheHighway 406 to Port Colborne Actpassed first reading, but was not brought up for a second reading.[16]
Major intersections
[edit]The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 140, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]The entire route is located in theRegional Municipality of Niagara.[3][5]
| Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Colborne | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 3east –Fort Erie Regional Road 3west (Main Street) | Highway 140 southern terminus; Highway 3 ends west of Highway 140, but resumes west of Port Colborne[3] | |
| Welland | 7.1 | 4.4 | Highway 58Awest (Netherby Road) | ToTownline TunnelandRegional Road 525east | |
| 10.9 | 6.8 |  Regional Road 27(East Main Street) –Welland,Niagara Falls ToHighway 406north –St. Catharines | Highway 140 northern terminus; toMain Street Tunnel;unsignedHighway 7146west | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
[edit]- ^abcdMinistry of Transportation of Ontario(2016)."Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts".RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^abCanadian Press (October 6, 1972). "Highway 140 Opens". News.Globe and Mail.Vol. 129, no. 38, 324. Toronto. p. 5.
Highway 140, a new six-mile highway running along the east side of the Welland Canal between [Welland] and Port Colborne, was opened Yesterday.
- ^abcRegional Road Map(PDF)(Map). Cartography by Regional Municipality of Niagara. Regional Municipality of Niagara. February 2009.RetrievedFebruary 23,2011.
- ^abAnnual Report.St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. 1972. p. 46.RetrievedFebruary 23,2011.
- ^abcOntario Back Road Atlas(Map). Cartography byMapArt.Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 19. § T–U34.ISBN978-1-55198-226-7.
- ^ab"Highway 140 - Port Colborne to Welland". Highway Construction Program: King's and Secondary Highways (Report). Ontario Department Of Highways. April 1, 1972. p. xviii.
- ^"Highway #140 Industrial Area".City of Port Colborne.RetrievedFebruary 24,2011.
- ^"The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway"(PDF).The Welland Realignment. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. March 2003. p. 8–9. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 19, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 24,2011.
- ^Department of Highways (March 19, 1968)."Welland Canal Tunnel Projects".RetrievedFebruary 24,2010.
- ^Jackson, John N. (1997). "The Welland Canal By-Pass".The Welland Canals and Their Communities: Engineering, Industrial, and Urban Transformation.University of Toronto Press. p. 375.ISBN0-8020-0933-6.RetrievedFebruary 23,2011.
East of the By-Pass, provincial Highway 140 opened in 1972 to link Welland and Port Colborne along the side of the new channel. It replaced Canal Bank Street...
- ^Proceedings of the 1971 Convention.Roads and Transportation Association of Canada. 1971. p. 19.RetrievedFebruary 23,2011.
West of the relocated Welland Canal in the Port Colborne – Welland area a new six-mile highway is under construction. Known as Highway 140 this new road will connect Highway 3 with Highway 58 at Welland via the new East Main Street Traffic Tunnel. Five miles of the new road are now under construction under two contracts awarded in the latter part of 1970. A contract for the one-mile section north of Highway 3 is scheduled for award later this year.
- ^"Tunnel Opening".Niagara Falls Review.Sun Media. May 20, 1972.RetrievedFebruary 24,2010.
- ^Ontario Road Map(Map). Cartography by Photogammetry Office. Department of Transportation and Communications. 1972. § N23.
- ^Geomatics Office (2010).Ontario Official Road Map(Map). Cartography by Bryan Simmons, Lori-Anne Martin. Ministry of Transportation. § S26.RetrievedFebruary 1,2010.
- ^"Hudak Introduces Legislation To Extend Highway 406 To Port Colborne; Bill to designate Highway 140 as part of Highway 406".News Releases.Tim Hudak. April 4, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon March 12, 2007.RetrievedFebruary 25,2011.
- ^"Bill 87, Highway 406 to Port Colborne Act".Ontario Legislative Assembly. April 4, 2006.RetrievedJune 15,2010.
External links
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