Ontario Highway 74
King's Highway 74 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin County Road 74 Middlesex County Road 74 | |||||||
| Route information | |||||||
| Maintained byMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | |||||||
| Length | 22.4 km[1](13.9 mi) | ||||||
| Existed | September 1937[2]–March 31, 1997[3] | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| South end |  Highway 3inNew Sarum | ||||||
 Highway 401–London,Toronto | |||||||
| North end | Commissioners Road / County Road 29(Hamilton Road) nearLondon | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||
| Province | Ontario | ||||||
| Counties | Elgin County,Middlesex County | ||||||
| Villages | New Sarum,Mapleton,Belmont,Derwent,Nilestown | ||||||
| Highway system | |||||||
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King's Highway 74,commonly referred to asHighway 74,was aprovincially maintained highwayin theCanadianprovince ofOntariothat travelled north fromHighway 3atNew Sarumto Middlesex County Road 29 (Hamilton Road) on the outskirts ofLondon.The 22.4-kilometre-long (13.9 mi) was assumed by the province in September 1937. Aside from paving and the construction of aninterchangewithHighway 401,it remained generally unchanged for the next six decades until it wasdecommissionedin 1997 and transferred toElgin CountyandMiddlesex County.The road has since been redesignated asElgin County Road 74andMiddlsex County Road 74.
Route description
[edit]Highway 74 began at an intersection with Highway 3 in the community of New Sarum, midway between the city ofSt. Thomasto the west, and the town ofAylmerto the east. It crossed theSt. Thomas and Eastern Railwayjust north of Highway 3 before curving to cross the West Catfish Creek, which it meandered alongside intoMapleton.Immediately north of that community, the route curved to the north and was straight for the remainder of its route. The highway continued, entering the village ofBelmont,where it intersected aCanadian Pacific Railwayline. North of there it crossed the boundary betweenElgin Countyto the south andMiddlesex Countyto the north. North of the county line, Highway 74 continued into the community ofDerwent.Shortly thereafter, it crossed and interchanged with Highway 401 at Exit 195. The highway ended just north of Highway 401 in Nilestown at an intersection with Middlesex County Road 29 (Hamilton Road).[1][4]
History
[edit]Highway 74 was established in mid-1937 when the New Sarum to Dorchester Road was designated by the Department of Highways (DHO), the predecessor to theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario(MTO). The section within Elgin County was assumed by the DHO on August 25, 1937, while the section within Middlesex County was assumed one week later on September 1.[2] Originally an unpaved gravel road, the route was paved between Belmont and its northern terminus by 1938.[5] The remainder of the route was paved in 1952.[6][7] Otherwise, the route remained generally unchanged for six decades until March 31, 1997, when it was decommissioned in its entirety and transferred to Elgin County and Middlesex County.[3] It has since been known as Elgin County Road 74 and Middlesex County Road 74.[4]
Major intersections
[edit]The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 74, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]
| Division | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin | New Sarum | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 3(Talbot Line) –St. Thomas | |
| Mapleton | 4.0 | 2.5 |  County Road 52 (Ron McNeil Line) | ||
| 6.8 | 4.2 |  County Road 48 (Ferguson Line) | |||
| Belmont | 11.6 | 7.2 | CPRcrossing | Southern limits of Belmont | |
| 11.7 | 7.3 |  County Road 34 west (Borden Avenue) | |||
| 12.1 | 7.5 |  County Road 37 east (Caesar Road) | |||
| Middlesex | Thames Centre | 18.2 | 11.3 |  County Road 26 west (Wilton Grove Road) | |
| 19.5 | 12.1 | Highway 401–London,Toronto | Exit 195 | ||
| 22.4 | 13.9 | County Road 29(Hamilton Road) –London | Nilestown | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
[edit]- ^abcMinistry of Transportation of Ontario (April 1, 1989).Provincial Highways Distance Table.Government of Ontario. p. 75.ISSN0825-5350.
- ^ab"Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1938. p. 80.
- ^abHighway Transfers List (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. April 1, 1997. pp. 4, 6.
- ^abOntario Back Road Atlas(Map). Cartography byMapArt.Peter Heiler Ltd. 2010. p. 15. § T–V18.ISBN978-1-55198-226-7.
- ^Ontario Road Map(Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Ontario Department of Highways. 1938–39. § H10.
- ^Ontario Road Map(Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1952. § U30.
- ^Ontario Road Map(Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1953. § U30.
