Ontario Highway 102 (#2) History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 102 is a relatively short but important arterial highway which links Thunder Bay with Highway 11/17 at Sistonens Corners. The highway passes through an almost exclusively rural area along its route. The only major town located along the highway is Thunder Bay. The highway was first established in 1972, when Highway 11A/17A was renumbered as Highway 102. The highway forms a cut-off route for Trans-Canada Highway traffic, by allowing motorists to bypass Kakabeka Falls and the majority of Thunder Bay. The route of Highway 102 was realigned extensively during highway improvement projects during the 1970s. In 1998, a 10 km section of Highway 102 between Thunder Bay and Highway 589 was decommissioned and transferred to the City of Thunder Bay. This downloaded section of Highway 102 is now officially known as Red River Road, although it was still signed continuously from end to end as Highway 102 as of late 2006.

Highway 102 is a two-lane highway for most its length between Thunder Bay and Sistonens Corners. Passing lanes appear quite frequently along this highway. The highway provides a scenic alternate route for motorists travelling across Canada who do not wish to stay on Highway 11/17 through Thunder Bay. The route via Highway 102 is over 17 km shorter than the route via Highway 11/17. There are no services along Highway 102, other than in Thunder Bay and at Sistonens Corners. The speed limit on Highway 102 is 90 km/h (55 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 102 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 102.