Ontario Highway 112 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 112 is a relatively short but important collector highway in the District of Timiskaming which links Highway 66 west of Kirkland Lake to Highway 11. The highway passes through no communities or towns of any significant size along its 20 km route, although the towns of Swastika and Kirkland Lake are situated along Highway 66 near the northern terminus of Highway 112.

The history of Highway 112 dates back to the 1930s. The route was originally part of an early Department of Northern Development Trunk Road known as the Ferguson Highway, which linked North Bay to Cochrane. In 1937, the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) assumed the Ferguson Highway as King's Highway 11. During the early 1940s, the Round Lake Diversion was constructed, which bypassed a section of Highway 11 between Tarzwell and Kenogami Lake. For a number of years, the old highway from Tarzwell to Swastika and Kirkland Lake did not have its own route number. The old route was still considered to be a section of Highway 11 for several years after the Round Lake Diversion was completed. However, the DHO eventually became aware that posting the Highway 11 designation along both the old and new highway routes was creating confusion, particularly for northbound motorists as they approached the Kirkland Lake Wye from Englehart. Accordingly, the DHO decided to renumber the bypassed section of Highway 11 from Tarzwell to Swastika as Highway 112 in 1953.

Highway 112 is a two-lane highway for its entire length between Highway 11 and Highway 66. There are no services along Highway 112, but services are available along Highway 66 in the nearby towns of Swastika and Kirkland Lake. The speed limit on Highway 112 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 112 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 112.