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History of King's Highway 11A (Thunder Bay):
King's Highway 11A served as an alternate route to Highway 11 between Port Arthur (which later became part of Thunder Bay) and Sistonens Corners. The history of
Highway 11A dates back to 1960, when the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) decided to extend the Highway 11 designation west from Nipigon to Atikokan. A
portion of the Highway 11 extension ran concurrently with Highway 17, so a Highway 11A alternate route was established to complement the existing route of
Highway 17A between Port Arthur and Sistonens Corners. The routes of Highway 11A &
Highway 17A ran concurrently for their entire 23-mile (36 km) route. The section of Highway 11A within Port
Arthur was not assumed by the DHO and thus this section of the route remained under municipal jurisdiction. Provincial ownership of Highway 11A & Highway 17A
began at the city limits as they existed when the route of Highway 17A was first established back in 1937, near the location of today's Thunder Bay Expressway.
At the time of Highway 11A's creation in 1960, the highway was only paved from Port Arthur westerly to the Highway 589 Junction near Intola. The balance of the
highway from Intola to Sistonens Corners was gravel-surfaced at first, but was paved in 1964. The non-assumed section of Highway 11A via Red River Road within the
limits of the City of Port Arthur was designated as a Municipal Connecting Link by an Order-in-Council, effective May 26, 1960. In 1970, the new City of Thunder Bay was created out of the amalgamation of the City of Port Arthur, the City of Fort William, along with the Townships of Neebing and McIntyre. As a result of amalgamation, several changes were made to the way provincial highways were administered in the area. A new Municipal Connecting Link system was designated through the City of Thunder Bay. The route of Highway 11A & Highway 17A through the former City of Port Arthur was stripped of its official connecting link status by an Order-in-Council, effective November 5, 1970. However, the non-assumed portion of Highway 11A & Highway 17A lying east of the Thunder Bay Expressway continued to be signed as a King's Highway for many years thereafter by the municipality. In 1971, both Highway 11A and Highway 17A were renumbered as Highway 102. Two other unrelated routes in Toronto and Bracebridge were also designated as Highway 11A. 
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