Ontario Highway 127 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 127 is a rural highway in Hastings County and the District of Nipissing which passes through a rather remote, sparsely-populated region east of Algonquin Park. Highway 127 begins at Highway 62 in Maynooth and continues north to Highway 60 near Whitney. The highway services only three small communities along its 38 km route. In conjunction with Highway 62, Highway 127 forms the only major north-south highway link in the vast region lying between Highway 35 on the western side of Algonquin Park and Highway 41, which serves the Madawaska Highlands and the Upper Ottawa Valley.

Highway 127 was first established in the mid-1950s, when the Maynooth-Whitney Road was assumed by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) as a new King's Highway. Preliminary Route Plans were prepared by the DHO in June 1955, which showed the proposed route of a new King's Highway between Maynooth and the Highway 60 Junction just east of Whitney. The DHO assumed the road as King's Highway 127 in Hastings County and the District of Nipissing on October 19, 1955 and November 16, 1955, respectively. The new highway was approximately 27 1/2 miles (44 km) in length. Initially, Highway 127 was gravel-surfaced for its entire length. Paving was completed on 7 1/2 miles of Highway 127 between Maynooth and Lake St. Peter in 1956. Paving was completed from Lake St. Peter northerly for 2 miles in 1961, with the balance of the highway paved in 1963.

Several diversions of Highway 127 were built over the years, but the two most significant ones were built during the early 1960s. The first diversion was located near Whitney at the highway's northern terminus. Highway 127 was realigned to join Highway 60 a little further to the east than the original junction between these two highways. The new Highway 127 diversion approaching Highway 60 was approximately 3 miles in length. Work began on the new diversion in the Winter of 1960-1961 and was completed in the Fall of 1962. Jurisdiction over the old, winding route of Highway 127 via Poverty Lake was transferred from the province to the Township of Airy, effective July 20, 1968. A second diversion was completed near Gunters north of Lake St. Peter, where a substantial portion of Highway 127 was relocated onto an new, improved alignment in 1961. Approximately 5 1/2 miles of the original route of Highway 127 were bypassed. The former route of Highway 127 via McKenzie Lake Road had its King's Highway designation revoked by an Order-in-Council, effective May 26, 1966. The two new diversions of Highway 127 were formally designated as a King's Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective June 27, 1963. The route of Highway 127 has not changed significantly since the 1960s.

Highway 127 is a paved two-lane highway from Maynooth to Whitney. Services are available in Maynooth, Lake St. Peter and along Highway 60 in Whitney. The speed limit on Highway 127 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 127 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 127.