Ontario Highway 18A History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 18A was a rather strange alternate route to Highway 18 between Malden Centre and Kingsville, via Colchester. The history of Highway 18A dates back to the late 1930s. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared on October 8, 1937, showing the Ontario Department of Highways' intention to assume a new road along the Lake Erie shoreline in Essex County as a new King's Highway. The route was first assumed by the province as Highway 18A on April 13, 1938, at a length of 30 km (See Map). Highway 18A was initially a gravel-surfaced highway, but it was paved in its entirety in 1951 and 1952. The highway was retained in the King's Highway system until July 1, 1978, when the entire route of Highway 18A was transferred to Essex County. Since 1978, the road has been known as Essex County Road 50. King's Highway 18A holds the record for being the southernmost signed provincial highway in Ontario, as well as Canada. The route of Highway 18A actually dips south of the 42nd parallel for several kilometres near Colchester, the only highway in Canada to do so.