Ontario Highway 23 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 23 is a major collector highway which passes through the heart of Perth and Middlesex Counties. The highway was first established in 1927 when the Mitchell-Teviotdale Road via Listowel was assumed as a provincial highway. Highway 23 was extended from Mitchell to Elginfield in the mid 1930s. No major changes were made to the route of Highway 23 until 1998, when a 9 km portion of the highway from the Highway 89 Junction at Palmerston to the Highway 9 Junction at Teviotdale was transferred to adjacent municipalities. The downloaded section of Highway 23 is now known as Wellington Road 123 and Perth Road 93. In 2003, a section of Highway 89 from Palmerston to Harriston was renumbered as Highway 23. This highway renumbering added about 10 km to the length of Highway 23. The highway now ends at the Highway 9 Junction in Harriston.

Highway 23 passes through a predominantly rural area, occasionally passing through some small towns and communities along its 98 km route. The principal towns located along the highway are Mitchell, Listowel, Palmerston and Harriston. Highway 23 is a two-lane highway from Elginfield to Harriston. Services along Highway 23 are rather scarce outside of major communities. The speed limit on Highway 23 is 80 km/h (50 m.p.h.), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 23 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 23.

Winter Driving Tip: Many sections of Highway 23 north of London are notorious for poor winter road conditions. Sections of the highway are sometimes closed during periods of poor winter weather between Elginfield and Harriston, due to blowing and drifting snow. Blowing snow will often result in zero-visibility conditions. The weather conditions on this highway can deteriorate very rapidly when snowsqualls blow in from nearby Lake Huron. On cold, windy days, it is a good idea to check the Road Closures and Winter Road Conditions pages on the Ministry of Transportation's Website, or verify road conditions by telephone at 1-800-268-4686 before using Highway 23 north of London.