Ontario Highway 32 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 32 was a short collector highway in the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville which extended from Gananoque northerly to Seeleys Bay. The route of Highway 32 began at the Highway 2 Junction in Downtown Gananoque and connected to Highway 15 just east of Seeleys Bay. The history of Highway 32 dates back to the late 1920s, when the Department of Public Highways of Ontario (DPHO) acquired the road leading north from Gananoque to Highway 15 as a new Provincial Highway. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared by the DPHO dated June 24, 1929, which showed the proposed assumption of a new highway north of Gananoque. The new route was first assumed by the DPHO as Provincial Highway 32 on July 24, 1929. The new highway was about 12 1/2 miles (20 km) in length and was initially gravel-surfaced for its entire length. The first mile of the highway within the incorporated limits of the Town of Gananoque was not assumed by the DPHO. Although it was signed as a part of Highway 32, this portion of the route via Stone Street remained under municipal jurisdiction. Provincial Highway 32 was re-designated as King's Highway 32 in 1930.

The route of Highway 32 changed very little during its nearly 70-year existence. Several minor realignments took place along Highway 32 when grading improvements to the highway were completed north of Gananoque in 1930 and 1931. A mulch asphalt pavement was laid along the entire length of Highway 32 in 1944. The non-assumed section of Highway 32 through Gananoque, situated to the south of the Highway 401 Interchange, was designated as a Municipal Connecting Link in the late 1950s. In 1961, a new bridge was built across the Gananoque River. The new bridge and its approaches bypassed a short section of the original highway on the western side of the river, which was transferred to the Township of Leeds, effective April 1, 1962. On January 1, 1998, Highway 32 was transferred or "downloaded" in it's entirety to the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville. The road is now officially known as Leeds & Grenville County Road 32, although it is still commonly referred to as "Highway 32" by motorists. Services are available at each end of Highway 32, both in Gananoque and at the Highway 15 Junction. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 32 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 32 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 32.