Ontario Highway 3A (Niagara) History - The King's Highways of Ontario

Highway 3A was a historical King's Highway within the former County of Welland which once served as an alternate route to Highway 3. The highway was first established in the late 1920s in order to serve the new Peace Bridge between Fort Erie and Buffalo, New York. Highway 3A was already in service when the Peace Bridge officially opened to traffic on August 7, 1927. In that regard, Highway 3A effectively offered an alternate route for motorists using Highway 3 to reach the United States Border. Previously, all motor traffic heading between the United States and Canada had to cross the border at one of the three bridges located between Queenston and Niagara Falls. The new route of Highway 3A via the Peace Bridge shortened the highway distance from Southwestern Ontario to Buffalo, New York by about 20 miles (32 km).

Prior to 1927, there was no Provincial Highway route through the southern portion of Welland County. As the new Peace Bridge neared completion in 1927, the Department of Public Highways (DPHO) sought to provide a new Provincial Highway link to the new international crossing. The proposed route was first shown on a Preliminary Route Plan prepared by the DPHO dated April 20, 1927. The proposed highway began at the Highway 3 Junction at Chambers Corners, located between Dunnville and Welland. From there, the route of Highway 3A ran southerly through the community of Wainfleet, then easterly through the Village of Humberstone (part of today's City of Port Colborne) and then on to the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie via the Garrison Road. Provincial Highway 3A was first assumed by the DPHO as a new Provincial Highway on May 11, 1927. The new highway was originally 27 miles (43 km) in length (See Map). Initially, Highway 3A was gravel-surfaced for its entire length, although it did not remain that way for very long. The entire highway was paved from Chambers Corners to Fort Erie during 1928, with the section from Chambers Corners to Humberstone surfaced with concrete and the section from Humberstone to Fort Erie surfaced with mixed macadam pavement.

As originally established in 1927, the route of Highway 3A through Humberstone followed Killaly Street. Shortly after this route via Killaly Street was established, a project got underway to improve and relocate the Welland Canal through Humberstone and adjacent Port Colborne. As a result of the canal's reconstruction, Killaly Street would no longer form a through route. Accordingly, a new route was established for Highway 3A a short distance to the north through Humberstone. This new 5-mile highway diversion through Humberstone provided an alternate route for traffic crossing the Welland Canal, while the canal was being diverted and reconstructed. The proposed Humberstone Diversion was first shown on a Preliminary Route Plan prepared by the DPHO dated April 12, 1928. The DPHO assumed jurisdiction over the new Humberstone Diversion on May 2, 1928. This new highway route via the Gasline Road more or less paralleled the original highway's route via Killaly Street. The Humberstone Diversion was paved with concrete in 1929. It is believed that the Humberstone Diversion was also signed as Highway 3A. Once the New Welland Canal Bridge at Humberstone opened to traffic, the old route of Highway 3A via Killaly Street became redundant. Jurisdiction over the old route of Highway 3A via Killaly Street was reverted to municipal control on June 15, 1930. That same year, Provincial Highway 3A was re-designated as King's Highway 3A.

Initially, the province did not assume jurisdiction over the sections of Highway 3A which passed through the incorporated limits of the Village of Humberstone or the Village of Fort Erie. Provincial jurisdiction over Highway 3A actually began at Fort Erie's western limits, which at that time were located at the intersection of Concession Road. Provincial jurisdiction ceased again where Highway 3A entered Humberstone's eastern limits at the intersection of Wellington Street. Provincial jurisdiction over Highway 3A resumed at the village's western limits, which at that time were located at the intersection of Steele Street. Portions of West Main Street and Forest Avenue (known today as Main Street East) were assumed by the province through Humberstone during 1929. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared by the DPHO dated February 13, 1929, which showed the proposed assumption of West Main Street between Steele Street and Elm Street and also Forest Avenue between Dolphin Street and Wellington Street as part of Highway 3A. The province acquired jurisdiction over these two streets in the Village of Humberstone, effective March 13, 1929.

In order to improve the overall highway numbering logic in the Niagara Peninsula, the Highway 3 and Highway 3A designations through Welland County were reversed in 1930. Previously, Highway 3 ran from Chambers Corners to the Niagara Falls International Bridge via Welland, while Highway 3A ran from Chambers Corners to Fort Erie via Port Colborne. Since the route of Highway 3A to Fort Erie provided a much more direct highway connection to Buffalo, New York than the route offered by Highway 3 through Niagara Falls, it was decided that the route designations should be swapped so that Highway 3 served the Peace Bridge instead. The old route of Highway 3 to Niagara Falls via Welland thus became Highway 3A during 1930 (See Map). This change in route numbers was first reflected on the 1931-32 Official Ontario Road Map. The new route of Highway 3 to Fort Erie was 260 miles (418 km) in length and created a more convenient through route for motorists travelling between the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. The rerouted length of Highway 3A to Niagara Falls was 25 miles (40 km). From Niagara Falls to Turners Corners located between Allanburg and Welland, Highway 3A shared an overlapped, concurrent route with the newly-designated Highway 20.

During 1930, a new King's Highway was assumed by the DPHO between Black Horse Corner near Allanburg and Thorold. This new highway began at the Highway 3A & Highway 20 Junction and continued north for a distance of 2.1 miles to the Welland Canal in Thorold South. The proposed route was first shown on a Preliminary Route Plan prepared by the DPHO dated February 26, 1930. This new King's Highway was first assumed by the DPHO on June 4, 1930. Initially, this new route was gravel-surfaced, but a mixed macadam surface was constructed along the highway in 1931. It is believed that this route was initially numbered as Highway 20A, but this has not been confirmed for certain. It is known that even after the assumption of this spur highway to Thorold, the overlapped route of Highway 3A & Highway 20 continued between Black Horse Corner and Niagara Falls until at least 1935. That year, detailed survey plans were prepared for highway improvements in this area which clearly show the overlapped route of Highway 3A & Highway 20 extending to Niagara Falls. At some point in the mid-1930s, however, a decision was made to discontinue the overlapped route of Highway 3A & Highway 20 between Black Horse Corner and Niagara Falls and extend the route of Highway 3A north via the Thorold Spur. It is believed that this rerouting took place during 1937, as part of a plan by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) to provide a new King's Highway connection between Allanburg and St. Catharines.

Preliminary Route Plans were prepared by the DHO dated August 26 & August 27, 1937, which showed the proposed route of the new King's Highway within Lincoln County and Welland County, respectively. The new highway began at the southern limits of the Town of Thorold at Beaverdams Road and continued northerly through Thorold, via Ormond Street. At the county boundary, the proposed highway entered Lincoln County. Through the Town of Merritton, the proposed highway followed Merritt Street. The highway then ended at the Highway 8 Junction (Queenston Street) in Grantham Township, just east of St. Catharines. Within Grantham Township, the proposed highway followed Hartzel Road (marked as Thorold Road on earlier Official Road Maps). Both sections of the proposed King's Highway within the Counties of Lincoln and Welland were assumed by the DHO, effective October 6, 1937. The new route was originally designated as an extension of Highway 3A. Following the new extension to St. Catharines, the length of Highway 3A had grown to 25 1/2 miles, or 41 km (See Map). This northerly extension of Highway 3A to St. Catharines proved to be rather short-lived. The route of Highway 3A was restored to its overlapped routing with Highway 20 between Black Horse Corner and Niagara Falls in 1939. In turn, Highway 58 was extended northerly from Welland to St. Catharines. That year, Highway 58 was signed concurrently with Highway 3A between Welland and Turners Corners and concurrently with Highway 3A & Highway 20 between Turners Corners and Black Horse Corner east of Allanburg. Highway 58 then assumed the former route of Highway 3A northerly to St. Catharines, via Thorold. This highway numbering resulted in a rare three-route overlap of Highway 3A, Highway 20 & Highway 58 between Turners Corners and Black Horse Corner.

Only a few other changes were made to the route of Highway 3A, and all were located within the City of Welland. A short diversion was constructed at the northern entrance to Welland in 1937. Merrittville Highway was realigned so that it formed a continuous through route with North Main Street (now known as Niagara Street) in Welland. The new diversion was about a half-mile in length and was completed in 1937. Jurisdiction over the old Highway 3A alignment via Aqueduct Street and Thorold Road reverted back to the Township of Thorold and the City of Welland by an Order-in-Council, effective December 3, 1937.

Originally, Highway 3A entered the City of Welland via Riverside Drive and followed West Main Street and Niagara Street through the city (See Map). During the late 1950s, a new bypass route was constructed around the City of Welland. This new western road link, known as Prince Charles Drive, bypassed Downtown Welland entirely. The new arterial street was constructed by the municipality and generally followed the route of the Niagara-St. Catharines and Toronto Electric Railway route from Thorold Road southerly to the intersection of Riverside Drive (Highway 3A) and West Side Road (New Highway 58). In order to connect this new western bypass with existing Highway 3A & Highway 58 at Niagara Street, the DHO assumed jurisdiction of about one mile of Thorold Road between Prince Charles Drive and Niagara Street as a new King's Highway (See Map). In November 1958, an Assumption Plan was prepared by the DHO which showed the proposed acquisition of Thorold Road along the City of Welland's northern limits as a new King's Highway. This plan was registered on May 21, 1959, and the route was designated as a King's Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective May 28, 1959. The balance of the Welland Bypass via Prince Charles Drive was not assumed by the DHO, and thus this section of Highway 3A & Highway 58 remained under municipal jurisdiction. The short section of Highway 3A from Prince Charles Drive westerly to Welland's city limits near Oakland Avenue also remained under municipal control. Interestingly, no parts of Highway 3A's route were ever designated as part of a Municipal Connecting Link within Welland's city limits.

In 1964, the DHO completed an extensive highway planning study for the Counties of Welland and Lincoln. One of the study's recommendations was to ultimately transfer jurisdiction over the section of Highway 3A from Chambers Corners to the City of Welland over to municipal control, as this route would serve only a local purpose once the study's other recommendations were implemented. In preparation for this eventual highway transfer, the overlapped route of Highway 3A between the City of Welland and Niagara Falls via sections of Highway 20 and Highway 58 was permanently discontinued in the mid-1960s. The route of Highway 3A was truncated at the at the Highway 58 Junction (Prince Charles Drive) in Welland in 1965 (See Map). The removal of the Highway 3A designation between Welland and Niagara Falls resulted in a reduction of Highway 3A's length to only 9.7 miles (15.6 km). This last surviving section of Highway 3A between Chambers Corners and the City of Welland was decommissioned in 1970, when the highway was transferred to the newly-formed Regional Municipality of Niagara, effective September 1, 1970. The former route of Highway 3A is now known as Niagara Road 24 & Niagara Road 27. A different, unrelated Highway 3A existed in Windsor during the late 1920s and early 1930s.