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History of King's Highway 44:
King's Highway 44 was a short collector highway which connected Highway 15 in Almonte to Highway 17 near Carp. The history of Highway 44 dates back to the late 1930s,
when a new King's Highway was assumed in Carleton and Lanark Counties. The highway existed up until the late 1990s, when it was downloaded to the County of Lanark and
the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, which was later amalgamated into the new City of Ottawa. The proposed route of Highway 44 was first shown on a series of Preliminary Route Plans dated October 1937. The proposed highway extended from the Highway 17 Junction near Carp westerly to Almonte, where the route connected to Highway 29 (later known as Highway 15). The route was first assumed by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) on April 13, 1938 (See Map). The section of Highway 44 which passed through the incorporated limits of the Town of Almonte was not assumed by the DHO. That section of the route remained under municipal jurisdiction. A Municipal Connecting Link Agreement was signed between DHO and the Town of Almonte on February 28, 1944. This non-assumed section of Highway 44 through Almonte was subsequently designated as a Municipal Connecting Link under the Highway Improvement Act by an Order-in-Council in the late 1950s. Highway 44 was originally 23 km in length, including the non-assumed section of the highway through Almonte. Highway 44 was primarily a gravel road when it was first designated as a King's Highway in 1938. Only the section of the highway which led into Almonte from the Highway 29 Junction was paved. The balance of the highway was paved during various highway reconstruction projects which took place between 1944 and 1951. In 1965, a major realignment of Highway 17 took place west of Carp. This relocation of Highway 17 had a considerable impact on the route of Highway 44. The Carp Bypass opened to traffic on November 9, 1965. As a result, approximately 7 km of Highway 44 was absorbed into the route of Highway 17 in 1965 (See Map). From 1965 until 1997, Highway 44 ended at the Highway 17 Junction west of Carp. During the 1990s, the provincial government conducted a review of various provincial services with the intention of delegating responsibility for local services to municipal governments. As part of this general provincial service realignment, numerous provincial highways were transferred or "downloaded" to municipalities. Since Highway 44 was deemed to serve a local purpose, it was decided that the highway was no longer needed in the King's Highway System. On March 31, 1997, the entire route of Highway 44 was downloaded to the County of Lanark and the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. The road is now officially known as Lanark County Road 49 and Ottawa Road 49, although the road is still occasionally referred to as "Highway 44" by motorists. Services are only available in Almonte and just east of the Highway 417 Interchange. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 44 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 44 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 44. 
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