Ontario Highway 46 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 46 was a minor collector highway which connected Highway 7 near Oakwood with Highway 48 in Bolsover. The highway existed up until the late 1990s when it was downloaded to the County of Victoria, which later became the City of Kawartha Lakes. When Highway 46 was first assumed as a provincial highway back in 1937, the highway ran north from Highway 7 to Bolsover and then easterly to join Highway 35 in Coboconk. Originally, Highway 46 was 55 km in length and gravel surfaced for its entire route. Highway 46 was paved from the Highway 7 Junction to Argyle in 1952 and from Argyle to Kirkfield in 1957. In 1959, the section of Highway 46 from Kirkfield to Highway 505 near Victoria Road was paved. In the early 1960s, it was decided that a new Provincial Park would be opened along the north shores of Balsam Lake. A new alignment for Highway 46 was built to the north of the proposed park location in order to allow construction of the park to take place. The new Balsam Lake Diversion was opened in 1963, but it was not paved until 1967. The old Highway 46 alignment is now known as Balsam Lake Road and North Bay Road. The original route of Highway 46 now serves as an access road within Balsam Lake Provincial Park. In 1975, a route renumbering took place which saw Highway 48 assume the route of Highway 46 between Bolsover and Coboconk. The rerouting shortened the length of Highway 46 by 28 km. Between 1975 and 1997, Highway 46 ended at the Highway 48 Junction in Bolsover.

On March 31, 1997, the remaining section of Highway 46 between Highway 7 and Highway 48 was downloaded to the County of Victoria. The road was briefly known as Victoria County Road 46, but it was renamed as Kawartha Lakes Road 46 after the county amalgamated in 2001. However, the road is still often referred to as "Highway 46" by motorists. Services are available in most of the larger communities along the highway. Highway 46 is a rural two-lane highway for its entire length. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 46 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 46 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 46.