Ontario Highway 47 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 47 was a short connecting highway which linked Highway 48 northwest of Stouffville to Highway 7 & Highway 12 near Port Perry. The highway existed up until the late 1990s, when it was downloaded in its entirety to the Regional Municipalities of York and Durham. The history of Highway 47 dates back to the late 1930s, when the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) assumed ownership of 31 km (19 miles) of the Stouffville and Uxbridge Road. Preliminary Route Plans were prepared in September 1937, showing the proposed route of a new King's Highway through York and Ontario Counties. Ontario County later became part of the present-day Regional Municipality of Durham. The section of Highway 47 within York County was assumed on October 6, 1937, while the section of Highway 47 in Ontario County was assumed on October 20, 1937. The section of the road passing through Uxbridge was not assumed by the DHO, and thus that section of the route remained under municipal jurisdiction. As originally assumed in 1937, Highway 47 only ran from the Canadian National Railway crossing in Downtown Stouffville to the Highway 7 & Highway 12 Junction near Port Perry. Highway 47 was initially gravel-surfaced for its entire length, but the highway was paved in small sections beginning in 1950. The road was paved in its entirety by 1952. The highway's routing was changed somewhat over the years. Many of the curves in the highway were straightened, the most notable being at the intersection of Brock Road. Here, the old alignment of Highway 47 was bypassed in favour of a more southerly route. The old alignment near Brock Road is still known today as "Old Highway 47".

The assumption of the Markham Road between Toronto and Port Bolster as Highway 48 in 1954 resulted in a short extension of Highway 47. The highway was extended westerly from the CNR crossing in Stouffville to the new Highway 48 Junction at Markham Road. The DHO assumed this short section of road west of Stouffville as Highway 47 on May 5, 1954. This extension of Highway 47 west of Stouffville provided a link to the new Highway 48, which had been designated by the DHO earlier in 1954. For many years, the DHO maintained jurisdiction of Highway 47 through the Village of Stouffville. In 1963, nearly 4 km of the route was transferred and a Municipal Connecting Link was established. The DHO transferred ownership of Highway 47 through Stouffville, effective June 8, 1963. The transferred section of Highway 47 through Stouffville was subsequently designated as a Municipal Connecting Link, effective June 20, 1963. A similar Municipal Connecting Link was also designated along the non-assumed section of Highway 47 through the Town of Uxbridge on October 29, 1959.

In the early 1990s, a new route for Highway 47 was established which effectively bypassed Stouffville. This new route allowed Highway 47 traffic to access Highway 48 from Uxbridge without having to drive through Downtown Stouffville. The new Highway 47 Bypass followed Bloomington Road, which ran west from the York-Durham Boundary and connected to Highway 48 about 2 km north of Stouffville. The new route via Bloomington Road was assumed by the Ministry of Transportation as a new provincial highway in the summer of 1992. The new route was officially designated as King's Highway 47 by an Order-in-Council dated February 17, 1993. The old alignment of Highway 47 via Main Street and Tenth Line was transferred to the Regional Municipality of York in two sections. The north-south section of Old Highway 47 via Tenth Line was transferred on April 16, 1992, while the east-west section of Old Highway 47 from the Highway 48 Junction to Stouffville was transferred on March 31, 1995. Following the completion of the Stouffville Bypass, Highway 47 was 30 km in length. However, the route only lasted another five years. On January 1, 1998, Highway 47 was downloaded in its entirety to the Regional Municipalities or York and Durham. The highway's new names are Durham Regional Highway 47 and York Regional Road 40.

Highway 47 is a two-lane highway which traverses a predominantly rural area. The only major town located along the highway is Uxbridge. Services are available in most communities along the highway. The speed limit on Highway 47 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 47 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 47.