History of Secondary Highway 523:
Secondary Highway 523 is a local highway in the District of Nipissing that provides access from Highway 60 at Madawaska to the small community of Cross Lake, located
near the Hastings County-Nipissing District Boundary. Highway 523 was designated by an Order-in-Council dated May 9, 1956, and was first depicted on a Preliminary
Route Plan prepared by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) in May, 1956. Although it may appear on a map that the route of Highway 523 once extended south
from the Nipissing District Boundary into Hastings County to connect with Highway 127, this is actually not the case. In fact, the route of Highway 523 has changed
very little since the highway was first designated in 1956. The highway had a primed bituminous gravel surface at the time of designation in 1956. Highway 523 was
first shown with a completely paved surface on the 1971 Edition of the Ontario Official Road Map. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 523 is 80 km/h
(50 mph). Services are only available at the north end of the highway in Madawaska.
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