| 
| |
|
|
History of Secondary Highway 532 (#1):
The first Secondary Highway 532 was a collector highway in the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound that serviced Bracebridge, Utterson, Rosseau and other small
communities in Muskoka and the southern portion of the District of Parry Sound. It was by far the most important route out of Muskoka's many historical Secondary
Highways. Although some parts of Highway 532 were decommissioned in the early 1970s, most of Highway 532's route was incorporated into the new route of
Highway 141 in 1974. The Parry Sound & Rosseau Road was first designated as Highway 532 by an Order-in-Council dated May 9, 1956. Preliminary Route Plans were prepared by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) in April 1956, which showed the route of Highway 532 from the Old Highway 11 (Highway 11A) Junction near Falkenburg northwesterly to Highway 69 at Hayes Corners. The route was approximately 31.5 miles (51 km) in length at the time of designation, and was paved from Falkenburg to about 2 miles north of Rosseau. The balance of the highway had a primed bituminous gravel surface. Shortly after Highway 532 was established in 1956, the DHO decided to transfer jurisdiction of a section of Old Highway 11 (Highway 11A) between Falkenburg and the new Highway 11 Bracebridge Bypass to the Townships of Macauley and Stephenson. The remainder of Old Highway 11 from Falkenburg southerly to the Highway 11 Bypass south of Bracebridge was designated as an extension of Highway 532 by an Order-in-Council, effective July 25, 1957. The extension added approximately 8.5 miles (14 km) to the length of Highway 532. The entire route of Highway 532 was under the jurisdiction of the DHO, except for the section of the highway lying within the Town of Bracebridge. This non-assumed section of the highway was designated as a Municipal Connecting Link by an Order-in-Council, effective September 25, 1958. The final remaining primed gravel section on Highway 532 was paved between Humphry and Rosseau in 1972. The route of Highway 532 was extensively realigned during the 1960s and 1970s in order to improve the highway's horizontal and vertical alignment. By the early 1970s, the total length of Highway 532 stood at approximately 42 miles (68 km). The route of Highway 532 was changed significantly during 1972. The creation of the District Municipality of Muskoka on January 1, 1971, changed the way road services were administered within the District. The sections of Highway 532 which were determined to serve more of a local function were transferred from the province to this newly-formed tier of municipal government. Jurisdiction over the section of Highway 532 from the Highway 516 Junction north of Falkenburg southerly to the Highway 11 Bypass south of Bracebridge was transferred from the province to the new District Municipality of Muskoka, effective April 30, 1972. In turn, the western leg of Highway 516 leading from Highway 532 to Windermere was also transferred to the District Municipality of Muskoka on April 30, 1972. This resulted in Highway 516 and Highway 532 sharing a common route terminus west of Utterson. In October 1972, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC) logically decided to renumber the short remaining section of Highway 516 through Utterson as an extension of Highway 532. The route number change was first reflected on the 1973 Official Ontario Road Map, which suggests that the route renumbering took place in late 1972. In addition, the former Municipal Connecting Link section of Highway 532 through Bracebridge was formally revoked by an Order-in-Council, effective February 2, 1972. The route of Highway 532 retained its designation until 1974, when the entire highway from the Highway 11 Junction near Port Sydney and the Highway 69 Junction at Hayes Corners was formally re-designated as a King's Highway by an Order-in-Council. The new Highway 141 designation came into effect on December 18, 1974. Although the first route of Highway 532 ceased to exist in 1974, another unrelated Highway 532 was established north of Sault Ste. Marie in 1976. |
|---|
