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History of Secondary Highway 552:
Secondary Highway 552 is a local highway in the District of Algoma that provides access to a rural area lying adjacent to Highway 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie.
Highway 552 was first designated by an Order-in-Council dated May 9, 1956. The route was first depicted on a Preliminary Route Plan prepared by the Department of
Highways of Ontario (DHO) in June, 1956. The new highway was originally 4.2 miles (6.8 km) in length. Initially, Highway 552 began at the Highway 17 Junction north of
Goulais River and headed westerly where it ended near Stoney Point Road (today's Goulais Mission Road) at Goulais Bay. The highway was gravel-surfaced at the time of
designation in 1956, but was paved in 1967. In 1960, the massive Heyden-Goulais River Diversion was completed on Highway 17, which bypassed about 18 km of the
existing route of Highway 17. The bypassed section of Highway 17 from the Highway 552 Junction to the Highway 556 Junction at Island Lake was re-designated as a
Secondary Highway in 1961. Old Highway 17 through Awares Township was re-designated as a Secondary Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective June 22, 1961. The
section of Old Highway 17 in Vankoughnet Township was re-designated as a Secondary Highway, effective July 13, 1961. Old Highway 17 was subsequently renumbered as an
extension of Highway 552, while the short bypassed section of Highway 17 lying between the realigned Highway 17 and the Highway 552 Junction was renumbered as
Highway 552A.
Highway 552 was extended slightly from just west of Stoney Point Road to Goulais Bay in the mid-1960s. In February 1966, a Preliminary Assumption Plan was prepared by the DHO which showed a proposed 1/2 mile extension of Highway 552 from just west of Stoney Point Road to Grant Road in Goulais Bay. The plan was registered on February 14, 1966 and the extension was formally designated as Highway 552 by an Order-in-Council, effective March 3, 1966. Apart from some minor revisions to the route of Highway 552 in a few locations, the highway has not changed significantly since the 1960s. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 552 is 80 km/h (50 mph). There are no services available on this highway, but services are available nearby on Highway 17 at Goulais River. |
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