Ontario Highway 59 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 59 was a long collector highway in Southwestern Ontario which linked Long Point on the shores of Lake Erie with Shakespeare, a small community between Kitchener and Stratford. The highway was 122 km in length and it existed up until the late 1990s, when it was downloaded to the Counties of Norfolk, Oxford and Perth. The history of Highway 59 dates back to 1937, when the Ontario Department of Highways (DHO) assumed the county road from Delhi to Woodstock as a new King's Highway. The new provincial highway was 43 km in length and was first assumed by the DHO on August 25, 1937. Most sections of Highway 59 were gravel-surfaced at first, although some limited paving work took place just north of Delhi in 1938. Highway 59 was paved between Delhi and Norwich in 1947 and from Norwich to Woodstock in 1948.

The route of Highway 59 did not change significantly until 1962, when a route renumbering in the area resulted in an extension of Highway 59. That year, Highway 100 between Thamesville and St. Mary's was renumbered as Highway 19. In turn, Highway 59 assumed a portion of Highway 19's former route from Woodstock to Shakespeare. In addition, Highway 59 was extended southerly from the Highway 3 Junction at Courtland to Long Point on Lake Erie. In order to unite the north leg of Highway 59 at Delhi with the south leg of Highway 59 at Courtland, a Highway 59 co-designation was established along Highway 3 between Courtland and Delhi. The post-1962 length of Highway 59 was 122 km. The route of Highway 59 did not change until January 1, 1998, when the entire highway was downloaded. The road is now officially known as Norfolk Highway 59, Oxford County Road 59 and Perth Line 107, although the road is still often referred to collectively as "Highway 59" by motorists. Services are available in most major communities along the highway, although services become somewhat less frequent towards the southern end of highway. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 59 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 59 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 59.