Ontario Highway 631 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

Secondary Highway 631 is a collector highway located in the Districts of Algoma and Cochrane which provides a connection between Highway 11 west of Hearst and Highway 17 at White River, via Hornepayne. The northern section of this highway was constructed first, in order to provide a road link from Hornepayne northerly to Highway 11. Clearing and construction began on the new Hornepayne Access Road in late 1955, with construction work being advanced from both the Highway 11 end as well as the Hornepayne end. The majority of the grading operations were carried out by work crews employed by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO), although some construction work was contracted out. Construction of the Hornepayne Access Road took almost 3 years to complete, although the road was traversable by construction traffic somewhat sooner. The first motor vehicle to traverse the new road, a DHO jeep, arrived in Hornepayne from Hearst on March 29, 1958. The Hornepayne Access Road was opened to public travel in August 1958, and was first noted with the Highway 631 route number in the DHO's fortnightly Road Bulletin issued on September 15, 1958. The new highway was approximately 45 miles (72.5 km) in length and was initially gravel-surfaced when it first opened. The route was formally designated as a Secondary Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective November 6, 1958.

Construction began in 1964 on a southerly extension of Highway 631 from Hornepayne towards White River. The first contract was completed in 1965, which extended Highway 631 southerly for about 7 miles from Hornepayne. Another 8 miles of the highway were completed in 1968, which extended the highway's southern terminus to the Shekak River. In 1969, a further 13 miles of highway were opened to traffic between the Shekak River and West Beaton River. Construction began at the southern end of the proposed highway link at White River in 1969, with about 12 1/2 miles of new highway completed from White River northerly in 1970. The final two construction contracts to complete the last 22-mile gap between the north and south sections of Highway 631 were both awarded in 1970. The highway was completed and opened to through traffic in the Summer of 1972. A bituminous surface was constructed along the highway from Hornepayne northerly to the Highway 11 Junction in 1970, with the balance of the highway surfaced in 1972.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a number of changes were made to the route of Highway 631 through Hornepayne. A short bypass route was built around the eastern side of Hornepayne in 1977-1978. The Hornepayne Bypass was formally designated as a Secondary Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective November 6, 1980. As originally established, the province did not assume jurisdiction over the urban section of Highway 631 through Hornepayne. Provincial jurisdiction over the highway came to an end at the intersection of Roundhouse Road and Riverside Drive at the northeast entrance to town. Provincial jurisdiction over Highway 631 resumed at the intersection of Leslie Avenue and Second Street. During the early 1980s, the province assumed jurisdiction over sections of Highway 631 through Hornepayne, and disposed of others. An Assumption Plan was prepared by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications dated August 6, 1982, which showed the proposed assumption of Becker Road and Leslie Avenue through Hornepayne between Second Street and the East Hornepayne Bypass (Highway 631 New) as a provincial highway. The plan was registered on August 31, 1982. A short time later, jurisdiction over this recently-assumed section of Highway 631 was transferred over to the Township of Wicksteed. This highway transfer took place on October 22, 1982, along with the transfer of a bypassed section of Highway 631 (Roundhouse Road) at the northeastern entrance to Hornepayne. A Municipal Connecting Link was designated along Highway 631 for a distance of 0.8 km between Second Avenue and the East Hornepayne Bypass by an Order-in-Council, effective December 17, 1982.

Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 631 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Other than Hornepayne, there are no services available along Highway 631 north of White River. The route of Highway 631 forms the only provincial highway link between Highway 11 and Highway 17 in this part of Ontario. Highway 631 is also Ontario's fourth-longest Secondary Highway.