Ontario Highway 65 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 65 is a minor collector highway which serves the District of Timiskaming. The highway passes through predominantly rural areas to the west and east of New Liskeard, but the highway traverses some very remote and rugged terrain between Elk Lake and Matachewan. The only town of any significant size on Highway 65 is New Liskeard, although there are some smaller communities which occasionally appear along the highway. The highway was first established in the 1930s, when the Elk Lake and Matachewan Road was assumed by the Department of Highways as a new provincial highway. The new road was designated as King's Highway 65 on August 7, 1937. The highway was extended from New Liskeard to the Ontario-Quebec Boundary in 1956. The eastern extension of Highway 65 was assumed as a provincial highway on February 22, 1956. In order to connect the east and west sections of Highway 65, a 2 km section of Highway 65 was signed concurrently with Highway 11 (later Highway 11B) through New Liskeard. In 2003, a 3 km section of Highway 65 was rerouted onto the Tri-Town Bypass (Highway 11). The new route of Highway 65 allows traffic to bypass Downtown New Liskeard entirely.

At the Quebec Boundary, Highway 65 links to Quebec's Highway 101 in Notre-Dame-du-Nord. With the exception of New Liskeard, all sections of Highway 65 are two lanes. Services are very scarce along Highway 65. Gasoline is only available in Matachewan, Elk Lake and New Liskeard. Moose are quite common along Highway 65. These enormous animals can often be seen crossing the highway corridor. This represents a serious collision hazard, because these animals are difficult for motorists to see at night. Slow down and be prepared for moose if you plan to use Highway 65 at night. The speed limit on Highway 65 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 65 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 65.