History of Secondary Highway 652:
Secondary Highway 652 is one of Ontario's most isolated highways. The route begins at the Highway 11 Junction in Cochrane, and then heads east, meeting up
with the Northwest Industrial Road and the North Abitibi Industrial Road about 33 km east of Cochrane. From this point, the highway heads north towards the
gold mine at Detour Lake. Originally, Highway 652 only went from Highway 574 easterly for about 18 km. This first portion of Highway 652 was
designated on July 6, 1964, from the Highway 574 junction to the future intersection of the Northwest Industrial Road and the North Abitibi Industrial Road.
The route was gradually extended from the Highway 574 Junction easterly, and was completed and officially opened to traffic between the Highway 574
Junction and the two industrial roads on July 1, 1967. Originally, the highway was gravel-surfaced, but it was paved in 1970. The highway was extended
northerly to the Kattawagami River between 1981 and 1983. In 1983, Highway 652 assumed the route of Highway 574 from the Highway 11 junction in Cochrane
out to the Brower turn-off. Approximately one half of the north extension was paved in 1992. The north sections of this extension have been partially paved
in the interim years. However, as of 2003, there were still several gravel-surfaced sections remaining on the northernmost section of Highway 652.
Warning: There are no gas stations on Highway 652 outside of the Town of Cochrane.
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