Ontario Highway 75 (#2) History - The King's Highways of Ontario

The King's Highway 75 designation was almost resurrected for a proposed highway route that was being planned through the County of Haldimand north of Dunnville and the County of Lincoln (now part of the Regional Municipality of Niagara). Although the highway was never actually constructed, the new route was legally designated and was to be known as Highway 75.

The Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) completed an extensive planning study for the Niagara Peninsula in 1964. One of the study's recommendations was the creation of a new provincial highway link between Highway 3 at Canborough and Highway 20 at Bismarck (signed today as "Bismark"). This new collector highway would have provided a mid-peninsula highway link to Southwestern Ontario from St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. At the time of the study's completion in 1964, there were no existing provincial highways which served this function.

In 1970, the DHO prepared Designation Plans for the proposed route of Highway 75 between Canborough and Bismarck. The Designation Plan for the 2.2-mile section of the proposed route within the County of Haldimand was dated November 18, 1970. It showed the proposed designation of a right-of-way which paralleled Haldimand County Road 10 (today's Haldimand County Road 14) northeast of Canborough as part of Highway 75. A second Designation Plan was prepared dated November 18, 1970, which showed the proposed right-of-way for Highway 75 within the Former County of Lincoln (known as the Regional Municipality of Niagara after 1970). The highway right-of-way roughly paralleled the Smithville Road (Former Lincoln County Road 36) from the Haldimand County Boundary northeasterly to Warner. From the Warner area, the proposed route of Highway 75 continued northeasterly along an entirely new alignment. The proposed highway then curved easterly along Caistor Concession Road 3. South of Winslow, Highway 75's proposed route swung northeasterly on an entirely new alignment, then followed Former Lincoln County Road 21 (today's Niagara Regional Road 65) from Winslow easterly to Bismarck. The total length of the new highway within the Regional Municipality of Niagara was approximately 8.5 miles. According to DHO records, the total length of the proposed highway between Canborough and Bismarck was approximately 10.7 miles, or about 17.2 km (See Map). The new route was officially designated as a King's Highway by an Order-in-Council, effective January 14, 1971.

The DHO's 1964 planning study also recommended the relocation of Highway 3 through the Dunnville area. Had the relocation of Highway 3 taken place, Highway 75 would have been extended westerly towards Cayuga along the existing route of Highway 3. This extended route of Highway 75 would tie into the relocated route of Highway 3 near Canfield (See Map). This extension would have added about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the length of Highway 75, once the diversion was completed.

It is not clear why Highway 75 was never built. However, it is quite possible that highway planners eventually acknowledged that the existing county road network in the area would suffice in terms of carrying the traffic volumes that were expected to use the new highway facility. The first Highway 75 existed between 1936 and 1957. It was located in Elgin County southwest of St. Thomas.