History of Tertiary Highway 811:
Tertiary Highway 811 is a long forest access road serving a remote area north of Thunder Bay. Highway 811 extends from Highway 527 northwesterly for 59 km, before
ending suddenly at the Weaver River. In 1974, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC) released a highway transportation study for Northwestern
Ontario, which suggested the potential benefit of a future highway corridor between Highway 527 and Highway 599 in the Savant Lake area. During the 1970s, the MTC
acquired a forest access road known as the Garden Lake Road as a new provincial highway. In June 1974, a Preliminary Assumption Plan was prepared by the MTC which
showed the planned assumption of the Garden Lake Road from Milepost 0 to Milepost 18 as a new Tertiary Highway. The Preliminary Assumption Plan was registered on
June 20, 1974, and the route was formally designated as Tertiary Highway 811 by an Order-in-Council dated August 21, 1974. The highway was extended in 1975 when the
Garden Lake Road from Milepost 18 to Milepost 28 was assumed as part of Highway 811, effective July 6, 1975. Another 9 miles of the Garden Lake Road were acquired on
February 10, 1976. The final section of the Garden Lake Road, from Milepost 37 to the Weaver River Bridge was assumed by the MTC on May 27, 1977. The balance of the
route was formally designated as Tertiary Highway 811 by an Order-in-Council dated July 6, 1977. While the link to the Savant Lake area did not materialize,
Highway 811 still forms an important forestry road today. The entire highway is gravel-surfaced. Presently, Highway 811 is Ontario's highest-numbered provincial
highway. There are no services available on this highway.
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