Ontario Highway 88 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 88 was a very short collector highway in Simcoe County which connected Bond Head to Bradford. The route existed up until the late 1990s, when it was downloaded in its entirety. The history of Highway 88 dates back to the late 1930s, when the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) assumed the Bond Head-Bradford Road as a new King's Highway. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared on September 25, 1937, indicating the route of the proposed new highway. The DHO assumed ownership of the existing Bond Head-Bradford Road on April 13, 1938, and designated the new route as Highway 88. The highway was only 9.7 km in length. The entire highway was paved in 1956.

In a precursor to what would become a major period of change for Ontario's Highways, Highway 11 was downloaded between Richmond Hill and Barrie in 1996 and 1997. This was followed by the transfer of Highway 27 south of Barrie to Simcoe County in 1998. Since Highway 88 essentially just connected these two downloaded King's Highways together, it was decided that Highway 88 was no longer needed in the Provincial Highway System either. On January 1, 1998, Highway 88 was formally decommissioned as a King's Highway. The road is now officially known as Simcoe County Road 88, although it is still commonly referred to as "Highway 88" by motorists. Services are frequently available on this highway. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 88 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 88 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 88.