History of King's Highway 8A (Alt):
This route was a city-posted truck bypass that was created after Main Street and King Street were converted to one-way streets through Downtown Hamilton, effective
October 28, 1956. Large trucks were prohibited from using a portion of King Street (westbound Highway 8), as the street was very narrow and congested. An alternate
route was set up to allow large westbound trucks to bypass the downtown area altogether. At King Street and Victoria Avenue, Highway 8 (Alt) departed from Highway 8
and went north for four blocks. At Cannon Street, Highway 8 (Alt) turned west, and ran parallel to King Street. At Cannon and Queen Streets, Highway 8 (Alt) turned
south, and joined up with Highway 8 at Queen and King Streets. This route was only posted going westbound, as there were no truck restrictions on Main Street
(eastbound Highway 8). This route seems to have been established by the City of Hamilton, and was apparently never considered to be an official King's Highway by the
MTO. The route is not marked on any road maps, nor is the route listed in the MTO's Highway Distance Tables. The route was also never formally designated as a
Municipal Connecting Link. The route was apparently decommissioned in 1997, along with the rest of Highway 8 from Peter's Corners easterly to Winona.
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