Ontario Highway 90 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 90 was a short but very important highway in the County of Simcoe which connected Canadian Forces Base Borden near Angus to Barrie and Highway 400. The highway existed from the 1930s up until the late 1990s, when jurisdiction over the highway was transferred or "downloaded" from the province to the County of Simcoe. Highway 90 is somewhat unique, in that the highway's western terminus was at the Canadian Forces Base Borden entrance. The vast majority of Ontario's King's Highways terminate at either the junction of another provincial highway or an international or provincial boundary.

The history of Highway 90 dates back to 1937, when the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) assumed the Angus-Barrie Road as a new King's Highway. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared dated August 31, 1937, which illustrated the proposed highway assumption between Angus and Barrie. The DHO acquired jurisdiction and control over the westernmost 10 miles of the Angus-Barrie Road on October 6, 1937, when it was assumed as a new King's Highway. As originally established in 1937, Highway 90 entered Barrie via Tiffin Street, and continued east to the Highway 11 & Highway 27 Junction at Bradford Street. As they existed in 1937, the Town of Barrie's western limits actually straddled Tiffin Street between Anne Street and the location of today's Patterson Road. The section of Highway 90 which passed through the incorporated limits of the Town of Barrie along Tiffin Street east of Patterson Road was not assumed by the DHO, and thus this section of the highway remained under municipal jurisdiction. Initially, Highway 90 was gravel-surfaced from Barrie westerly to Angus.

Although Highway 90 provided an improved road link to the large military base that existed near Angus, the highway did not in fact connect to the entrance to the military base initially. As originally assumed in 1937, Highway 90 ended at the intersection of Mill Street and King Street at the entrance to the Village of Angus. Up until that time, military traffic had to pass through Downtown Angus via Margaret Street, Curtis Street, Queen Street Cross Street and King Street in order to reach the start of Highway 90. The DHO prepared a Preliminary Route Plan dated August 29, 1939, which illustrated the proposed assumption over certain streets within the Village of Angus. The DHO acquired jurisdiction and control over King Street between Mill Street and Cross Street and also Cross Street from King Street to the Canadian National Railway crossing as an extension of Highway 90, effective September 27, 1939. This extension increased the length of Highway 90 by 0.4 miles.

Following the outbreak of World War II, an urgent need arose to provide an improved connection between Highway 90 and Base Borden. In the Fall of 1939, plans were developed to construct an extension of Highway 90 across the Pine River so that it connected directly with the military base entrance. This new route, known as the Angus Diversion, essentially bypassed the circuitous route that military traffic had to follow through the village centre. The Angus Diversion extended Mill Street across the Pine River from King Street southerly to Margaret Street. Construction work began quickly on the Angus Diversion shortly after the outbreak of World War II. Plans were prepared for the new Pine River Bridge on the Highway 90 Extension in November 1939. Construction of the bridge took place shortly thereafter. The new Pine River Bridge was completed and opened to traffic along with the rest of the Angus Diversion in the Summer of 1940. The bypassed route of Highway 90 which led into the Village of Angus via King Street and Cross Street reverted back to municipal control, effective August 9, 1940.

The entire length of Highway 90 from Angus to Barrie was paved with an asphaltic concrete surface between the Fall of 1939 and the Summer of 1940. As part of this work, two diversions were graded and constructed in order to improve the alignment of Highway 90. A curved diversion was constructed at the northern entrance to Angus. The old route of Highway 90 through the corners (via today's Brentwood Road and Commerce Road) reverted back to municipal control, effective June 9, 1944. A second diversion was constructed along Highway 90 at the boundary between the Townships of Essa and Innisfil, in order to correct an offset intersection at this location. The old route of Highway 90 through the corners reverted back to municipal control, effective June 9, 1944. While part of Old Highway 90's route later became a part of Highway 131 in the 1980s, the majority of this former Highway 90 alignment was ultimately closed to traffic. As a result of the construction as a new Canadian Pacific Railway Overhead in the late 1970s, a short section of Highway 90 was bypassed. The old sections of Highway 90 (today's Holmes Drive and part of Sunnidale Road) were transferred to the Townships of Essa and Vespra, effective March 22, 1982. A short extension took place for Highway 90 in Angus in 1960, when the DHO's jurisdiction over the highway was extended from Margaret Street to the turn-off to Base Borden just south of Massey Street. In August 1960, an Assumption Plan was prepared, which illustrated the proposed extension of Highway 90 further south along Mill Street to the Base Borden Entrance Road. This short section of Highway 90 was assumed by the DHO on November 21, 1960.

Several changes were made to the route of Highway 90 approaching Barrie in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, the DHO assumed jurisdiction and control over an additional section of Tiffin Street between Anne Street and Patterson Road as part of the King's Highway. Jurisdiction over this section of Tiffin Street was shared between the Town of Barrie and the Township of Vespra, as it was a boundary road between the two municipalities. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared dated April 5, 1950, which illustrated the proposed extension of Highway 90 for roughly 1/2 mile easterly into the Town of Barrie via Tiffin Street. The DHO assumed jurisdiction over this boundary road between Vespra and Barrie, effective December 13, 1950. When Highway 400 was constructed through Barrie in the early 1950s, it was decided that a cloverleaf could not be built at Highway 90 (Tiffin Street). The cloverleaf was unfeasible because of the adjacent railway line and the proximity of the Highway 27 (Essa Road) Cloverleaf located a short distance to the south. Since there was no direct access to Highway 400 from Tiffin Street, heavy trucks had to drive through Barrie on municipal streets in order to access Highway 400 from Highway 90. Recognizing that this wasn't ideal, the DHO began to look at ways of diverting through traffic off of Tiffin Street.

In 1954-1955, a new interchange was built on Highway 400 at Elizabeth Street (today's Dunlop Street), with the intention of establishing this as a new route for Highway 90 into Barrie. This new interchange provided improved access to Downtown Barrie from Highway 400, but it also presented a solution to the access issues at existing Highway 90 (Tiffin Street). The DHO decided to assume jurisdiction over a new route for Highway 90 west of the city and transfer the old route of Highway 90 via Tiffin Street. Following the completion of Highway 400 in 1952, the Town of Barrie's limits were extended westerly out to Highway 400. On June 27, 1955, the DHO transferred its jurisdiction over Tiffin Street from the underpass below Highway 400 easterly to Anne Street over to the Town of Barrie. Another short section of Tiffin Street between Patterson Road and the underpass below Highway 400 was transferred to the City of Barrie, effective October 29, 1959. The DHO then assumed jurisdiction and control over Simcoe County Road 7 as the new route for Highway 90. This proposed route for Highway 90 began at the existing route of Highway 90 (Tiffin Street) and followed Ferndale Drive and Dunlop Street over to the Highway 400 Interchange. A Preliminary Assumption Plan was prepared dated August 24, 1959, and registered on September 2, 1959. The plan illustrated the DHO's assumption of Simcoe County Road 7 between Tiffin Street and the Highway 400 Interchange as a new provincial highway. This new section of Highway 90 was just under a mile in length and was formally designated as King's Highway 90 by an Order-in-Council, effective October 1, 1959. The new route of Highway 90 via Ferndale Drive and Dunlop Street allowed through traffic to enter or exit Highway 400 with little difficulty.

In 1962, a proposed new diversion for Highway 90 was surveyed with a 200-foot right-of-way from Ferndale Drive westerly towards Angus. This new route was essentially a westerly extension of Dunlop Street, which bypassed the remainder of the original Highway 90 route into Barrie via Tiffin Street. Construction began on the relocated route for Highway 90 in early 1963. This new extension of Dunlop Street removed the awkward jog in Highway 90's route at Ferndale Drive. The new route of Highway 90 was completed and opened to traffic in late 1963. Following the completion of the new highway, the old route of Highway 90 via Ferndale Drive and Tiffin Street was assigned a 7000-Series Highway designation (Highway 7006). On April 1, 1966, jurisdiction over all provincially-owned sections of Highway 90 within the City of Barrie were transferred to the municipality. This provincially-owned section of Highway 90 began at the Highway 400 Interchange and continued westerly for a distance of about 1 mile to the new western city limits of Barrie, which came effect on January 1, 1964. In addition, the old routes of Highway 90 via Tiffin Street from Patterson Road to the relocated western city limits and Ferndale Drive between Tiffin Street and Highway 90 (Dunlop Street) were also transferred to the City of Barrie, effective April 1, 1966. Beyond the city limits, the old route of Highway 90 (Highway 7006) via Tiffin Street was transferred to the Townships of Vespra and Innisfil, effective April 1, 1966.

The route of Highway 90 (Dunlop Street) from the City of Barrie's western limits into Downtown Barrie was formally designated as a Municipal Connecting Link by an Order-in-Council, effective May 19, 1966. Up until the mid-1960s, Highway 90's official eastern terminus was situated as the Highway 400 Interchange according to DHO mileage logs issued up until 1965. Beginning in 1966, DHO's mileage logs and route inventories denoted the eastern terminus of Highway 90 at the Highway 11 & Highway 27 Junction at Bradford Street in Downtown Barrie. A slight amendment was made to this Municipal Connecting Link route through Barrie in the late 1980s. A short section of Highway 90 between the old (1964) city limits and new city limits (located near the intersection of the Dunlop Street Extension and Tiffin Street) was transferred from the province to the City of Barrie, effective April 24, 1987. Accordingly, this transferred section of Highway 90 was added to the Barrie Municipal Connecting Link by an Order-in-Council, effective September 30, 1987. This Municipal Connecting Link route remained in effect until the late 1990s, when the easternmost section of the Highway 90 Municipal Connecting Link route along Dunlop Street between the Highway 400 Interchange and Downtown Barrie was revoked by a Minister's Order, effective September 16, 1997.

The routing of Highway 90 did not change again until January 1, 1998, when the entire highway was transferred or "downloaded" to Simcoe County. The remainder of the Highway 90 Municipal Connecting Link from the Highway 400 Interchange to the western limits of the City of Barrie was revoked by a Minister's Order, effective January 1, 1998. This former King's Highway is now officially known as Simcoe Road 90, although the road is nearly always referred to as "Highway 90" by motorists. Within the City of Barrie, the former route of Highway 90 is known as Dunlop Street. Services are frequently available along this highway. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 90 is 80 km/h (50 mph). Please visit the Highway 90 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 90.