Ontario Highway 93 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 93 is a collector highway which connects the Midland area to Highway 400 in Simcoe County. Currently, Highway 93 begins at the Highway 400 Interchange near Craighurst north of Barrie and continues northerly to the Highway 12 Junction in Midland. Highway 93 closely follows the historical route of the Old Penetanguishene Road, which was an early military road constructed between Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe in the early 19th Century.

Highway 93 was first established in the late 1930s, when a new highway link was designated between Barrie and Waverley. A Preliminary Route Plan was prepared by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) dated October 26, 1937, which showed the proposed assumption of the Penetanguishene Road from the Highway 11 Junction at Crown Hill north of Barrie to the Highway 27 Junction in Waverley. The road was assumed by the DHO as a new King's Highway on April 13, 1938. The new highway was 17.5 miles (28 km) in length and provided a more direct connection between Highway 11 and Highway 27 North to Midland. The highway was initially gravel-surfaced for its entire length. Highway 93 was paved from Dalston northerly to Waverley in 1956 and from Crown Hill northerly to Dalston in 1960.

The route of Highway 93 remained more or less unchanged from the 1930s up until the early 1980s. A route renumbering took place in the area in 1982. The section of Highway 27 between Waverley and Penetanguishene was renumbered as Highway 93. Following the 1982 highway renumbering, the length of Highway 93 grew to 47.5 km. The route of Highway 93 remained the same up until the late 1990s, when roughly 50% of the highway was "downloaded" or transferred to local municipalities. On March 31, 1997, the section of Highway 93 lying between the Highway 11 Interchange at Crown Hill and the Highway 400 Interchange near Craighurst was transferred to the County of Simcoe. In addition, the section of Highway 93 through Midland from the Highway 12 Junction northerly to the south limits of the Town of Penetanguishene was transferred to the County of Simcoe on March 31, 1997.

These downloaded sections of Highway 93 are now officially known as Simcoe Road 93, although both the provincially-owned and county-owned sections of the highway are often collectively referred to by motorists as "Highway 93". The Municipal Connecting Link Agreement between the province and the Town of Penetanguishene for the non-assumed section of Highway 93 which passed through the town was revoked by a Minister's Order, effective July 31, 1997. The total length of the sections of Highway 93 lost to municipal transfers in 1997 amounted to 22.6 km, including the revocation of the Penetanguishene Municipal Connecting Link. Today, the provincially-maintained section of Highway 93 is 23.9 km in length.

Highway 93 passes through a predominantly rural area along its roughly 24 km route. The only major town located along the highway is Midland, although the highway serves several other small communities along its route. Highway 93 is a two-lane road for its entire length, although passing lanes appear frequently between Waverley and Midland. The downloaded section of Highway 93 between Midland and Penetanguishene is a four-lane undivided highway. Services are available in most communities along Highway 93. The speed limit on Highway 93 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 93 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 93.

Winter Driving Tip: Highway 93 is known for poor winter road conditions during snowsqualls. While the highway is seldom closed due to weather conditions, it can be a very unpleasant and treacherous drive during the winter due to blowing and drifting snow. Blowing snow will often result in zero-visibility conditions. The weather conditions on this highway can deteriorate very rapidly when snowsqualls blow in from Georgian Bay. On cold, windy days, it is a good idea to check the Road Closures and Winter Road Conditions pages on the Ministry of Transportation's Website, or verify road conditions by telephone at 1-800-268-4686 before using Highway 93.