History of Secondary Highway 653:
Secondary Highway 653 was a collector highway in the County of Renfrew which once extended from Highway 17 north of Renfrew to the inter-provincial bridge across the
Ottawa River located between Chenaux, Ontario and Portage-du-Fort, Quebec. Highway 653 connected to Quebec's Highway 301 at the provincial boundary. The history of
Highway 653 dates back to the mid-1960s. A Preliminary Assumption Plan was prepared by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) dated March 17, 1966, which showed
the proposed route of a new Secondary Highway via the existing routes of Renfrew County Road 4 & Renfrew County Road 9 between Highway 17 at Haley Station and
Chenaux as part of a new Secondary Highway. The new highway connection to the proposed Portage-du-Fort Bridge at was completed and officially opened to traffic on
July 21, 1966. Highway 653 was fully paved at the time it was opened to traffic. The new highway to Chenaux was formally designated as Secondary Highway 653 by an
Order-in-Council, effective August 25, 1966. The Portage-du-Fort Bridge itself was constructed under a three-party agreement announced in June 1966, between the DHO,
Quebec's Department of Highways and the Federal Government's Department of Public Works. The new inter-provincial bridge was completed and opened to traffic in
October 1967. The Portage-du-Fort Bridge at Chenaux is the only fixed bridge link across the Ottawa River between the City of Pembroke and the City of Ottawa.
The route of Highway 653 remained unchanged until the early 1980s, when it was shortened as a result of the completion of the Renfrew Bypass (Highway 17 New). Once
the new Renfrew Bypass was completed and opened to traffic in 1977, a short section of Highway 653 was also bypassed as a result. Jurisdiction over a 0.6 km section
of Highway 653 situated between Highway 17 New (Renfrew Bypass) and Old Highway 17 at Haley Station was transferred from the province to the County of Renfrew,
effective December 22, 1982. This part of Former Highway 653 is now known as Renfrew County Road 61. As part of a review of provincial services during the 1990s, it
was decided to transfer or "download" Highway 653 since it served a predominantly local purpose. The entire highway was transferred to the County of Renfrew,
effective January 1, 1998. The former highway is now known as Renfrew County Road 653. Unless posted otherwise, the speed limit on Highway 653 is 80 km/h. Services
are available on Highway 653 at the County Road 4 Junction near Chenaux and also in the nearby Town of Renfrew.
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