 Highway 618 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | ||||
| Length | 11.7 km[1] (7.3 mi) | |||
| Existed | 1956[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Olsen Mine Road inStarratt-Olsen | |||
| East end |  Highway 105 –Ear Falls,Vermilion Bay | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Ontario | |||
| Districts | Kenora | |||
| Towns | Red Lake | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Secondary Highway 618, commonly referred to asHighway 618, is aprovincially maintained secondary highway in theCanadian province ofOntario. It connects Olsen Mine andMadsen with the northern terminus ofHighway 105 in the town ofRed Lake. The 11.7-kilometre (7.3 mi) route was established in 1956, and has remained the same since then. It passes through a remote forested area, and encounters no communities of any significance outside of Red Lake. The route was assumed by theDepartment of Highways, predecessor to today'sMinistry of Transportation of Ontario, in 1956, along with many other secondary highways in Ontario. The route has remained unchanged since then.
Highway 618 is a short highway which serves to connect several mines and the community of Madsen with the northern terminus of Highway 105 in the town of Red Lake.[3]On an average day, 500 vehicles travel the route, which is 11.7 kilometres (7.3 mi) long.[1]Owing to the geography of the area, the route serves through traffic and no residences or farms lie next to it.[4]
The route begins at Olsen Mine Road and travels east-northeast through thickboreal forest. It meets aforestry road and Main Street towards Madsen. The highway passes north ofFaulkenham Lake and travels parallel to ahigh-tension power line including the town ofRedditt. Continuing northeast, Highway 618 zig-zags through the forest, then enters Red Lake, where it is also known as Howey Street. The route shares its eastern terminus with the northern terminus of Highway 105.[3][4]
Highway 618 was first assumed by the Department of Highways, predecessor to the modern Ministry of Transportation of Ontario in early 1956, along with several dozen other secondary highways, but was possibly maintained by the province as a development road prior to that.[2][5]The route has remained unchanged since then.[3]
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 618. The entirety of the route is located withinKenora District.[3]
| Location | km[1] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starratt-Olsen | 0.0 | Olsen Mine Road | |
| Madsen | 1.3 | Main Street | |
| Red Lake | 10.2 | Starratt Street | |
| 11.7 | Highway 105 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||
Two new Ontario road numbers appear on the province's 1956 official road map which will be ready for distribution next week. The new numbers are the 500 and 600 series and designate hundreds of miles of secondary roads which are wholly maintained by the Highways Department. More than 100 secondary roads will have their own numbers and signs this year. All of these secondary roads were taken into the province's main highways system because they form important connecting links with the King's Highways
