  Highway 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Highway 66 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | ||||
| Length | 103.5 km[2] (64.3 mi) | |||
| Existed | September 22, 1937[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  Highway 566 inMatachewan | |||
| Major intersections |  Highway 65 nearMatachewan Highway 11 nearKirkland Lake Highway 112 inKirkland Lake | |||
| East end |   R-117 (TCH) towardsRouyn-Noranda,Quebec | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Ontario | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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King's Highway 66, commonly referred to asHighway 66, is aprovincially maintained highway in theCanadian province ofOntario. Located in theTimiskaming District, the highway begins atMatachewan near a junction withHighway 65. It extends eastward for 107.0 kilometres (66.5 mi) to theQuebec boundary just east ofKearns. At the provincial boundary, the highway continues eastward asRoute 117. FromHighway 11 (41 kilometres (25 mi) east of Matachewan) atKenogami Lake eastwards to the Quebec boundary, Highway 66 is designated as part of theTrans-Canada Highway.
Beginning at the village of Matachewan, where the highway continues west asHighway 566, the route travels 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi) east to a junction with Highway 65. From there to the community of Kenogami Lake, on Highway 11, the highway passes through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) wilderness, encountering few roads or signs of humanity. Instead the highway winds through rock cuts,muskeg and thickconiferous forests. After intersecting Highway 11, the route continues east through the controversially named community ofSwastika.[3]It encountersHighway 112 between Swastika and the community of Chaput Hughes, after which the highway enters the town ofKirkland Lake. East of the town, Highway 66 passes throughKing Kirkland and encountersHighway 672.[4]
Highway 66 returns to a remote setting, eventually passing through the community ofLarder Lake, where it encountersHighway 624. For the remaining 17 kilometres (11 mi), the route snakes through the wilderness, passing through the communities ofVirginiatown and Kearns between long segments of the forest. Immediately east of Kearns, the highway crosses the Ontario–Quebec boundary, where it continues asQuebec Route 117 toRouyn-Noranda.[4]
The entirety of Highway 66 is located withinTimiskaming District in the rugged and remoteCanadian Shield. Outside the communities along the route, there is almost no habitation or services. Consequently, traffic volumes drop considerably east of Highway 11.[2]
Highway 66 was first assumed by theDepartment of Highways on September 22, 1937, shortly after its merger with the Department of Northern Development (DND) on April 1.[1]The DND created the road during the early 1930s, connecting several rail stops. The Kirkland Lake area is the site of several gold deposits that were discovered during the first quarter of the century, and the King's Highway status brought about new improvements to help service the mines. Initially, the route was only 26.2 miles (42.2 km) long, connecting Kirkland Lake with the Ontario–Quebec boundary. On November 16, 1955, the route was extended 25.5 miles (41.0 km) west to Highway 65 near Matachewan.[5]Although several minor realignments to improve the rugged route have been made since then, it did not change significantly between 1956 and 1997. On April 1, 1997, a 1.9-kilometre (1.2 mi) section of the highway, between Goldthorpe Drive and Main Street, was transferred to the town of Kirkland Lake.[6]
Beginning in August 2011, theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario undertook the Virginiatown Relocation Study to determine a new location around the town and bypass the abandonedKerr Addison Mine.[7]Construction was announced in 2015 and was completed sometime before the end of 2017.[8]
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 66, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.[2] The entire route is located inTimiskaming District.[4]
| Location | km[2] | mi | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matachewan | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 566 west | Western terminus; continues as Highway 566 | |||
| 4.6 | 2.9 | Highway 65 south –Elk Lake | |||||
| Unorganized West Timiskaming | 44.8 | 27.8 |  Highway 11 /TCH –North Bay,Cochrane | Trans-Canada Highway designation begins | |||
| Kirkland Lake | 54.0 | 33.6 | Highway 112 south –North Bay | ||||
| 57.1 | 35.5 | Goldthorpe Drive | Highway 66 ends | ||||
| Highway 66 is discontinuous for 1.9 km (1.2 mi) through Kirkland Lake | |||||||
| 59.0 | 36.7 | Main Street | Highway 66 resumes; beginning of Kirkland LakeConnecting Link agreement | ||||
| 61.0 | 37.9 | Kirkland Lake city limits; end of Kirkland Lake Connecting Link agreement | |||||
| Unorganized West Timiskaming | 73.6 | 45.7 |  Highway 672 north | ||||
| Larder Lake | 86.4 | 53.7 |  Highway 624 south (Ontario Street) | ||||
| Unorganized West Timiskaming | 103.5 | 64.3 | R-117 (TCH) east –Rouyn-Noranda | Continuation intoQuebec | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Media related toOntario Highway 66 at Wikimedia Commons Trans-Canada Highway | ||
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Previous route Highway 11 | Highway 66 | Next route QC Route 117 |
Routes of theTrans-Canada Highway system | ||
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia–Manitoba | | |
| Ontario | ||
| Quebec | ||
| New Brunswick–Newfoundland | ||
