King's Highway 115, commonly referred to asHighway 115, is aprovincially maintained highway in theCanadian province ofOntario that connectsPeterborough withToronto viaHighway 401. The highway begins at a junction with Highway 401 southwest ofNewcastle and ends at anat-grade intersection withHighway 7 east ofPeterborough.

Highway 115
Highway 115 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained byMinistry of Transportation of Ontario
Length	57.6 km[1] (35.8 mi)
Existed	March 17, 1955[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	Highway 401 nearNewcastle
Major intersections	Highway 407 inClarington  Highway 35 nearPontypool  Highway 7A nearCavan
North end	Highway 7 inPeterborough
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways Current Former 400-series
←Highway 112 →Highway 118
Former provincial highways ←  Highway 114 Highway 116 →

Highway 115 is part of theAlgonquin Trail and isconcurrent withHighway 35 from its southern terminus inClarington toEnterprise Hill, where it veers towards Peterborough and Highway 35 continues north into theKawarthas. It is also part of theTrans-Canada Highway from the interchange with Highway 7 south ofSpringville, Ontario to the northern terminus of the highway. Highway 115 is afreeway northeast of Enterprise Hill and aright-in/right-out (RIRO)expressway south of it, featuring short ramps with abrupt right turns to and from the highway. By January 2010, exit numbers were added to the freeway section north of the Highway 35 concurrency.

Highway 115 begins at atrumpet interchange with Highway 401, and isconcurrent with Highway 35 for 18.9 km (11.7 mi) to Enterprise Hill.^[3][4][5] For the length of this concurrency, it is a divided four lane RIRO expressway. Here, Highway 35/115 meets the eastern terminus of Highway 407 at a modified trumpet interchange inClarington, and at Enterprise Hill, the expressway curves eastward and Highway 35 exits, continuing north towardsLindsay. Highway 115 continues northeast, and the two carriageways diverge, making it afreeway. A depressed grass median, generally 10 metres (33 ft) wide, separates the opposing directions of travel between this point and Peterborough.

Most of the remainder of the highway is straight and surrounded by agricultural lands and forests, until it meets Highway 7. From this point northeastward, Highway 115 is part of the southern Ontario route of theTrans-Canada Highway and concurrent with Highway 7.^[3] The freeway continues along the southern edge ofPeterborough and ends at Lansdowne Street to the east of the city. Highway 7 continues east towardsOttawa.

Highway 115 was a new highway constructed in the mid-1950s and gradually improved over the following 40 years. Initially, the route was constructed as a two-lane connection from Highway 35 nearPontypool to Highway 28 on the outskirts of Peterborough. Because of that, it was known as the Pontypool–Peterborough Road. It was eventually extended to Highway 7 on the east side of Peterborough and later widened to a four-lane expressway in the late 1980s. Since then, improvements have been proposed to extend Highway 115 east to Highway 28, but none has come to fruition.

In 1953, construction began on a two-lane road northeastward from Highway 35 south of Pontypool, with the purpose of creating a shorter route between Toronto and Peterborough.^[6][7] The Pontypool–Peterborough Road, as it was referred to during construction, was completed and designated as Highway 115 on March 17, 1955,^[2][8] ending at an intersection withHighway 28 which became notoriously dangerous.^[6]

In 1961, Highway 115 was extended southward to the 401, becoming concurrent with Highway 35. That same year, the newPeterborough By-pass opened, providing a route for Highway 7 around the south side of the city via Monaghan Parkway.^[9] Highway 115 was later extended east to connect with the bypass, and the northern terminus became the intersection of Erskine Avenue and Lansdowne Street (the former Highway 7A). The 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) extension was opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 25, 1978.^[10]

The entire length of the highway south of Highway 7 was widened to four lanes in the 1980s and early 1990s.^[11] Later, Highway 115 was rerouted to join Highway 7 on the newly-four-laned Peterborough By-pass route. Although Highway 115 currently meets manyOntario freeway design standards northeast of the Highway 35 interchange, there are currently no plans to re-designate this section as a 400-series highway (like Highway 415 or a non-tolled section of Highway 407).

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 115, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.^[1][12] 

Highway 115 has a few unofficial service areas providing food and fuel for motorists without have to travel off the highway. These target vehicles heading north to Peterborough and south to Highway 401. All have entrances and exits back onto highway.

• Esso and Mobil service stations - located next to one another on the southbound side and just north of Noone's. Esso has Country Style donuts within On the Run; Mobil (with Convenience Store) built on site of former Coffee Time location
• Noone's Petro Canada & Orono Petro Pass - on southbound side near Concession Road 8 and also has Tim Hortons (with rest rooms) and convenience store
• Black Dog Cafe Restaurant and Lounge - northbound at Concession Road 6 with Esso service station (rest rooms for restaurant patrons)
• Esso / Petro Canada stations - southbound and northbound respectively at Concession Road 3. Esso has Country Style donuts and Petro Canada located across from Popeye's Chicken (formerly Country Style Donuts store and has restrooms)

Sources

Bibliography

• Miller, Ray Y C (2005). "History of Highways in the Area".From Coal Oil Lights to Satellites. Trafford Publishing.ISBN 1-4120-4894-X. RetrievedJune 25, 2010.

  Media related toOntario Highway 115 at Wikimedia Commons