 Highway 76 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | |||||||
| Maintained by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | |||||||
| Length | 18.0 km[1] (11.2 mi) | ||||||
| Existed | September 16, 1936[2]–April 1, 1997[3] | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| South end | Highway 3 inEagle | ||||||
| North end |  County Road 2 (Longwoods Road) | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||
| Province | Ontario | ||||||
| Highway system | |||||||
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King's Highway 76, commonly referred to asHighway 76, was aprovincially maintained highway in theCanadian province ofOntario. The route began atHighway 3 inEagle and progressed north through the community ofWest Lorne, encounteringHighway 401 immediately before terminating southwest ofGlencoe at Longwoods Road (thenHighway 2). Today the route it followed is known asElgin County Road 76 andMiddlesex County Road 76.
Highway 76 was first designated in 1936, connecting West Lorne with Highway 3. It was extended northwest to Highway 2 in 1957 in anticipation of the construction of Highway 401 through the area, which took place in 1963. The route remained unchanged until 1997, when it was transferred toElgin County andMiddlesex County.
Highway 76 began near theLake Erie shoreline in Eagle, at Highway 3. From there it travelled northwest through a mixture of farmland and woodlots for 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) to the town of West Lorne, meeting . Immediately north of West Lorne before encountering an interchange with Highway 401 (Exit 137). About 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) north of Highway 401, Highway 76 crossed over theThames River. Highway 76 ended 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) beyond the river at Longwoods Road (then Highway 2) midway betweenWardsville andStrathburn as well as near the town of Glencoe.[4][5]
South of the Thames River, Highway 76 was within Elgin County, while north of the river was within Middlesex County. Outside of Eagle and West Lorne, the former highway was entirely rural. Today it is known as Elgin County Road 76 and Middlesex County Road 76 in the respective county.[4][5]
Highway 76 was first assigned by theDepartment of Highways (DHO), predecessor to today'sMinistry of Transportation, on September 16, 1936. It was initially 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) long, connecting Highway 3 with the village of West Lorne to the northwest along an existinggravel township road.[2]The DHO quickly improved the route, fully paving it by 1938.[6]Several highway routings were altered southwest ofLondon in late 1957, in anticipation for the construction of Highway 401. On December 5, 1957, Highway 76 was extended 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) northwest to Highway 2 between Wardsville and Strathburn.[7]Highway 401 would open between Tilbury and London as a two lane freeway on October 22, 1963 with an interchange at Highway 76. For nearly two years, traffic utilised the future westbound lanes until the eastbound lanes opened July 20, 1965.[8]
Highway 76 remained unchanged for the next 30 years. As part of a series of budget cuts initiated by premierMike Harris under hisCommon Sense Revolution platform in 1995, numerous highways deemed to no longer be of significance to the provincial network were decommissioned and responsibility for the routes transferred to a lower level of government, a process referred to as downloading. As Highway 76 generally served local traffic as opposed to long-distance movement, it was downloaded to Elgin County and Middlesex County effective April 1, 1997.[3]The two counties each retained the number 76 for the route in their respective county road system.[4][9]
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 76, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]
| Division | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin | Eagle | 0.0 | 0.0 |  Highway 3 | |
| West Lorne | 5.4 | 3.4 | County Road 2 | ||
| West Elgin | 7.4 | 4.6 |  Highway 401 | ||
| Middlesex | Southwest Middlesex | 18.0 | 11.2 |  Highway 2 (Longwoods Road) | Now Middlesex County Road 2 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
