 Highway 516 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario | ||||
| Length | 103.6 km[1] (64.4 mi) | |||
| History | May 9, 1956–1972 (Muskoka District) 1983–present (Sioux Lookout) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   Highway 72 /Highway 642 inSioux Lookout | |||
| East end |  Highway 599 –Savant Lake | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Ontario | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Secondary Highway 516, commonly referred to asHighway 516, is aprovincially maintained secondary highway in theCanadian province ofOntario. The highway is 103.6-kilometre (64.4 mi) in length, connectingHighway 72 andHighway 642 nearSioux Lookout withHighway 599 north ofSavant Lake.
Highway 516 was first assumed by the Department of Highway (DHO), predecessor to the modernMinistry of Transportation of Ontario, in 1956. However, the original route was inMuskoka, between the village ofWindermere andHighway 11 east ofUtterson. This route was mostly transferred to the newly formedDistrict Municipality of Muskoka in 1972, although a portion near Utterson now forms part ofHighway 141. The present-day route of Highway 516 was established circa 1983 and has remained unchanged since.
Highway 516 is a remote highway with no communities along its 103.6 km (64.4 mi) route. It serves as a link between Sioux Lookout and Highway 599.[2] The route begins east of Sioux Lookout at an intersection with Highway 72 and Highway 642 at the north end of the Ed Ariano Bypass. North of the intersection, the highway passes east of Sioux Lookout Airport. It then enters a vast forest where it veers around numerous lakes and dividesmuskeg. The highway serves as an access route to logging and industrial roads which travel deeper into the forest. It crosses theMarchington River approximately 40 km (25 mi) from Sioux Lookout. It ends over 100 km (60 mi) east of Sioux Lookout at Highway 599, approximately 10 km (6 mi) north of Savant Lake and approximately 20 km (12 mi) east of the boundary betweenKenora District andThunder Bay District.[2][3]
On anaverage day in 2016, approximately 1,800 vehicles used the highway near Sioux Lookout, while approximately 200 vehicles used it near Highway 599. These represent the heaviest and lightest travelled portions of the route, respectively.[1]
Two separate iterations of Highway 516 have existed in Ontario over the years. The first existed between 1956 and 1972 in Muskoka. The current Highway 516 in northwestern Ontario was designated in 1983.
The original iteration of Highway 516 was designated alongside many other secondary highways by the DHO on May 9, 1956.[4][5]The highway began in Windermere and travelled east along the southern shore of Three Mile Lake, passing through the village ofUfford along the way. The route briefly turned northconcurrent withHighway 532 nearRaymond before resuming eastward. It passed through the village of Utterson before ending at Highway 11 (now Greer Road) between Utterson and Port Sydney.[6]The highway was extended east to Port Sydney in 1960, bringing it to its peak length of 26.5 km (16.5 mi).[7][8]Following the formation of theDistrict Municipality of Muskoka on January 1, 1971,[9]most of the secondary highways within the new district were transferred to it and redesignated as part of itsdistrict road system. Highway 516 west of Highway 532 became part of Muskoka District Road 4. Highway 532 was rerouted along the portion of Highway 516 east to Highway 11 and would become Highway 141. The remaining segment east of Highway 11 became Muskoka District Road 10. By 1973, Highway 516 had been decommissioned entirely.[10][11]
During the mid-1970s, a new road was constructed between Sioux Lookout and Highway 599 north of Savant Lake to provide access to the pulpwood and iron ore resources in the area.[12][13]It was given the unsigned designation of Highway 708, but was better known as the Marchington Lake Road.[14]Although it was completed in 1977,[15]it was not assumed as a provincial highway until 1982 or 1983. Highway 516 first appeared in 1982–83 official Ontario road map as an unpaved route.[16][17]It is shown as a paved highway on the 1984 official road map.[18]Highway 516 has remain unchanged since then.[2]
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 516, as noted by theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]
| Division | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenora | Sioux Lookout | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 642 –Sioux Lookout,Silver Dollar | |
| 2.0 | 1.2 | Airport Road | |||
| Unorganized Kenora District | 30.1 | 18.7 | Vermilion Bay Road | ||
| 41.2 | 25.6 | Marchington River Bridge | |||
| Thunder Bay | Unorganized Thunder Bay District | 62.1 | 38.6 | Stanzhikimi Lake Road | |
| 88.2 | 54.8 | Bowl Lake Road | |||
| 103.6 | 64.4 | Highway 599 –Central Patricia,Ignace | |||
| 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
