The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which are not owned by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Connecting links are governed by several regulations, including section 144, subsection 31.1 of the Highway Traffic Act and section 21 of the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act. While the road is under local control and can be modified to their needs, extensions and traffic signals require the approval of the MTO to be constructed.
The Connecting Link program was established in 1927. Today, of roadway in 77 municipalities are maintained under the program. These links cross 70 bridges also maintained under the program.
In return for that particular road being downloaded, the town or county receives money and assistance in maintaining it, and is able to still sign and list it as a provincial highway, though not all connecting links are signed as provincial highways. Some connecting links (typically in cases of municipal streets urbanized before the provincial highway system was established), however, were never provincial-maintained highways at all, but rather local streets or even county or regional roads that the town, city, county, or region has assistance in maintaining.
During the large-scale downloading of many provincial highways in 1997, many connecting links were repealed when their parent highways were decommissioned. However, in some cases, where a highway terminated in a city, only the connecting links through the urbanized areas were repealed, while the rest of the highway remained under provincial jurisdiction. An example of this was Highway 10 through Mississauga and Brampton. In one unique case, Highway 11A, the entire highway was decommissioned as a result of it being a connecting link for its full length.
Most connecting links are busy municipal or county roads that were once provincial highways, and are designated by small yellow squares or diamonds with the text "C/L" or "CL" on them at their start and end termini. These are similar to, but not always related to 7000-series highways.
Current links The following table lists the current connecting links in the province by highway. HighwayMunicipality (community)Local street name(s)LengthAylmerTalbot StreetWindsorHuron Church RoadHaldimand (Cayuga)Talbot RoadHaldimand (Dunnville)Broad StreetGeorge StreetMain StreetHaldimand (Jarvis)Talbot StreetNorfolk (Delhi)King StreetJames StreetNorfolk (Simcoe)Queensway EastQueensway WestCentral Huron (Clinton)Victoria StreetSouth Huron (Exeter)Main StreetLucan Biddulph (Lucan)Main StreetLondonWonderland Road (from 401 Interchange to Sunningdale Road)Sunningdale Road (from Wonderland Road to Richmond Street)Richmond Street (from Sunningdale Road to northern city limits)South Bruce Peninsula (Wiarton)Berford StreetChatsworthGarafraxa StreetWest Grey (Durham)Garafraxa StreetHaldimand (Hagersville)Main StreetHaldimand (Jarvis)Main StreetCentre Wellington (Fergus)St. David StreetTower StreetBridge StreetGuelphWoolwich StreetWoodlawn Road.Wellington North (Arthur)Smith StreetGeorge StreetWellington North (Mount Forest)Main StreetMarket StreetNEMI (Little Current)Meredith Street EastManitowaning RoadEspanolaCentre AvenueOwen SoundHighways 6/109th Avenue EastOwen SoundHighways 6/2110th Avenue WestHalton Hills (Acton)Queen StreetYoung StreetMill StreetMain StreetHalton Hills (Georgetown)Guelph StreetMain StreetStratfordErie StreetGuelphWoodlawn RoadWellington StreetWyndham StreetYork RoadMarmora and LakeMatthew StreetHavelock-Belmont-Methuen (Havelock)Ottawa StreetKawartha Lakes (Omemee)King StreetStratfordOntario StreetCentral Huron (Clinton)Huron StreetOntario StreetGoderichToronto StreetHuron RoadElgin AvenueHuron East (Seaforth)Goderich StreetStratfordHuron StreetWest Perth (Mitchell)Ontario RoadHuron RoadSouth Bruce (Mildmay)Elora StreetMinto (Clifford)Elora StreetMinto (Harriston)Elora StreetShelburneOwen Sound StreetGrey Highlands (Markdale)Toronto StreetGrey Highlands (Flesherton)Sydenham StreetToronto StreetShelburneMain StreetHearstFront Street (west of Sixth Street)KapuskasingGovernment Road (Clear Lake Road westerly to Bonnieview Road)Fort FrancesScott StreetRainy River Colonization RoadMill RoadRainy RiverAtwood AvenueFort FrancesKings HighwayRainy River Colonization RoadThird AvenueCentral AvenueChurch StreetSmiths FallsLombard StreetBeckwith StreetElmsley StreetCornelia StreetUnion StreetBlind RiverCausley Street (west of Lot 11/12 Concession 1 Stricker)Sault Ste. MarieTrunk RoadBlack RoadSecond Line EastGreat Northern RoadWest Nipissing (Sturgeon Falls)Front Street (west of Coursol Road)DrydenGovernment RoadGrand Trunk AvenueTillsonburgBroadway StreetOxford StreetSimcoe StreetVienna StreetSaugeen Shores (Port Elgin)Goderich StreetSaugeen Shores (Southampton)Albert StreetRailway StreetGoderichVictoria StreetBayfield RoadBritannia RoadLambton Shores (Forest)Main StreetKing StreetLambton Shores (Grand Bend)Ontario StreetNorth Perth (Listowel)Main StreetWallace AvenueWest Perth (Mitchell)Blanshard RoadSaint George StreetMinto (Harriston)Arthur StreetBrantfordKing George RoadNorfolk (Simcoe)Norfolk StreetBarrieBayfield StreetClearview (Stayner)King StreetMain StreetCollingwoodLakeshore StreetFront StreetFirst StreetHuron StreetHume StreetPretty River ParkwayThe Blue Mountains (Thornbury)Arthur StreetKing StreetMeafordSykes StreetOwen SoundHighway 2616th Street EastBancroftMonck RoadBridge StreetLoyalist Township (Bath)Main StreetPrince Edward (Picton)Main StreetBridge StreetChamplain (Vankleek Hill)High StreetQueen StreetHawkesburyMcGill StreetMain Street EastJohn StreetTweed (Tweed)Bridgewater RoadVictoria StreetGeorgetown StreetChatham-Kent (Chatham)Grand Avenue EastSaint Clair StreetChatham-Kent (Wallaceburg)Dufferin AvenueMcNaughton AvenueMurray StreetBonnechere Valley (Eganville)Bridge StreetQueen StreetPatrick Street Alice StreetBonnechere Valley (Eganville)Bonnechere StreetPembrokePembroke Street EastMcKay Street River RoadMuskrat DriveOlympic DriveBonnechere Valley (Eganville)Bonnechere StreetCobden RoadMadawaska Valley (Barry's Bay)Opeongo RoadRenfrewO'Brien StreetCoumbes StreetRaglan StreetStewart Street (Highway 60 only)Lisgar Avenue (Highway 132 only)Munro Avenue (Highway 132 only)BancroftMill StreetHastings StreetBellevilleNorth Front StreetCentre Hastings (Madoc)Russell StreetSt. Lawrence StreetDurham StreetPrince Edward (Bloomfield)Stanley Street Main StreetNorth BayTrout Lake Road (Highways 11/17 east to Lee's Road)West Nipissing (Sturgeon Falls)Ottawa Street (north of Highway 17)Kirkland LakeGovernment Road (east of Goldthorpe Drive)Innisfil (Cookstown)Queen StreetChurch StreetNew Tecumseth (Alliston)Young StreetKing StreetVictoria StreetShelburneMain StreetMinto (Harriston)Arthur StreetWellington North (Mount Forest)Queen StreetWawa (Michipicoten)Mission RoadMain StreetTimmins (Porcupine)Harold Avenue (west of former railway crossing in Porcupine)Algonquin BoulevardRiverside Drive (east to Kamiskotia Road)Black River-MathesonFourth AvenueElliot LakeHighway 108 (Esten Drive South north past Timber Road)Dysart et alSunnyside StreetMaple StreetMountain StreetPine StreetThessalonWharncliffe Road (north of Highway 17)CornwallBrookdale AvenueCornwallRoute to Seaway International BridgeNiagara (Niagara Falls)From Stanley Avenue to Rainbow BridgeBurk's FallsFrom South Limit of Burk's Falls to Ryerson CrescentPowassan (Trout Creek)From junction of Highway 522B, southerly to Barrett StMattawaFirst Street and Main Street (east of Highway 17)NEMI (Little Current)Meredith Street (Highway 6 to Worthington Street)Worthington Street (south of Meredith Street)Sault Ste. MarieSecond Line West from Great Northern Road westerlySault Ste. MarieCarmen's Way (Second Line West to Queen Street)Queen Street (Carmen's Way to Huron Street)DrydenDuke StreetWest River RoadAubrey RoadHornepayneLeslie Avenue (Second Street easterly to Becker Road)Smooth Rock FallsHighway 634 by-pass (Highway 11 northerly to Cloutierville Road)
See also List of Ontario provincial highways County roads in Ontario
References
External links