The Pic River is a river in the east part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario , Canada. It flows from McKay Lake southeast of the community of Longlac and empties into Lake Superior southeast of the town of Marathon .
109-657: The river begins at an elevation of 321 metres (1,053 ft) at Outlet Bay at the southeast of McKay Lake, about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of the community of Caramat and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southwest of the Canadian National Railway mainline, flowing south out of the lake over McKay Lake Dam. It heads over the Bigrock Rapids to Sagiwatan Lake, then further south over the Deadman Rapids to Waboosekon Lake. The river passes out of
218-532: A $ 71-million contract was awarded for a mix of twinning and a new alignment for 7.9-kilometre (4.9 mi) from Superior Shores Road south of Ouimet to south of Dorion Loop Road near Dorion . Construction started a few weeks earlier at the end of November. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2023. On July 11, 2022, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of the new eastbound lanes opened from Ouimet Canyon Road to Superior Shores Road. The remainder of
327-447: A 41-kilometre (25 mi) gap remaining to be four-laned; by 2009, construction was underway on 36 kilometres (22 mi). A 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) section from south of Burk's Falls to south of Katrine was four-laned by late 2010, mostly along a new alignment. The 17-kilometre (11 mi) Sundridge–South River Bypass opened to traffic on or about September 20, 2011, along a new alignment. The final two projects, twinning
436-539: A boulder during World War I . However, it wouldn't be until 1931 that Bill "Hard Rock" Smith and Stan Watson would stake 18 claims along 3 veins . Tom Johnson and Robert Wells filed claims based on gold appearing in Magnet Lake quartz outcrop and the presence of bismuthinite . The Bankfield Gold Mine developed from these claims. In 1932, Johnson and Oklend staked 12 claims at Little Long Lac. Fred MacLeod and Arthur Cockshutt filed 15 claims near Smith's. Nakina
545-491: A bypass. Beginning in 1965 Highway 11 was widened to a divided four-lane route between Orillia and North Bay. Initially, this work began at the southern end and progressed northwards; work later began southwards from North Bay. The first section to be four-laned was 8.0 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Orillia, which was completed in October 1964, while the remaining 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north to Severn River
654-668: A change of -7.1% from its 2016 population of 4,636 . With a land area of 2,727.04 km (1,052.92 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.6/km (4.1/sq mi) in 2021. Greenstone's mayor is James McPherson. The Greenstone Public Library has branches in Beardmore, Geraldton (the Elsie Dugard Centennial Branch), Longlac and Nakina (the Helen Mackie Memorial Branch). On 4 March 2006 Letters Patent were presented by
763-468: A group of 64 families north-east of Toronto to found the town of German Mills , in today's Markham . By the end of 1794, Berczy's settlers had cleared the route around Thornhill . However, the settlement was hit by a series of setbacks and road construction stalled. Work on the road resumed in 1795 when the Queen's Rangers took over. They began their work at Eglinton Avenue and proceeded north, reaching
872-553: A new alignment east of that point to Birch Beach Road. The latter project was completed first, opening in July 2013, while the former was opened the week of September 29, 2014. Construction began in 2013 on a new four lane cable-stayed bridge across the Nipigon River , to replace the existing two lane bridge built in 1974. The southern span to carry the future westbound lanes was opened on November 28, 2015, after which
981-414: A road existed between Cobalt and Kirkland Lake , as well as between Ramore and Cochrane, with an approximately 32-kilometre (20 mi) gap separating the two sections. Conservative leader Howard Ferguson promised to build a road to connect North Bay and Cochrane during the 1923 Ontario general election , which saw him elected as premier . The route of the new road between North Bay and Cobalt
1090-619: A source of further growth, though the Canadian Shield geology of the area makes extraction of minerals like gold an expensive operation. As of 2009 , a proposed ore transport point around Nakina, as part of the Ring of Fire development, may shift the emphasis of local industry from logging back to mining. In 2010 the Ring of Fire development, proposed James Bay rail link and placement of processing plants remains of great economic interest for
1199-401: Is at freeway standards, while several at-grade intersections remain between Bracebridge and Huntsville. Highway 11 crosses the 45th parallel north 550 metres (1,800 ft) north of the bridge carrying Highway 118 at interchange 182, just outside Bracebridge. The 120-kilometre (70 mi) section of Highway 11 between Huntsville and North Bay provides access to
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#17327717678941308-584: Is being done to twin the route from Ouimet to Dorion . Additionally, the section from Balsam Street to the Harbour Expressway is four lanes wide, but undivided. The partial cloverleaf interchange at Thunder Bay's Hodder Avenue is the only interchange in Northwestern Ontario . Highway 11 and 17 run concurrently from Nipigon down to Thunder Bay, a distance of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi), where they swing west on
1417-627: Is crossed by the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline, takes in the left tributary Black River , passes the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation community of Pic River , and reaches its mouth at Lake Superior. A beach and system of sand dunes are found at the mouth. Fort Pic was a trading post founded in 1789 by Gabriel Cotté in partnership with John Grant and Maurice-Régis Blondeau . Its greatest prosperity
1526-434: Is now Bethune Drive, opened in 1948, while reconstruction of the remainder of the route between Washago and Gravenhurst was completed in 1949. To the south, improvements between Barrie and Orillia, including a divided four-lane highway around the latter, were completed by 1955. During that period, a two-lane bypass around Washago was built between 1954 and 1955. Similar bypasses were built between Barrie and North Bay over
1635-515: Is simply either Yonge Street or the sections of various streets the highway followed. By 1997, the four-laning of Highway 11 reached to approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north of Highway 60, where an interchange was built in 1992, as well as from North Bay south to Powassan. A continuous construction project was carried out over the next 15 years to widen the remaining 93 kilometres (58 mi) between Huntsville and Powassan. A 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) project to twin
1744-704: The Canadian Heraldic Authority , granting arms, flag and badge to the Corporation of the Municipality of Greenstone. The flag consists in a banner of arms while the badge is described as: on a miner's pick and a double-bitted axe in saltire Argent hafted Vert, a railway wheel Or charged with a grey wolf's head erased proper. Greenstone experiences a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ), with cold winters and warm summers. The highest temperature ever recorded in
1853-699: The Muskoka Road —all early colonization roads in the region—a continuous route was created between Toronto and North Bay; however, the new department's jurisdiction did not extend north of the Severn River. Roads north of that point were maintained by the Department of Northern Development (DND). In order to be eligible for federal funding, the DPHO established a network of provincial highways on February 26, 1920. What would become Highway 11
1962-748: The Pinetree Line radar bases that were erected to focus on the Cold War threat. The Nakina base was totally removed shortly after the war. The settlement of Geraldton is a compound of the surname of financiers of a nearby gold mine near Kenogamisis Lake in 1931 (Fitzgerald and Errington). The Geraldton-Beardmore Gold Camp, in the heart of the Canadian Shield, hosts numerous mineralized zones which continue to be explored for potential development. Eight gold mines operated here between 1936 and 1970. Tom Powers and Phil Silams staked what became
2071-558: The detailed design process as of 2022, and are broken up into several sections: 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) between Pearl and south of Ouimet; 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi) between Dorion Loop Road and near Highway 582 ; 8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi) between Highway 582 and Coughlin Road; 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) between Coughlin Road and Red Rock Road No. 9, crossing the Black Sturgeon River and connecting with
2180-416: The 19-kilometre (12 mi) Tri-Town Bypass, from Gillies to north of New Liskeard, was opened on September 18. The new route bypassed the towns of Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard (the latter two which have since become part of Temiskaming Shores ). In several cases, the original route of Highway 11 became a business route (Highway 11B, see #Business routes ) upon the completion of
2289-450: The 1960s, the highway was four-laned between Barrie and North Bay in stages. Four laning was completed between Barrie and Gravenhurst in the 1960s, between Gravenhurst and Huntsville in the 1970s, and from North Bay south to Callander in the 1980s. The remaining two lane section between Huntsville and Callander was four laned through the 1990s and 2000s, and was completed in 2012. A section concurrent with Highway 17 east of Thunder Bay
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#17327717678942398-418: The 1970s pulp and paper operations near the town resulted in growth in the town's population to its peak of approximately 1,200. However, at this point, cost controls in the railway industry meant that service and maintenance could be consolidated at points much more distant from one another than had been common in the first half of the 20th century. As a result, the value of Nakina as a railway service community
2507-575: The Bradford–Barrie extension) through Barrie and south to Lake Ontario in Toronto, also known as Yonge Street , was decommissioned as a provincial highway in 1996 and 1997. From the late 1940s through the 1960s, numerous bypasses of towns along the route were built, including Orillia, Washago , Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , Emsdale , Powassan , Callander , North Bay, Cobalt , Haileybury , New Liskeard and Thunder Bay. Beginning in
2616-644: The Burk's Falls Bypass and a new alignment alongside the existing highway between Burk's Falls and Sundridge, were completed and opened together on August 8, 2012, completing the four laning between Barrie and North Bay. Overall, the project between Huntsville and Powassan required "16 new interchanges, 54 new bridges, 1.7 million cubic meters of rock excavation, 10.5 million cubic metres of earth excavation, 4.6 million tonnes of granular material applied and 500,000 tonnes of asphalt." Plans for four-laning Highway 11/17 from
2725-617: The Ferguson Highway were assumed north of North Bay within Nipissing District , as well as 182.1 kilometres (113.2 mi) through Timiskaming District . Highway 11 grew in length from 154.2 kilometres (95.8 mi) to 1,024.0 kilometres (636.3 mi). Construction began in 1938 on a road to connect Highway 17 at Nipigon with the gold mines discovered near the town of Geraldton several years earlier. Although portions of this new road were passable by
2834-531: The James River Paper Company. The Pic river drive was phased out and trucks were employed in lieu of the water based system that was in place for many years. The woodlands that furnished wood for the mill at Marathon were delineated by the Pic watershed. In the early years woodsmen walked from Marathon after their hire, following trails blazed along the Pic river to camps built to provide wood for
2943-556: The Lakehead Expressway to be built on the western edge of the twin cities of Port Arthur and Fort William (which amalgamated in 1970 to form Thunder Bay). Plans called for a 28.2 kilometres (17.5 mi) at-grade expressway from South of Arthur Street to meet Highway 11 and Highway 17 northeast of the cities. Work began in August 1965, with a contract for a 5 kilometres (3 mi) section of divided highway on
3052-554: The Leitch Gold Mine (1936–1968), which produced 861,982 ounces of gold from 0.92 grade ore. The Bankfield Gold Mines produced 66,416 ounces by 1942. Tomball Mines (1938–1942), started by Tom and Bill Johnson, produced 69,416 ounces. The Magnet Mine (1938–1942) produced 152,089 ounces. The Hard Rock Mine (1938–1951) produced 269,081 ounces, while the MacLeod-Cockshutt (1938–1970) produced 1,516,980 ounces. In
3161-479: The Noden Causeway, and reaches Fort Frances , where Highway 71 runs south across the U.S. border to International Falls . From here, Highway 11 shares a concurrency with Highway 71 for 37 kilometres (23 mi) until the latter branches north after Emo , while Highway 11 runs parallel to the border for 51 kilometres (32 mi) before ending at the town of Rainy River, where
3270-556: The Northern Empire Mine (1925–1988) near Beardmore, which produced a total of 149,493 ounces of gold. The Little Long Lac Mine (1934–1953) produced 605,449 ounces of gold, besides producing scheelite . J.M. Wood and W.T. Brown developed the Sturgeon River Gold Mine (1936–1942), which produced 73,438 ounces of gold. James and Russell Cryderman found and Karl Springer incorporated what became known as
3379-763: The Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation. These would tie in to the transmission line from an existing development on the Kagiano River at Twin Falls, a development just upstream of that river's mouth with the Pic River. Caramat, Ontario Greenstone is a single-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario with a population of 4,636 according to the 2016 Canadian census . It stretches along Highway 11 from Lake Nipigon to Longlac and covers 2,767.19 km (1,068.42 sq mi). The town
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3488-663: The Ontario– Minnesota border at Rainy River via Thunder Bay ; the road continues as Minnesota State Highway 72 across the Baudette–Rainy River International Bridge . North and west of North Bay (as well as for a short distance through Orillia ), Highway 11 forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway and is part of MOM's Way between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The original section of Highway 11 along Yonge Street
3597-550: The Shabaqua Highway, encountering Kakabeka Falls several kilometers later. The highway then runs in a northwestern direction to Shabaqua Corners , where the two highways split; Highway 17 continues northwest to Dryden and Kenora , while Highway 11 continues in a generally west direction, eventually reaching Highway 11B at Atikokan , approximately halfway between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The highway continues for 132 kilometres (82 mi), crosses
3706-647: The area was 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) on 11 and 12 July 1936 at Longlac. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −50.2 °C (−58.4 °F) on 31 January 1996 (at Geraldton Airport). Greenstone is served by Via Rail services at Longlac , Nakina , and Caramat stations. The First Nations television series Spirit Bay was shot here by the CBC in the mid-1980s at the Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation Reserve. The film Coconut Hero
3815-481: The communities of Southern Ontario to those of Northern Ontario , as a continuous route from Toronto to North Bay . In 1919, Premier of Ontario Ernest Charles Drury created the Department of Public Highways (DPHO), though much of the responsibility for establishing the route he left to minister of the new cabinet position, Frank Campbell Biggs . By linking together several previously built roads such as Yonge Street , Penetanguishene Road , Middle Crossroad and
3924-543: The communities of Beardmore, Caramat, Geraldton, Jellicoe, Longlac , Macdiarmid, Nakina and Orient Bay. The municipal administrative offices are located in Geraldton. Nakina and Caramat are entirely exclaved from the rest of the municipality's territory. T. L. Taunton, of the Geological Survey of Canada , noted gold in quartz fragments around Little Long Lac in 1917. Similarly, Tony Oklend found ore in
4033-482: The completion of a bypass alignment. All sections of Highway 11B have now been decommissioned by the province with the exception of the Atikokan route and the southernmost section of the former Tri-Town route between Cobalt and Highway 11. The earliest established section of Highway 11 is Yonge Street in Toronto and York Region , though it is no longer under provincial jurisdiction. Yonge Street
4142-467: The eastbound lanes, from Ouimet Canyon Road to Dorion Loop Road, are scheduled to open by the end of the year. On April 9, 2022, the province announced a $ 107-million contract to twin and realign 13.2 kilometres (8.2 mi) of Highway 11/17 from the end of the existing four lane route near Highway 587 to Pearl . Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2022 and be completed in 2026. The remaining 34 kilometres (21 mi) are in
4251-483: The end of 1939, the Nipigon–Geraldton Highway was opened ceremoniously by Thomas McQuesten and C. D. Howe on September 7, 1940; it was assumed as a provincial highway in 1941. With the onset of World War II, the need for an east–west connection across Canada became imperative, and construction began on a link between Geraldton and Hearst, a distance of 247 kilometres (153 mi) in 1939. Due to
4360-673: The end of that year between Novar and south of Emsdale. In 2003, a major failure of the Sgt. Aubrey Cosens VC Memorial Bridge at the Montreal River in Latchford caused a complete closure and significant detour. A temporary one-lane Bailey bridge , which opened two weeks after the incident, was constructed to carry traffic on the highway; due to the expected water levels on the Montreal River once ice and snow began to melt in
4469-652: The end of the Thunder Bay Expressway northeast to Nipigon, including the Nipigon River Bridge , were first announced in December 1989. The corridor was divided into four segments, and an Environmental Study Report (ESR) was published for each in 1996 or 1997. While the MTO designated the corridor—a mix of twinning the existing highway and a new alignment—in 2003, funding wasn't committed to
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4578-497: The entire route from Nipigon to Rainy River is a two-lane, undivided road, with the exception of two twinned, four-lane segments approaching Thunder Bay . The first starts just west of Nipigon and ends just north of the Black Sturgeon River, for a distance of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The second portion reaches a distance of 36 kilometres (22 mi), from Highway 587 at Pass Lake to Balsam Street in Thunder Bay . Work
4687-484: The event of a wire failure. On October 30, 2004, another 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of four-laning was opened between the south end of the Trout Creek Bypass and north of South River . To the south, a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) bypass of Emsdale opened the week of October 21, 2005, with a portion of the original Emsdale Bypass (constructed in 1956) remaining as Highway 518 . This left
4796-493: The existing four lane route, and; 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) through Nipigon, between Stillwater Creek and First Street. Highway 11 between Barrie and Gravenhurst is currently a right-in/right-out (RIRO) expressway (local access permitted, turnarounds via special interchanges), except for a section around Orillia which is a full freeway. Another freeway section (formerly Highway 400A) does exist in Barrie with
4905-409: The existing highway from Birch Beach Road to Highway 587 near Loon , and an $ 84.8 million contract to construct a new 9.7-kilometre (6.0 mi) alignment from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek near Nipigon. Construction began on the former in October, and on the latter by the end of June. The section from Birch Beach Road to Highway 587 was completed on September 1, 2017, while
5014-424: The existing two lane highway between Powassan and McGillvray Creek opened in September 1997. This was followed in October 1999 with the opening of another 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) of twinning from McGillvray Creek south to Hummel Line, north of Trout Creek . In the early 2000s, several more sections were completed at both the north and south end of the remaining two lane highway. A 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section
5123-455: The following day and repairs began; both lanes were reopened on February 25, 2016. The failure caused a significant delay in the construction of the northern span, which did not open until November 23, 2018, The 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) of approaches at each end were completed in 2019. On June 10, 2015, the province announced the awarding of two contracts: A $ 32.7 million contract awarded to twin 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of
5232-427: The fort in 1964. The well, which is still in use, appears to be the original one. There is a government marker. In later years the Pic was used to transport 8 foot pulp logs to Heron Bay, where they were assembled in booms and towed to Marathon. Marathon Paper operated a pulp mill at Marathon using timber that was driven down the Pic each spring. The Marathon Corporation was purchased by American Can, and in 1982 by
5341-409: The freeway segment from the southern terminus ending at Penetanguishene Road (Simcoe County Road 93). The MTO is currently planning on either converting the existing RIRO expressway to a full six-lane freeway or bypassing it with an entirely new alignment. An environmental and fiscal study concluded that the improvements from Barrie to Gravenhurst will involve the existing route being widened with
5450-517: The highway makes a sharp curve to the east, then becomes a divided freeway before curving northward around Gull Lake . Near Bracebridge, it meets Highway 118 and former Highway 117 . Highway 141 branches west from the route between Bracebridge and Huntsville, while Highway 60 branches east towards Algonquin Park in Huntsville. The section between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge
5559-568: The highway turned north at 11th Line, then east at East Oro along Sideroad 15/16. That year also saw paving completed from Washago to north of Gravenhurst . The following year, the newly-renamed Department of Highways (DHO) paved the remaining 13 kilometres between Barrie and Guthrie, while the DND paved the Muskoka Road from Gravenhurst to Huntsville. The final 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) of unpaved road between Barrie and Orillia
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#17327717678945668-687: The lake over Waboosekon Lake Dam, turns southeast, passes over the High Falls and Middle Falls, and takes in the left tributary White Otter River. The Pic heads south over the Manitou Falls and takes in the right tributary Kagiano River . It continues south, passes under Ontario Highway 17 and enters the Pic River 50 Indian reserve of the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation . The Pic River passes their community of Heron Bay , where it
5777-487: The mill. Walkers went from the mill to the camps taking mail and gathering statistics on wood cut and hauled by horses to the river. During the early years all wood was 'driven' in the spring, down the Pic and White Otter rivers. In later years roads supplanted the trails, but until 1982 there was a Camp near the White Otter River operated by American Can. Dynamite caches were located at strategic places along
5886-548: The new divisional point, and the buildings from the town of Grant (25 km (16 mi) to the east) were moved to the new Nakina town site. In the 1930s the Beardmore Relics , Viking Age artifacts were found near Beardmore, which were proposed to be evidence of Vikings in Ontario. Later, the relics were proven to have been a hoax. Through a series of witnesses as well as the son of the person who had found them,
5995-499: The new settlement of Bradford before turning north towards Barrie. Work was completed by 1827, making connections with the Penetanguishene Road. A network of colonization roads built in the 1830s (some with military strategy in mind) pushed settlement northeast along the shores of Lake Simcoe and north towards the shores of Georgian Bay. Construction of the Muskoka Road began by the 1860s. The road, which penetrated
6104-573: The next decade, which were later incorporated into the modern four-lane route. A bypass of Bracebridge opened July 1, 1953. The North Bay bypass was completed in 1953, while bypasses of Emsdale and Powassan were completed 1956 and 1957, respectively. Construction of the Huntsville Bypass began in 1957; it opened November 27, 1959. The original Callander Bypass, which is now divided into Callander Bay Drive and part of Highway 93 , also opened in October 1959. Further north,
6213-513: The north side of Barrie, travelling northeast parallel to the northwestern shore of Lake Simcoe . The four-lane route, divided by a median barrier , crosses former Highway 93 (Penetanguishene Road) and passes through a generally flat rural area, though businesses line both sides of the route. At the northern end of Lake Simcoe, the highway enters Orillia, where it is built as a divided freeway. It meets and becomes concurrent with Highway 12 for 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi). At Laclie Drive,
6322-668: The northern end in 1816. For several years the Holland River and Lake Simcoe provided the only means of transportation; Holland Landing was the northern terminus of Yonge Street. The military route to Georgian Bay prior to, and during the War of 1812 , crossed Lake Simcoe to the head of Kempenfelt Bay, then by the Nine Mile Portage to Willow Creek and the Nottawasaga River . The Penetanguishene Military Post
6431-452: The official opening, a section between Swastika and Ramore wasn't opened until August. The Ferguson Highway name was also applied to the Muskoka Road between Severn Bridge and North Bay. Although the route from North Bay to Cochrane was passable, it was not an adequate road in many places. Construction continued for several years to build bypasses of sharp turns, steep grades , awkward rail crossings, and other obstacles. The Ferguson Highway
6540-407: The old bridge closed. It was subsequently demolished to allow the construction of the northern span to carry eastbound traffic, which was scheduled for 2017. However, on January 10, 2016, the bridge experienced a significant structural failure in which the deck raised 60 centimetres (2 ft), severing the only highway connection between eastern and western Canada. A single lane was reopened
6649-463: The project until the late 2000s. In early-to-mid 2009, the provincial government announced the first of several contracts to expand the highway, starting from the Thunder Bay end. Construction on the 4.4-kilometre (2.7 mi), $ 42-million contract began in August 2010, from west of Hodder Avenue to Highway 527 . The westbound lanes opened the weekend of August 6, 2011; the existing highway
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#17327717678946758-662: The region on April 1, 1996. This was followed up a year later with the transfer of 27.3 kilometres (17.0 mi) of the highway within Simcoe County south of Crown Hill on April 1, 1997. Along with the name Yonge Street, the section in York Region is now York Regional Road 1, while the section in Simcoe County is now mostly Simcoe County Road 4. Within the Cities of Toronto and Barrie it
6867-490: The region. Development was expected to cost more than $ 1.5 billion. In 2019, negotiations with communities were continuing. On 19 February 2011, Beardmore was temporarily evacuated after a major explosion ruptured the TransCanada pipeline in the community. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Greenstone had a population of 4,309 living in 1,920 of its 2,449 total private dwellings,
6976-476: The relics were found to have been planted in Beardmore and not, as was suggested, found there. By 1934, a gold rush absorbed the area from Long Lac to Nipigon , a belt 100 km (62 mi) long and 40 km (25 mi) wide. The village of Hard Rock was established in 1934, and Longlac, Bankfield, and Geraldton soon followed. Though a 1936 fire threatened the mines, development was able to continue. As an important railway service stop from 1923 until 1986,
7085-499: The river so that log jams could be cleared. Two possibilities exist for the origin of the name of the river. It may be from either Ojibwe bikodinaa or French meaning "be a high ground" for the promontory found at the mouth of the river, or from the corruption of the Ojibwe " pekatek " or "mud", which describes its silty water. Small scale hydroelectricity developments have been proposed for sites at High Falls and Manitou Falls by
7194-480: The road network became apparent following a rail strike in August 1950, during which a "mercy train" was delivered to the isolated town. Throughout the fall of 1950, various delegates pressed the provincial government to construct a road link immediately. The province announced plans for the new highway between Atikokan and Shebandowan the following August, and released the proposed route on October 10; construction began shortly thereafter. The Atikokan Highway
7303-414: The roadway continues into Baudette, Minnesota , and ends at Minnesota State Route 11. Highway 11B is the designation for business routes of Highway 11, ten of which have existed over the years. Two continue to exist today, while the remaining eight have been decommissioned . With the exception of the short spur route into Atikokan , all were once the route of Highway 11 prior to
7412-418: The route exits Orillia and returns to a RIRO design with rural surroundings. It travels northward along the western shore of Lake Couchiching as far as Washago , then crosses the Severn River / Trent Severn Waterway . North of the Severn River, Highway 11 travels through the Canadian Shield ; large granite outcroppings are frequent and thick Boreal forest dominates the terrain. At Gravenhurst,
7521-436: The route had been extended southward from Arthur Street to Neebing Avenue / Walsh Street West. At this time, Highway 11 and 17 and Highway 61 were rerouted along the completed expressway. The old routes through Thunder Bay were redesignated as Highway 11B / 17B and Highway 61B . While Highway 11 was extended farther north and west between the 1920s and 1960s, numerous projects took place along
7630-505: The route include Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , North Bay, Temiskaming Shores , Cochrane , Kapuskasing , Hearst, Nipigon, Thunder Bay, Atikokan, Fort Frances and Rainy River. It is often paired with Yonge Street in the persistent but incorrect factoid that Yonge Street is the longest street in the world , a claim that was featured in the book of Guinness World Records from 1977 to 1998. Highway 11 begins at an interchange with Highway 400 on
7739-407: The route of his new road. The following spring, he instructed Deputy Surveyor General Augustus Jones to blaze a small trail marking the route. Simcoe initiated construction of the road by granting land to settlers, who in exchange were required to clear 33 feet (10 m) of frontage on the road passing their lot . In the summer of 1794, William Berczy was the first to take up the offer, leading
7848-448: The route were constructed before the highway was designated. At the time, it only extended between Toronto and north of Orillia . In 1937, the route was extended to Hearst , northwest of Timmins . The route was extended to Nipigon by 1943. In 1965, Highway 11 was extended to Rainy River, bringing it to its maximum length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). The southernmost leg, an 86-kilometre (53 mi) section (including
7957-581: The section from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek was completed in September 2019. On March 29, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that it was extending its 110-kilometre-per-hour (68 mph) speed limit increase, on a trial basis, to the section of Highway 11 from north of Katrine to north of South River. Work is ongoing or upcoming to twin or realign the remaining 55 kilometres (34 mi) of two-laned Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. On December 8, 2020,
8066-516: The sections between Barrie and Cochrane during that period to either realign the highway to improve the geometry, or to bypass built up areas. The largest bottleneck along the highway in the 1940s was between Washago and through Gravenhurst, where construction began in 1947 to realign 23 kilometres (14 mi) between the two towns, including a new high-level bridge over the Trent–Severn Waterway . The original bypass of Gravenhurst, along what
8175-469: The shortage of labour, several prison camps were established between the two communities in October of that year and work began to clear a tote road for the movement of supplies over the following winter. While the highway was completed in November 1942, it was not maintained during through the winter, and the official opening did not take place until June 12, 1943. Following this, Highway 11
8284-405: The site of St. Albans on February 16, 1796. Expansion of the trail into a road was a condition of settlement for farmers along the route, who were required to spend 12 days a year to clear the road of logs, subsequently removed by convicted drunks as part of their sentence. The southern end of the road was in use in the first decade of the 19th century, and became passable all the way to
8393-406: The southern skirts of the Canadian Shield and advanced towards Lake Nipissing , reached as far as Bracebridge by 1861, and to Huntsville by 1863. It was officially opened when it reached Lake Nipissing in 1874. Further extensions into Northern Ontario would await the arrival of the automobile, and consequent need for highway networks. Highway 11 was initially planned as a trunk road to connect
8502-507: The spring, however, a second temporary bridge then had to be constructed for the duration of the original bridge's reconstruction. According to the Ministry of Transportation's final report, the failure was caused by a fatigue fracture of three steel hanger rods on the northwest side of the bridge. Following reconstruction, the bridge resumed service in 2005. Each hanger rod was replaced with four cable wires, to provide greater stability in
8611-402: The summer of 1925. The new route was mostly unpaved, with work beginning in 1922 to improve the roadway. That year saw paving completed between Yonge Boulevard and Thornhill, as well as a bypass of the original route through Holland Landing (now known as York Regional Road 83). The pavement was extended farther north from Thornhill to Richmond Hill the following year. By 1925, the route
8720-473: The town had a railway round-house as well as a watering and fuelling capability. During World War II, there was also a radar base on the edge of the town, intended to watch for a potential attack on the strategically important Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie . Research into the radar site in the Library and Archives Canada indicates that it was largely a United States Army Air Forces operation, pre-dating
8829-573: The two highways share a concurrency for 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the Algonquin Avenue intersection, where Highway 17 continues west toward Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie while Highway 11 turns north onto Algonquin Avenue. Due to a steep incline as it descends Thibeault Hill into North Bay, the southbound Algonquin Avenue segment of Highway 11 features the only runaway truck ramp on Ontario's highway system, which
8938-429: The west side of the twin cities. The first section of the expressway opened on August 29, 1967, connecting Oliver Road (then part of Highway 130 ) and Golf Links Road with Dawson Road ( Highway 102 ). By mid- to late 1969, the route had been extended to Highway 527 northeast of the twin cities and to Highway 11 and Highway 17 (Arthur Street) at the Harbour Expressway . By late 1970,
9047-525: The western side of Algonquin Park. It also connects to Highway 518 at Emsdale , Highway 520 at Burk's Falls , Highway 124 at Sundridge and South River , Highway 522 at Trout Creek , Highway 534 at Powassan , and Highway 94 and Highway 654 at Callander . Most of this section is built to freeway standards, although a small number of at-grade intersections remain, primarily between Trout Creek and Callander. From its junction with Highway 17 at North Bay,
9156-478: Was also filmed partially in Geraldton. Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11 , commonly referred to as Highway 11 , is a provincially-maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario . At 1,784.9 kilometres (1,109.1 mi), it is the second-longest highway in the province, after Highway 17 . Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie and arches through northern Ontario to
9265-500: Was announced on March 31, 1966, and construction began in the spring of 1967. The new bypass was completed and opened in late 1970. By 1971, Highway 11 was a four lane divided highway from Orillia to the northern interchange with Bethune Drive in Gravenhurst, and work was underway on twinning the highway between Gravenhurst and then- Highway 117 (now Highway 118 ), north of Bracebridge; That project
9374-630: Was assumed by the DHO through Cochrane District . This was followed one week later when 80.5 kilometres (50.0 mi) of the Muskoka Road through the District of Muskoka were assumed on June 9. A 96.7 kilometres (60.1 mi) portion of the route, which included a portion of what is now Highway 94 to connect to the Dionne quintuplets , was assumed through Parry Sound District on June 16. On June 30, 136.9 kilometres (85.1 mi) of
9483-556: Was built under the order of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), John Graves Simcoe . Fearing imminent attack by the United States, he sought to create a military route between York (now Toronto) and Lake Simcoe . In doing so, he would create an alternative means of reaching the upper Great Lakes and the trading post at Michilimackinac , bypassing the American border. In late 1793, Simcoe determined
9592-481: Was carried out over the next five years. The final link, the 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) Noden Causeway over Rainy Lake , was opened on June 28, 1965, after which Highway 11 was extended to Rainy River and the American border. Highway 11 was now at its peak length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). In 1963, Charles MacNaughton, minister of the Department of Highways, announced plans for
9701-468: Was ceremonially opened by premier Leslie Frost on August 13, 1954, although traffic had used the incomplete road beginning in November 1953. At that event, which saw him use an axe to cut a ribbon, Frost announced the future vision to extend the new route to Fort Frances. Despite the opening, work was ongoing to improve the existing road between the end of the new highway at Shebandowan and Highway 17 at Shabaqua Corners . Initially this road
9810-477: Was cleared by April 1925, after which construction began in August from both North Bay as well as Cobalt. The new gravel highway was officially opened on July 2, 1927, by Minister of Lands and Forests William Finlayson . He suggested at the opening that the road be named the Ferguson Highway in honour of premier Ferguson. The name was originally suggested by North Bay mayor Dan Barker. Despite
9919-476: Was colloquially known as "Main Street Ontario" and was one of the first roads in what would later become Ontario. It was devised as an overland military route between York (Toronto) and Penetanguishene . Yonge Street serves as the east–west divide throughout York Region and Toronto. Highway 11 became a provincial highway in 1920 when the network was formed, although many of the roads that make up
10028-459: Was completed by 1974. Between then and 1979, widening was completed to 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) north of Highway 141 at Stephenson Road 12 along the existing route of Highway 11, and underway for another 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) to the southern end of the Huntsville Bypass. In 1996 and 1997, the care (or rescinding of Connecting Link agreements) of Highway 11 from Barrie southwards, including all of Yonge Street,
10137-485: Was completed by the end of 1965. Construction continued north of Severn River, with a 7.1-kilometre (4.4 mi) section—including a second bridge over the Severn River—opening as far north as Kahshe Lake in October 1966. Construction on the next 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) from Kahshe Lake to south of Gravenhurst began that year. The current 6.8-kilometre (4.2 mi) bypass of Gravenhurst, crossing Gull Lake,
10246-500: Was completed in 1931. Throughout the 1910s and early 1920s, various chambers of commerce, rotary clubs and boards of trade petitioned the government to construct a new trunk road from North Bay towards the mining communities to the north that were established in the prior decades. These delegations and committees also saw the potential tourist draw of opening the Temagami area to hunters, fishers, and recreational tourism. By 1923,
10355-411: Was designated as Highway 120 . In 1959, it was decided to make this new link a westward extension of Highway 11. On April 1, 1960, Highway 11 assumed the route of Highway 120; this consequently created a concurrency of Highway 11 and 17 between Nipigon and west of Thunder Bay. Now reaching as far as Atikokan, construction of a road between there and Fort Frances
10464-695: Was established in 1923 as a station and railway yard on the National Transcontinental Railway , between the divisional points of Grant and Armstrong. Nakina was at Mile 15.9 of the NTR's Grant Sub-Division. Following the completion in 1924 of the Longlac-Nakina Cut-Off by the Canadian National Railway , connecting the rails of the Canadian Northern Railway at Longlac and the NTR, Nakina became
10573-501: Was extended from Cochrane to Kapuskasing by 1930, and later to Hearst in 1932. The Provincial Highway Network was radically overhauled in 1937, when the DND merged with the DHO on April 1. Consequently, the DHO assumed responsibility of roads north of the Trent–Severn Waterway over the next several months. On June 2, 339.2 kilometres (210.8 mi) of the Ferguson Highway
10682-408: Was extended to Nipigon, and was 1,421.1 kilometres (883.0 mi) long. Highway 11 ended at Nipigon until the late 1950s, after construction of a new highway west from Thunder Bay towards Fort Frances began. During World War II, large deposits of iron ore were discovered at Steep Rock Lake , around which the town of Atikokan was developed. The need to connect the burgeoning community to
10791-629: Was formed in 2001, as part of municipal re-organization under the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario. It combined the former Townships of Beardmore and Nakina , the Towns of Geraldton and Longlac with large unincorporated portions of Unorganized Thunder Bay District . It is the administrative office of the band government for the Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek First Nation . Greenstone includes
10900-543: Was greatly diminished, to the point where the railway was no longer a substantial employer in the town. Also in the 1970s, a radio station was launched in Longlac as CHAP on the AM dial; this station left the air by the late 1970s. The town remains focused on tourism, diminished pulp and paper operations and support of other more northern communities (food, fuel and transportation). Mining and minerals industries are often seen as
11009-445: Was in 1799-1815 under Baptiste Perreault, In 1805 there were 16 men, 2 women and 3 children in the fort and 148 Indigenous people in the vicinity. Louis Agassiz visited in 1847. After 1865 only a minimal operation was maintained. It was abandoned in 1914. The site was on the west bank about 150 yards above the river mouth on a flat 16 feet above the normal water level. A lumber camp was built here in 1930. Archaeologists found traces of
11118-409: Was opened in September 2001 north of the Huntsville Bypass to south of Novar , mostly along a new alignment alongside the existing highway. On October 3, 2002, the southbound lanes of the 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) Trout Creek Bypass, a new alignment around that town, were opened, followed by the northbound lanes two weeks later. An additional 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) of twinning was completed by
11227-456: Was paved from Toronto north to Fennell , as well as between Orillia and Washago . An additional 5 kilometres (3 mi) north from Fennell were paved in 1926. In 1927, the pavement between Toronto and Barrie was completed with the paving of approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) south from Barrie. Between Barrie and Orillia, paving began in 1929, with the completion of approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) east from Guthrie ; at that point
11336-559: Was rebuilt as a divided highway in the early 2010s and work continues. The two-lane Nipigon River Bridge was replaced with a twin-span bridge that opened in 2018, following a structural failure in 2016. Highway 11 varies between a divided four-lane urban freeway and a two-lane rural road. It travels through surroundings ranging from cities to farmland to the uninhabited wilderness. The section through northern Ontario includes several sections with no gas or service for over 160 kilometres (100 mi). Significant urban centres serviced by
11445-523: Was routed along Yonge Street, its extension to the Penetanguishene Road, and the Muskoka Road as far as the Severn River . The portions of Yonge Street through what is now York Region , as well as Toronto as far south as Yonge Boulevard, were assumed by the DPHO on June 24, 1920, while the portions through Simcoe County , from Bradford to Severn Bridge were assumed two months later on August 18. It received its numerical designation in
11554-562: Was started before the war. However, lacking a suitable overland transport route, passage from York to Lake Huron continued via the Nottawasaga. The Penetanguishene Road, begun in 1814, replaced this route by the time the military post was opened in 1817. In 1824, work began to extend Yonge Street to Kempenfelt Bay near Barrie . A north-western extension was branched off the original Yonge Street in Holland Landing and ran into
11663-524: Was then rebuilt as the eastbound lanes, and opened on August 17, 2012. An interchange at Hodder Avenue—the first in Northwestern Ontario—was included as part of this project By 2012, construction was already underway on two more contracts: A $ 46-million project to twin 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi) of the existing highway between Highway 527 and west of Mackenzie Station Road that began in 2010, and another 12.3-kilometre project built along
11772-521: Was transferred by the provincial government to county, regional, and city governments by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario as part of the Mike Harris government's Common Sense Revolution . This practice is called downloading, in that the financial burden will fall to a lower tier government. The entire 36 kilometres (22 mi) of Highway 11 within York Region was transferred to
11881-539: Was upgraded in 2009. From North Bay, Highway 11 extends northerly for 370 kilometres (230 mi), passing through communities such as Temagami , Latchford , Temiskaming Shores , Englehart and Matheson en route to Cochrane , where the route turns west. From Cochrane, it passes through communities such as Smooth Rock Falls , Kapuskasing , Hearst and Greenstone , arching across northeastern Ontario westward then south for 613 kilometres (381 mi) before again meeting Highway 17 at Nipigon . Nearly
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