Ontario Highway 658

Highway 658
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length:	29.4 km[1] (18.3 mi)
History:	Highway 128 (1956–1975) Highway 666 (1975–1985)
Major junctions
South end:	Highway 17 – Kenora
North end:	CNR Station in Redditt
Location
Counties:	Kenora District
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways 400-series • Former ← Hwy 657 Hwy 661 →

Secondary Highway 658, commonly referred to as Highway 658, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway extends 29 kilometres (18 mi) between the city of Kenora and the community of Redditt. For a decade, Highway 658 was numbered as Highway 666, leading to numerous sign thefts and a petition by members of a church on the route. This petition eventually led to the route being renumbered in late-1985.

Route description

Highway 658 travels through communities lying north of Highway 17, the Trans-Canada Highway. It is mostly rural, being surrounded by ranches and equipment sheds as well as the boreal forest and rock outcroppings of the Canadian Shield. Though it is signed as beginning at the Kenora Bypass (Highway 17A), the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) traffic counts indicate that the section through Kenora is maintained as a connecting link. In the town of Redditt, the highway ends at a train station served by VIA Rail.

History

Highway 658 was originally designated on July 21, 1966, travelling north from Highway 17, west of Whitefish. The route was 19.3 kilometres (12.0 mi) long, passing west through Worthington and turning north to near Fairbank Provincial Park.^[2] This route and most other secondary highways in the area were transferred to the Regional Municipality of Sudbury when it was established on January 1, 1973.^[3]

The current iteration of Highway 658 was originally designated as Highway 128, a route which came into existence on January 18, 1956. In 1975, the route was one of several King's Highways redesignated as Secondary Highways; it was given the number 666. Local citizen and two churches located along the route began to petition the MTO in 1982, requesting the number be changed due to concerns with its connotation as the "number of the beast". The route number was officially changed to 658 on November 1, 1985, though signs indicating "Formerly Highway 666" were attached to reassurance markers along the highway.^[4]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 658. The entirety of the highway is located within Kenora District.^[5]

Location[5]	km[5]	Destinations	Notes
Kenora	0.0	Highway 17 – Kenora	Beginning of connecting link agreement
	3.8	Highway 17A	End of connecting link agreement
	8.0	Peterson Road
	16.3	Highway 659 (Coker Road)
Redditt	29.4	Redditt Canadian National Railway station

References

1. ^ Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2007). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb?OpenForm&Seq=5. Retrieved July 7, 2011. 
2. ^ AADT Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969. Ontario Department of Highways. 1969. p. 146. 
3. ^ Moving into the 20th Century
4. ^ Canadian Press (October 23, 1985). "Devil Taken Off the Road". Ottawa: The Citizen. p. A5. ""You have to understand. For people who take the Bible very literally, this is a real concern." - Merv Farrow; "Although Highway 658 becomes official Nov. 1..."" 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Peter Heiler (2010). Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. p. 106, section G3. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.