Highway 24 (Ontario)

Infobox road
province=ON
type=Hwy
route=24
alternate_name=


maint=the Ministry of Transportation
length_km=
length_ref=Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, [http://www.raqsa.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb 2004 Annual Average Daily Traffic] ]
length_round=1
established=
direction_a=South
terminus_a=jct|state=ON|Hwy|3 in Norfolk County
junction=jct|state=ON|Hwy|403 in Brantford
cities=Simcoe, Paris, Brantford, Cambridge
direction_b=North
terminus_b=South limit of Cambridge
previous_type=Hwy
previous_route=23
next_type=Hwy
next_route=26

Highway 24 is a highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which presently begins at Highway 3 in Simcoe, and ends at Highway 401, in Cambridge.

Highway 24 runs in a north/south direction. Highway 24 has been in service since 1927, and is currently in service. Before 1997, when many major highways were declassified, Highway 24 began south of Simcoe in Norfolk near Walshingham, and ended in Collingwood, as part of Hurontario Street. The road has also seen key shifts, as communities have been by-passed over the years, including:
*Waterford, where a new alignment was built towards Scotland and connected with Highway 24A. The former Highway 24 is now "Brant Road 24", and Highway 24A is now "Brant Road 24A" (and is Waterloo Regional Road 75).
*Alton and Orangeville by Highway 136,
*and within Cambridge, the Hespeler Bypass (see below).

In Brantford and in Brant County, Highway 24 is interlined with Highway 403 for 9 km.

treet names

Highway 24 has several local street names in the various communities through which it passes.
*Simcoe: Norfolk Street
*Brantford: King George Road
*Cambridge: Hespeler Road, Ainslie Street, and Water Street (Hespeler Bypass removed 24 from Queen Street West and Guelph Avenue in 1993)

The parts of Highway 24 that were decommissioned in 1997 remain part of the various county road systems.

Expansion plans

On September 12, 2006, it was announced that the Ontario provincial government would be undertaking a study to determine what improvements would be necessary to bring the highway up to current standards and to handle future growth.

This study (which will be completed in 2009) will focus on the portion of the highway between Cambridge and Brantford, where connections to Highways 401 and 403 exist, but suffer from extreme congestion during peak periods.

Potential improvements/expansions include:
* improving the road surface, lighting and traffic control devices at selected intersections
* widening the road from 2 to 4 lanes near urban centres
* complete expansion to a 4-lane highway
* construction of a multi-lane, controlled-access freeway (Highway 424)

References

External links

* [http://www.24corridorstudy.ca Highway 24 Transportation Corridor Planning]