Ontario Highway 27

Route description

Highway 27 followed a mostly straight route throughout its length. Between Toronto and the York–Simcoe boundary at Highway 9, it travelled along the 9th concession road of Vaughan and King Township, approximately 16 km west of Yonge Street. North of there it is generally parallel to the Highway 400 and Penetanguishene Road. North of Kleinburg, the vast majority of the highway was surrounded by rural farmland. South of there, it travelled through the suburbs of Toronto.

The highway began at off-ramps from the collectors lanes of Highway 427, which was redesignated from Highway 27 in 1972, as a four-lane divided expressway. Through Etobicoke, it encountered mostly industrial surroundings. Within the Regional Municipality of York, Highway 27 passed along the western edge of suburban sprawl in Vaughan, near the community of Woodbridge. South of Kleinburg, the highway dipped into the Humber River valley, connecting with Islington Avenue. North of the valley, it continued through King Township into the Oak Ridges Moraine, dividing the village of Nobleton and entering Schomberg immediately south of Highway 9, north of which the highway entered Simcoe County.

North of Highway 9, the route curved 1.5 km (0.93 mi) to the east, then continued north, parallel to Highway 400. It travelled through the village of Bond Head and thereafter met Highway 89 in Cookstown. As the highway approached Barrie, it curved and followed Essa Road northeast until it met Highway 400. Through Barrie, it was concurrent with Highway 400 between Exit 94 and Exit 98, after which it was concurrent with Highway 26 along Bayfield Street, travelling north and exiting the city. At Midhurst, Highway 27 diverged from its concurrency to continue north, parallel to and 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Highway 400. After passing through the village of Elmvale, the highway abruptly curved to the east, ending at Highway 93 south of Midland and Penetanguishene.

History

Highway 27 was first designated between Barrie and Penetanguishene on September 14 1927. On March 28, 1934 it was extended south to Schomberg via county roads south of Barrie. On August 12, 1936, Browns Line and Eaton Road were designated as part of Highway 27, creating an isolated section of the route between Long Branch and Elder Mills (at the modern intersection of Rutherford Road). On the same date, the road between Schomberg and Kleinburg was designated as part of Highway 27, leaving a gap between Elder Mills and Kleinburg, through the Humber valley. This gap was closed beginning in late 1936. It was completed and opened to traffic in 1938, bringing Highway 27 to its peak length of 148 km (92 mi). In the mid-1950s, the Toronto Bypass was constructed between Highway 2A and the Queen Elizabeth Way, widening Highway 27 to a four lane freeway in the process. This section was reconstructed again throughout the 1960s into a twelve-lane collector-express system. In mid-1972, the section of Highway 27 south of Eglinton Avenue was re-designated as Browns Line and Highway 427.

On June 21, 1968, a new bypass north of Schomberg opened. Originally, northbound traffic had to turn east at Highway 9 then north at Leonard Road; a smooth curve is visible at this latter intersection, though it now forms the driveways of several residences. The new bypass made Highway 27 a through route at Highway 9. The remainder of the route, from Eglinton Avenue north to Penetanguishene, was decommissioned on January 1, 1998. It is still known as Highway 27 within Toronto, but is locally maintained. North of Toronto, it is known as Regional / County Road 27, depending on the jurisdiction.

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 27, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.