South end: Highway 400 – Barrie Length 1.1 km County Simcoe County | Counties: Simcoe Constructed 24 December 1959 | |
Existed: December 24, 1959 – present North end: County Road 93 (Penetanguishene Road)
(continues as Highway 11 – Orillia) | ||
King's Highway 400A, once known as the Highway 400 Extension, is an unsigned 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The short 1.1-kilometre (0.7 mi) freeway stub connects Highway 400 with Highway 11 and Simcoe County Road 93, formerly Highway 93. The highway was created in late 1959 by the opening of Highway 400 to Coldwater, although it has always featured Highway 400 signage along the southbound lanes and Highway 11 signage northbound.
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Route description
Highway 400A is a 1.1-kilometre (0.7 mi) 400-series highway located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The unisigned freeway includes a narrow grass median for the majority of its length, and features a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). On average, the highway is used by approximately 11, 900 vehicles daily. The route begins as Highway 400 exits on the right, with the northbound lanes rising up on an embankment and crossing Highway 400A. After the bridge, the highway ascends, with grasslands to the east and an embankment to the west, then gently curves to the northeast. As it crosses Simcoe County Road 93 (Penetanguishene Road), formerly Highway 93, the divided highway becomes Highway 11.
History
Highway 400A formed the original routing of Highway 400 from 1950 to 1959. In 1950, the freeway was extended north through the city of Barrie to the junction of Highway 11 and Highway 93 in Crown Hill, and deemed fittingly the Highway 400 Extension. In the late-1950s, the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway prompted the Department of Highways to extend the route north to Highway 12 and Highway 103 in Coldwater. This section opened as a super two on December 24, 1959, redirecting Highway 400 southwest of the Crown Hill junction. To remedy this situation, the 1.1 km (0.68 mi) gap was internally designated as Highway 400A.
The highway has never been publicly signed as Highway 400A. Instead, northbound it is indicated as Highway 11 and southbound as Highway 400. Restructuring of the provincial highway system resulted Highway 11 south of the Crown Hill interchange being transferred, or downloaded, to local municipalities on April 1, 1997. As a result, Highway 11 begins as Highway 400A ends; crossing over Penetanguishene Road.
Unusually, traffic to and from the Highway 400 extension enters and exits at the right of the roadway, while traffic to and from Highway 400A/11 simply continues on the same roadway. The interchange is also incomplete; drivers must either use the Forbes Road and Penetanguishene Road interchanges, or continue southbound into Barrie and switch direction at Duckworth Street in order to travel from southbound Highway 400A to northbound Highway 400 or from southbound Highway 400 to northbound Highway 400A.
Exit list
There are only two interchanges along Highway 400A; the start and end termini. The entirety of the highway is located within Simcoe County.