:Ontario Highway 23

{{Infobox road

| province = ON

| type = Hwy

| route = 23

| alternate_name =

|map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Ontario Highway 23}}}}

|map_custom = yes

|map_notes = Map of Highway{{nbsp}}23
{{Legend inline|#FF0000|Current route}}{{nbsp}}{{Legend inline|#AAAA00|Former route}}

| maint = the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

| established = June 22, 1927

| length_km = 97.7

| length_ref =

| direction_a = South

| terminus_a = {{jcon|Hwy|7}} near Elginfield

| junction = {{jcon|Hwy|8}} in Mitchell

| direction_b = North

| terminus_b = {{jcon|Hwy|9|con=89}} in Harriston

| towns = Mitchell, Monkton, Listowel, Palmerston, Harriston

| counties = Middlesex, Huron, Perth, Wellington

|previous_type = ON

|previous_route = 21

|next_type = ON

|next_route = 24

| browse = {{ON former|previous=22}}

}}

King's Highway 23, commonly referred to as Highway 23, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The route travels from Highway 7 east of Elginfield north to Highway 9 and Highway 89 in Harriston. The total length of Highway 23 is {{convert|97.7|km|abbr=off}}. The highway was first established in 1927 between Highway 8 in Mitchell and Highway 9 in Teviotdale, via Monkton, Listowel and Palmerston. As part of a depression relief program, it was extended south to Highway 7 in 1934. It remained relatively unchanged until 2003, when it was rerouted northward from Palmerston to Harriston.

Route description

Highway 23 begins at Highway 7, east of Elginfield, a community straddling the boundary between the municipalities of Middlesex Centre and Lucan Biddulph. The route travels north through the latter, surrounded on both sides by farmland. At Whalen Corners, the highway curves northeast as it exits Middlesex County, becoming the boundary road between Huron County to the west and Perth County to the east. The highway passes through the communities of Woodham and Kirkton, crossing completely into Perth County just north of the latter. It later enters Russeldale, meeting the eastern terminus of former Highway 83{{cite book

| title = Provincial Highways Distance Table

| publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

| year = 1989

| issn = 0825-5350

| pages = 48–49}}

(County Road 83) as it swerves north. Approximately {{convert|9|km}} beyond there it enters the town of Mitchell, where it is known as Blanchard Street. The route intersects Highway 8 (Huron Street), and becomes concurrent with it briefly to cross the North Thames River before branching back northeast along St. George Street. Midway between Mitchell and the village of Monkton, the highway bisects the community of Bornholm within the municipality of West Perth. Prior to entering Monkton, Highway 23 curves gently towards the southeast; In the middle of the village, drivers must turn at an intersection with Perth County Road 55 to remain on Highway 23.{{cite map

| title = Ontario Back Road Atlas

| year = 2010

| publisher = Peter Heiler

| cartography = MapArt

| pages = 14, 20–21, 27

| section = H16–R20

| isbn = 978-1-55198-226-7}}{{Google maps

| title = Highway 23 - Length and route

| url = https://www.google.ca/maps?saddr=HWY-23+%26+Elginfield+Rd,+Middlesex,+Ontario+N0M,+Canada&daddr=Arthur+St+%26+Hwy-9,+harriston,+ON&hl=en&sll=43.172134,-81.330414&sspn=0.027542,0.051327&t=h&om=1&z=9&geocode=FQS5kgIdAM0m-ylpb1Z6TN0uiDEHL-YfBsKDrQ;FWIQngIdW_8t-yldwDou8nwpiDF8hmZL4MjknQ

| access-date = January 9, 2012}}

File:Highway 8 and 23 in Mitchell, Ontario.png and Highway 23 cross the North Thames River in Mitchell]]

Continuing its northeasterly course, the highway passes through more farmland, now within the town of North Perth, and serves the communities of Newry and Atwood before encountering former Highway 86 (County Road 86) on the western edge of Listowel. South of this intersection, the route is known locally as Mitchell Road South. It turns southeast onto Main Street West, where it once travelled concurrently with Highway 86 before turning northeast onto Wallace Avenue North. The final leg of the route passes through the village of Gowanstown. The route gently curves to the east before turning north at an intersection just west of Palmerston, where it crosses the boundary into Wellington County and the Town of Minto. Eight kilometres (5 miles) north of the intersection, Highway 23 encounters the western terminus of former Highway 87 (County Road 87), where it turns east then northeast. The route enters Harriston, where it is locally known as Arthur Street. The Highway 23 designation ends at a junction with Highway 9 and Wellington County Road 109 (formerly a segment of Highway 9), locally known as Elora Street. The road continues beyond the junction as Highway 89.

History

Highway 23 was first established on June 22, 1927, when the Department of Highways assumed the road from Mitchell to Teviotdale through Perth and Wellington counties, via Monkton, Listowel and Palmerston, connecting Highway 8 and Highway 9.{{cite report

| title = Annual Report

| publisher = Department of Highways

| date = March 31, 1928

| section = Provincial Highways Assumed

| page = 60

| url = https://archive.org/details/n05ontariosession61ontauoft/page/n989/mode/2up

| access-date = February 3, 2021

| via = Internet Archive}}

As part of depression relief work undertaken by the department during the early 1930s, Highway 23 was extended from Highway 8 to Highway 7 east of Elginfield on July 11, 1934.{{cite report

| title = Annual Report

| publisher = Department of Highways

| date = March 31, 1935

| pages = 95–96, 119}}

Highway 23 remained unaltered between 1934 and 1998. On January 1, 1998, the section from the Highway 89 junction west of Palmerston to Highway 9 in Teviotdale was decommissioned, resulting in the northern terminus of Highway 23 becoming the western terminus of Highway 89.{{cite report

| title = Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What"

| publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

| date = June 20, 2001

| pages = 11, 15}}

During the spring of 2003, the segment of Highway 89 between this junction and Harriston was renumbered as Highway 23,{{cite news

| title = Ontario government improves provincial highway numbering

| author = Ministry of Transportation

| publisher = Newswire

| date = February 11, 2002

| url = http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2002/02/11/c0640.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html

| access-date = January 10, 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020804040711/http://www.newswire.ca/government/ontario/english/releases/February2002/11/c0640.html

| archive-date = August 4, 2002}}

resulting in the current routing.

Major intersections

{{ONinttop|maint=MTO|length_ref={{Cite web

|title = Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts

|author = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

|author-link = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

|year = 2010

|url = http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb?OpenForm&Seq=5

|access-date = March 22, 2014

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192209/http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/tvweb?OpenForm&Seq=5

|archive-date = July 6, 2011

|url-status = dead

}}}}

{{ONint

| division = Middlesex

| dspan = 2

| location_special = Lucan Biddulph

| lspan = 2

| km = 0.0

| road = {{jcon|Hwy|7|to=4|city=London|town2=Elginfield|town3=Stratford}}

| notes = Highway 23 southern terminus

}}

{{ONint

| km = 4.3

| road = {{jcon|Middlesex|47|town=Lucan|town2=Granton|Fallon Drive}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint

| division_special = Middlesex–Perth boundary

| location_special = Lucan Biddulph–Perth South boundary

| km = 10.4

| road = Whalen Line

| notes = Whalen Corners

| nspan = 2

}}

{{ONint

| division_special = Huron–Perth boundary

| dspan = 2

| location_special = South Huron–Perth South boundary

| lspan = 2

| km = 10.8

| road = {{jcon|Huron|11|dir=north|Hern Line|fulltext=y}}

| notes = none

}}

{{ONint

| km = 18.3

| road = {{jcon|Huron|6|dir=west|contype=pcl|con=8|condir=east|fulltext=y}}

| notes = Kirkton

}}

{{ONint

| division = Perth

| dspan = 15

| location = West Perth

| lspan = 3

| km = 26.4

| road = {{jcon|pcl|20|town=Fullarton}}

| notes = Russeldale

}}

{{ONint

| km = 28.7

| road = {{jcon|pcl|24|dir=west}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint

| km = 32.7

| road = {{jcon|Perth|163|dir=south}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint

| location_special = West Perth
(Mitchell)

| lspan = 4

| km = 36.0

| road = Frank Street

| notes = Beginning of Mitchell Connecting Link agreement{{cite report

| title = Highway Connecting Link List

| author = Contract Management and Operations Branch

| publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

| year = 2011}}

}}

{{ONint

| type = concur

| km = 37.0

| road = {{jcon|Hwy|8|dir=west|town=Clinton|town2=Goderich}}

| notes = Southern end of Highway 8 concurrency

}}

{{ONint

| type = concur

| km = 37.2

| road = {{jcon|Hwy|8|dir=east|city=Stratford|city2=Kitchener}}

| notes = Northern end of Highway 8 concurrency

}}

{{ONint

| km = 38.4

| road = Frances Street

| notes = End of Mitchell Connecting Link agreement

}}

{{ONint

| location = West Perth

| km = 45.6

| road = {{jcon|pcl|44}}

| notes = Bornholm

}}

{{ONint

| location_special = West Perth–North Perth boundary

| lspan = 2

| km = 53.3

| road = {{jcon|Perth|55|dir=west}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint

| km = 54.3

| road = {{jcon|Perth|55|dir=east|Maddison Street East}}

| notes = Monkton

}}

{{ONint

| location = West Perth

| lspan =

| km = 63.4

| road = {{jcon|pcl|72|town=Brussels}}

| notes = Newry

}}

{{ONint

| location_special = West Perth
(Listowel)

| lspan = 3

| km = 73.3

| road = {{jcon|pcl|86|dir=west|town=Wingham}}

| notes = Beginning of Listowel Connecting Link agreement; formerly {{jcon|Hwy|86|dir=west|nosh=y}}; former southern end of Highway 86 concurrency

}}

{{ONint

| km = 74.4

| road = {{jcon|pcl|86|dir=east|Main Street East}}

| notes = Formerly {{jcon|Hwy|86|dir=east|nosh=y}}; former northern end of Highway 86 concurrency

}}

{{ONint

| km = 76.0

| road = David Street

| notes = End of Listowel Connecting Link agreement

}}

{{ONint

| location = West Perth

| km = 80.1

| road = {{jcon|pcl|88|dir=west}}

| notes = Gowanstown

}}

{{ONint

| division_special = Perth–Wellington boundary

| dspan = 2

| location_special = West Perth–Minto boundary

| lspan = 2

| km = 87.5

| road = {{jcon|Perth|178|contype=Wellington|con=4|dir=west|condir=west|fulltext=y}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint

| km = 88.0

| road = {{jcon|pcl|93|contype=Wellington|con=123|dir=east|condir=east|fulltext=y}}

| notes = Palmerston; former Highway 23 alignment; Highway 23 follows former {{jcon|Hwy|89|nosh=y}} alignment

}}

{{ONint

| division = Wellington

| dspan = 2

| location = Minto

| km = 96.1

| road = {{jcon|Wellington|87|dir=west|Harriston Road}}

| notes = Formerly {{jcon|Hwy|87|dir=west|nosh=y}}

}}

{{ONint

| location = Harriston

| km = 97.7

| road = {{jcon|Hwy|9|contype=Wellington|con=109|dir=north|condir=south|Elora Street|town=Clifford|town2=Teviotdale}}

| notes = Highway 23 northern terminus; continues as Highway 89

}}

{{Jctgap

| type = closed

| text = Former alignment via Perth County Line 93 / Wellington County Road 123

}}

{{ONint|former

| division_special = Perth–Wellington boundary

| location_special = West Perth–Minto boundary

| km = 88.0

| road = {{jcon|Hwy|23|town=Listowel|town2=Harriston|nolink=y}}

| notes = Continuation from Highway 23 south; formerly {{jcon|Hwy|89|dir=east|nosh=y}}

}}

{{ONint|former

| division = Wellington

| dspan = 2

| location = Minto

| lspan = 2

| km = 88.8

| road = {{jcon|Wellington|8|dir=east|King Street|totype=pcl|to=91|fulltext=y}}

| notes = Palmerston

| nspan = 2

}}

{{ONint|former

| km = 90.0

| road = {{jcon|Wellington|5|dir=north|Whites Road}}

| notes = none

}}

{{ONint|former

| division_special = Wellington–Perth boundary

| dspan = 2

| location_special = Minto–Mapleton–North Perth boundary

| lspan = 2

| km = 96.7

| road = {{jcon|Wellington|9|contype=Perth|con=140|dir=south|condir=south|fulltext=y}}

| notes =

}}

{{ONint|former

| km = 96.8

| road = {{jcon|Wellington|7|dir=south|town=Elora|fulltext=y}}
{{jcon|Wellington|109|town=Arthur|town2=Harriston|fulltext=y}}

| notes = Teviotdale; formerly {{jcon|Hwy|9|nosh=y}}; former Highway 23 northern terminus

}}

References

External links

[http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/highway_23.htm Highway 23 pictures and information]

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