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County Road 34 (Essex County, Ontario)
Encyclopedia
County Road 34 is the original alignment of Highway 3
in Essex County, Ontario
.
The road branches from the original Highway 3 alignment in Maidstone, Ontario
(just north of Essex, Ontario
, and continues east, paralleling the current Highway 3 (and South Talbot Road) 1 km to the north, and 1 km south of North Talbot Road, for most of the way to Ruthven, Ontario
.
The stretch of road from Windsor, Ontario
to Manning Road was built with enough right of way to be twinned
into a dual carriageway
in the 1930s, but this has not happened, yet.
decided to build a bypass around the town of Essex. This Essex By-Pass was built and opened in 1977, and was temporarily re-routed along Malden Road (Formerly an extension of CR 12, not to be confused with Highway 114
OR Essex County Road 3) to CR 34 in North Ridge while it was being extended to Ruthven. This section opened in 1982.
By 1996, the town of Leamington
and Township
of Gosfield South were proposing a bypass around Leamington to alleviate the traffic in the town. After a debate on where the road should go ("Think Twice, Road Built Once", as the Windsor Star
reported on this), the road was built by the MTO from the current terminus of CR 34 to Highway 3 on the east side of Leamington.
Though Highway 3 east of Highway 77
was downloaded to the county as CR 34, the Leamington Bypass was built by the MTO, and the part of the bypass east of Highway 77 was numbered as CR 33 (as the town of Leamington is proposing an "East Side Arterial Road" to link up with the other CR 33).
Highway 3 (Ontario)
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
in Essex County, Ontario
Essex County, Ontario
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...
.
The road branches from the original Highway 3 alignment in Maidstone, Ontario
Maidstone, Ontario
This community should not be confused with the former neighbouring Township of Maidstone.Maidstone, Ontario is a small hamlet along Essex County Road 34, in the town of Tecumseh, Ontario...
(just north of Essex, Ontario
Essex, Ontario
Essex is a town with a population of 20,032 in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, whose municipal borders extend to Lake Erie. Essex is also the name of the largest community within the municipality. The present mayor is Ron McDermott...
, and continues east, paralleling the current Highway 3 (and South Talbot Road) 1 km to the north, and 1 km south of North Talbot Road, for most of the way to Ruthven, Ontario
Ruthven, Ontario
Ruthven, Ontario is a hamlet of roughly 400 residents in the township of Kingsville, Ontario. It is located at the intersection of Essex County Roads 34 and 45, but recent developments have extended the community to Highway 3 and down southwards along CR 45 to meet with the community of Seacliff,...
.
The stretch of road from Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
to Manning Road was built with enough right of way to be twinned
Twinning (roads)
Twinning a road involves the construction of a similar or identical parallel road. It is usually done when an existing highway requires a significant increase in capacity. Twinning is frequently advantageous because it allows traffic capacity to be doubled and produces a dual carriageway with...
into a dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
in the 1930s, but this has not happened, yet.
History
Highway 3 originally travelled down CR 34's path all the way through Essex, Cottam, Ruthven, and Leamington until 1971, when the MTOMinistry of Transportation (Ontario)
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is the provincial ministry of the government of Ontario which is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building...
decided to build a bypass around the town of Essex. This Essex By-Pass was built and opened in 1977, and was temporarily re-routed along Malden Road (Formerly an extension of CR 12, not to be confused with Highway 114
Highway 114 (Ontario)
King's Highway 114, commonly referred to as Highway 114, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was one of the shortest highways ever assigned in the province, at just in length...
OR Essex County Road 3) to CR 34 in North Ridge while it was being extended to Ruthven. This section opened in 1982.
By 1996, the town of Leamington
Leamington, Ontario
Leamington is a municipality in Essex County, southern Ontario, Canada, and has a population of 31,113. It includes Point Pelee, the southernmost point of mainland Canada. It has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the...
and Township
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
of Gosfield South were proposing a bypass around Leamington to alleviate the traffic in the town. After a debate on where the road should go ("Think Twice, Road Built Once", as the Windsor Star
Windsor Star
The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...
reported on this), the road was built by the MTO from the current terminus of CR 34 to Highway 3 on the east side of Leamington.
Though Highway 3 east of Highway 77
Highway 77 (Ontario)
King's Highway 77, also known as Highway 77, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. One of three highways within Essex County, Highway 77 serves to interconnect Highway 3 near Leamington with Highway 401 near Tilbury. Prior to 1998, the highway extended...
was downloaded to the county as CR 34, the Leamington Bypass was built by the MTO, and the part of the bypass east of Highway 77 was numbered as CR 33 (as the town of Leamington is proposing an "East Side Arterial Road" to link up with the other CR 33).
Today
Today, County Road 34 is a quiet county road, with only a few busy spots (Essex, Ruthven, Leamington). For the most part, traffic is fairly light. It has the Talbot Trail designation from its intersection with Highway 3 in Leamington to the Essex/Chatham-Kent boundary, and it is a part of the Heritage Highway for its entire length. Several re-alignmened curves can be seen roughly 5 km south of Cottam, as well as a former alignment "Service Road" that serves a farm residence.See also
- List of Essex County Roads
- County Road 20
Former Provincial Highways
- Highway 2Highway 2 (Ontario)King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
- Highway 3Highway 3 (Ontario)King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
- Highway 18Highway 18 (Ontario)King's Highway 18, commonly referred to as Highway 18 was the longest highway in Essex County, Ontario, and travelled through the most communities. Today, it is known as County Road 20...
- Highway 18AHighway 18A (Ontario)King's Highway 18A, commonly referred to as Highway 18A, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which was the southernmost provincial highway to ever exist in Canada. Since 1979, the entire route has been known as Essex County Road 50...
- Highway 98Highway 98 (Ontario)Highway 98 was a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Ontario, designated as part of the provincial highway system from 1938 to 1970. The route travelled through the northern part of Essex County and through south-central Chatham-Kent, extending from Windsor to Blenheim.The route's...
- Highway 107Highway 107 (Ontario)King's Highway 107 was one of Ontario's shortest provincially maintained highways, at just in length. The highway has been through several re-numberings throughout its history.- History :...
- Highway 114Highway 114 (Ontario)King's Highway 114, commonly referred to as Highway 114, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was one of the shortest highways ever assigned in the province, at just in length...