Ontario Highway 35

Newcastle–Coboconk Highway35 begins at a trumpet interchange with Highway401 west of Newcastle, where it is concurrent with Highway115 for to Enterprise Hill. For the length of this concurrency, which is located entirely within the municipality of Clarington in the Regional Municipality of Durham, it is a divided four lane route with no left turns, known as right-in/right-out (RIRO). It begins in a northeasterly direction, with an interchange at former Highway 2 (now Durham Regional Highway 2) prior to curving north. Several businesses, including gas stations and fast food franchises, line the next portion of the highway interspersed among farmland. After swerving to the east of Orono, Highway35/115 meets the eastern terminus of Highway 407. It enters the Oak Ridges Moraine and passes through the eastern edge of the Ganaraska Forest at Enterprise Hill. Highway35 exits the divided highway, which continues as Highway115 east to Peterborough, at a trumpet interchange known as the 35/115 split, and proceeds north as a two lane road. Highway35 crosses into the city of Kawartha Lakes, a mostly rural single-tier municipality, at Boundary Road (Durham/Kawartha Lakes Road 20), which provides access to the nearby Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The highway travels north in a straight line, passing to the east of Pontypool before exiting the Oak Ridges Moraine near Ballyduff Road. It intersects the eastern leg of Highway 7A, then curves northeast briefly before encountering the western leg. The headwaters of the Pigeon River lie nearby, the river itself being crossed just south of Janetville Road (Kawartha Lakes Road57). The terrain flattens approaching Lindsay, where the route intersects Highway 7 (Trans-Canada Highway), onto which it turns west and becomes concurrent. Highway7/35 bypass Lindsay to the southwest, after which Highway35 branches east onto Kent Street, then north, while Highway7 continues west. North of Lindsay, Highway35 travels near the Trent–Severn Waterway, tracing its route alongside Sturgeon Lake, Cameron Lake and Balsam Lake. It passes over the first of several limestone cuestas near the Ken Reid Conservation Area as it approaches the boundary between the Ordovician limestone and the Precambrian Canadian Shield. The route curves northeast and travels through farmland as well as the community of Cameron, before turning back northward at Powles Corners, where it intersects the southern end of former Highway 121 (now Kawartha Lakes Road121). It continues north a short distance to intersect Kawartha Lakes Road 8, the eastern leg formerly being Highway35A into Fenelon Falls. The highway curves around the southern end of Cameron Lake near Isaacs Glen, travels north for a brief period then zig-zags northeast through Rosedale, where it crosses the Trent–Severn on the Constable Randall F. Skidmore Bridge, named after a local police officer who was involved in a fatal crash nearby on February14, 1986. The farmland alongside the highway thins out north of Rosedale, as the route makes its approach to Coboconk. It reaches the town of Minden where it meets former Highway121 again and provides access to the Minden Wild Water Preserve. Highway 35 generally follows the former Bobcaygeon Colonization Road north of Minden, though several realignments over the years have led to its current winding route. At Carnarvon, it meets with Highway 118. The route then follows the east side of Boshkung Lake, passes through Buttermilk Falls, travels long the west side of Halls Lake, then arches northwest to cross the midpoint of Kushog Lake. Heading northward into increasingly mountainous terrain, the highway crosses into Muskoka near Dorset, and shortly thereafter reaches its northern terminus at Highway 60 west of Algonquin Park. Traffic Traffic volumes on Highway 35 vary considerably over the length of the highway, as well as over the course of the year due to its use for recreational purposes, including snowmobiling, camping, and vacations in cottage country. Along the Highway35/115 concurrency, the average daily vehicle count is above 20,000. This drops as Highway35 splits off at Enterprise Hill to under 10,000vehicles per day. That volume is fairly consistent as far north as Minden, at which point the vehicle count drops below 5,000 and tapers off as low as 2,000 at Highway60. The speed limit for most of the length of the highway is , slowing to within built-up areas, and increasing to when it connects with Highway 115. == History ==

in 1941 Highway 35, like many highways that begin at Lake Ontario and eventually cross into the Canadian Shield, began as several trails connecting settlements. Most of the southern portion of the highway follows various sidelines and concessions. Between Lindsay and Fenelon Falls, Highway 35 follows the former Fenelon Road, while north of there it follows The Cameron Road, a trail carved in the 1850s between Fenelon and Minden. North of Minden, the highway roughly follows The Bobcaygeon Road, a colonization road built as far north as Dwight in the 1850s. Predecessors and construction Several portions of Highway35 were built along or nearby the Bobcaygeon Road, a colonization road built in the 1850s to open settlement into the frontier of Central Ontario. The first half of the 19th century saw settlement occur along "the front", the townships established along the shores of Lake Ontario. Seeking to open the interior lands of Upper Canada to prospective settlers and farming, the government began the construction of the colonization roads through the wilderness of the southern edge of the Canadian Shield. In 1854, Michael Deane surveyed a line between present-day Bobcaygeon and Carnarvon. The relief project employed upwards of 2,300men, who resided in at least 13temporary work camps. Work was done by hand in many places, with only dynamite and horses to aid construction along the rocky shorelines of lakes. Construction wrapped up by the end of 1936, the final year before the jurisdiction of the DHO was extended north of the Trent–Severn Waterway. It was extended north along the road between Fenelon Falls and Rosedale on April15, 1934, bringing the length of the highway up to . On April1, 1937, the Department of Northern Development merged into the ,. As a result, an additional of road were added to the length of Highway35. The portion south of Coboconk within Victoria County was assumed by the department on August11 of that year, while the remainder within the county from Coboconk to north of Norland was assumed several weeks later on September1. The portion lying within Haliburton County, from north of Norland to Dwight and Huntsville, was assumed a month later on October6. Finally, a section between Lindsay and Newcastle was assumed by the on April13, 1938, bringing the highway to its peak length of . At this point, much of the assumed route was a gravel road. Only the section south of Orono and from Lindsay to Cameron was paved. Construction quickly began to pave the gravel sections of the route. Approximately of paving between Cameron and Fenelon Falls was completed in 1938. By 1939, the concurrency of Highway35/60 between Huntsville and Dwight was also paved. In 1940, paving of a gravel mulch surface was completed from Dwight south for approximately to Birkendale, as well as approximately from the Victoria–Haliburton county boundary north of Norland to Minden. Approximately of paving north of Carnarvon to Wren Lake was completed in 1942. The remaining of gravel road between Wren Lake and Birkendale was paved in 1945. A permanent pavement was laid from north of Norland to Dwight, as well as between Fenelon Falls and Rosedale in 1947. Paving was completed between Rosedale and Coboconk in 1950, and on the remaining gap between Coboconk and the Victoria–Haliburton county boundary in 1953. It would take until 1958 for paving to commence south of Lindsay. and co-designated with Highway 35 southwards in 1961. Construction began to widen both to four lanes beginning in 1984, which was completed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The concurrency with Highway 60 was removed from Highway 35 after 1961, but before 1969. Beginning in 1954, several bypasses were constructed around the towns and villages along the route. This was followed by the bypassing of Fenelon Falls in 1955. Highway 35 followed present day Kawartha Lakes Road 121 and Kawartha Lakes Road 8 into and out of the village until the Seventh Concession Line was paved and the highway rerouted onto it. In 1956, Newcastle and Orono were bypassed and Highway35 connected directly to the then eastern terminus of Highway401 west of the village. Work also began that year to rebuild the highway north to Lindsay, as well as on the Lindsay Bypass. Prior to the opening of the bypass, Highway35 followed Lindsay Street to Kent Street and jogged northwest along William Street and Colborne Street. It then followed today's Kawartha Lakes Road 4 north and west to the current intersection with Highway35. This routing became Highway35B when the bypass opened on October10, 1958. In the 1960s, the route through Pontypool (now known as John Street) was bypassed. On the day before Remembrance Day, 2009, the section of Highway 35 between Lindsay and Norland was renamed the Midland Regiment Commemorative Highway, in honour of veterans of World War II. Signs are placed along the highway at regular intervals to acknowledge the designation. On April 25, 2012, four bridges along the highway were renamed in memory of police officers killed in the line of duty: The Constable Randall F. Skidmore Bridge over the Trent–Severn Waterway in Rosedale; the Constable Eric Nystedt Bridge over the Gull River in Moore Falls; and the Corporal James Smith Bridge and Detective Sergeant Lorne J. Chapitis Bridge between Miners Bay and Minden. == Future ==

The MTO is currently performing an environmental assessment on Highway 35 between the Highway 115 split and Lindsay, in preparation for a four-lane expansion. In 2009, the provincial government of Dalton McGuinty promised to widen Highway7/35 near Lindsay. Work began later that year to widen the bridge over the Scugog River to accommodate a four-lane cross section. A detailed design report was submitted in late 2021 to move forward with the widening, which is scheduled to begin in 2023. == Major intersections ==

Highway 35A }} Highway35A was created when a new bypass of Fenelon Falls was assumed by the as part of Highway35 on May25, 1955. The old route, between Powles Corners and Fenelon Falls, became part of the new Highway 121 at that time, while the remainder travelling east out of Fenelon Falls was renumbered as Highway35A. The short route remained in the provincial highway system until April1, 1997, when it was transferred to Victoria County. Highway 35B (Lindsay) Highway35B, which was concurrent for its entire length with Highway 7B, travelled through Lindsay, following Kent Street West and Lindsay Street South, connecting with Highway35 at both ends. Highway35B was consequently rerouted along Kent Street. The remaining of the route was decommissioned on April1, 1997, and transferred to Victoria County. Highway 35B (Dorset) ==References==