Ontario Highway 518

Secondary Highway 518, commonly referred to as Highway 518, is a provincially maintained secondary highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Highway 518 spans 72.7 kilometres (45.2 mi) between Parry Sound and Kearney. It serves as one of the many links between Highway 400 and Highway 11. The highway was assumed in 1956, and has remained generally unchanged since, aside from being truncated slightly at both ends.

Highway 518
Route information
Length	72.7 km[1] (45.2 mi)
Existed	1956[2][3]–present
Major junctions
West end	Highway 400 near Parry Sound
East end	Kearney west limits
Location
Divisions	Parry Sound District
Major cities	Orrville, Bear Lake, Sprucedale, Emsdale
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways List 400-series Former ← Highway 516 → Highway 519

Route description

Highway 518 generally parallels the Seguin Trail, a recreational trail along the old rail bed of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway.[4] It begins at Exit 220 of Highway 400, south of the town of Parry Sound, where the road continues west as Hunter Drive to the former route of Highway 69 (Oastler Park Drive). From Highway 400, the route travels straight east to Orrville, where it turns north onto Star Lake Road. The route zig-zags through rugged Canadian Shield and thick forests, generally arching northeast until meeting the Nipissing Colonization Road north of the ghost town of Seguin Falls. The highway crosses the Seguin Trail, turns east and parallels it through Bear Lake, Whitehall and Sprucedale. The trail arcs south at this point, and Highway 518 continues east. South of Doe Lake, the highway turns northeast, while Star Lake Road continues east.[5][6]

The highway interchanges with Highway 11 at Exit 248, then immediately turns south and parallels Highway 11 until it meets Star Lake Road, which it turns east and follows through Emsdale.[5] Within that town, it intersects Highway 592, the original route of Highway 11 before the freeway bypass opened. Highway 518 continues east through forests, ending at the entrance to Kearney.[1] However, signage has not been removed east of this point.[7]

History

Highway 518 was first assumed by the Department of Highways in early 1956, along with several dozen other secondary highways, but was likely maintained as a development road prior to that;[2] it was 76 kilometres (47 mi) long.[3] The highway was extended east from Kearney to Sand Lake in 1963, increasing its length to 90 km (56 mi).[8][9] Its route remained unchanged between then and January 1, 1998, when the easternmost 15.1 kilometres (9.4 mi) were decommissioned, returning the eastern terminus to the boundary into Kearney.[10] The westernmost section of 518, between Highway 400 and Oastler Park Drive, has also since been decommissioned by the extension of Highway 400, and is now known as Hunter Drive.[11]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 518, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[1] The entire route is located in Parry Sound District.[5] 

Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Parry Sound	0.0	0.0	Highway 400 / TCH – Toronto, Parry Sound	Exit 220
			Stisted Road – Hunstville	Stisted Road becomes Muskoka Regional Road 2 at the Parry Sound – Muskoka boundary
Perry	62.4	38.8	Highway 11 – Toronto, North Bay	Exit 248
Emsdale	65.2	40.5	Highway 592	Former route of Highway 11
Kearney	72.7	45.2		Kearney west limits
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved February 1, 2021.
2. "Ontario Secondary Roads Now Designated 500, 600". 112 (33, 119). The Globe and Mail. February 4, 1956. p. 4. Two new Ontario road numbers appear on the province's 1956 official road map which will be ready for distribution next week. The new numbers are the 500 and 600 series and designate hundreds of miles of secondary roads which are wholly maintained by the Highways Department. More than 100 secondary roads will have their own numbers and signs this year. All of these secondary roads were taken into the province's main highways system because they form important connecting links with the King's Highways
3. Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1956. § J13–14.
4. Seguin Recreational Trail
5. Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 57, 77. § R27–N33. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
6. Map 8 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 1,600,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
7. Google (April 16, 2011). "Image of old sign indicating changeover from Highway 518 to a local road at entrance to Kearney" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
8. Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1962. § O34.
9. Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1963. § O34.
10. Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What" (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. June 20, 2001. p. 16.
11. Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 57. § R27. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.