Highway27 was created in 1927, connecting Barrie with Penetanguishene. It was extended south to Schomberg in 1934, and later to Toronto by the late 1930s. Between Barrie and Toronto, the route served as a redundancy to Highway 11 (Yonge Street), and later Highway 400. Through the 1950s, the portion of Highway27 between Evans Avenue and north of Eglinton Avenue was expanded into a four-laned dual highway known as the Toronto Bypass (which included portions of the new Highway401 through Toronto). Beginning in the mid-1960s, this dual highway was expanded into the current collector–express system and renumbered as Highway427 upon completion at the end of 1971. The majority of the remainder of the route was decommissioned in the late 1990s; the majority of the former highway is now designated and signed as York Regional Road27 and Simcoe County Road27. Within the City of Toronto, it retains "Highway27" as a name along the decommissioned section, but has no route shields, as Toronto does not have a numbered road system.
Route description
The southern terminus of Highway27, where it transitions into the collector lanes of Highway 427 south of Eglinton Avenue"Former" Highway 27 at Finch Avenue
As of 2021, Highway27 begins to the south at the offramps from the collector lanes of Highway427 as a four-lane divided highway. While the express lanes, constituting the mainline Highway427, curve around the Richview Memorial Cemetery and shift west by approximately 1km (0.6mi), the collector lanes transitioning to Highway27 continue northward and cross Eglinton Avenue at a half-cloverleaf interchange (originally meant for the never-built Richview Expressway) before diving under Highway401. While there are no longer any visible route markers for Highway 27 along this stretch, the northbound on-ramp from westbound Eglinton Avenue still has signage displaying the highway number within the outline of the crown, signifying that this section of the highway is still provincially owned. Highway27 ends north of Mimico creek at the end of the divided highway, transitioning into an undivided highway with a rural cross-section with a wide right-of-way (rather than a typical suburban arterial street) of the same name.[1][3][4]
Former route (1997)
Through Etobicoke, it encountered mostly industrial surroundings, meeting Dixon Road at a cloverleaf interchange near the Toronto Congress Centre, then crossing (but not interchanging with) Highway 409. Highway27 followed a mostly straight route throughout its length, as it passed through the suburb of Rexdale, then north of Kleinburg, with the vast majority of the highway being surrounded by rural farmland. Within Etobicoke, Highway27 travelled along the 3rd Concession,[5] and in York Region followed the 9th Concession of Vaughan and King Township; both being approximately 16 km west of Yonge Street. It passed along the western edge of suburban sprawl in Vaughan, near the community of Woodbridge. South of Kleinburg, the highway dipped into the Humber River valley, connecting with Islington Avenue. North of the valley, it continued through King Township into the Oak Ridges Moraine, dividing the village of Nobleton and entering Schomberg immediately south of Highway 9, north of which the highway entered Simcoe County.[6][7]
Former Highway27 south of Schomberg
North of Highway9, the route curved 1.5 km (0.93 mi) to the east, then continued north, parallel to Highway400. It followed the townline between Tecumseth and West Gwillimbury townships. It travelled through the village of Bond Head and thereafter met Highway 89 in Cookstown. As the highway approached Barrie, it curved and followed Essa Road northeast until it met Highway400. Through Barrie, it was concurrent with Highway400 between Exit94 and Exit98, after which it was concurrent with Highway 26 along Bayfield Street, travelling north and exiting the city. At Midhurst, Highway27 diverged from its concurrency to continue north, parallel to and 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Highway 400. After passing through the village of Elmvale and the end of Highway 92, the highway abruptly turned to the east to a junction with Highway 93 in the community of Waverley, which assumed the section north of here in the 1980s. Continuing north again, the highway meandered towards Georgian Bay, departing from the old Penetanguishene Road at Mertz's Corner. The route curved around the western side of a large marsh before entering the community of Wyebridge, where it crossed the Wye River. Several kilometres north of Wyebridge, Highway27 met Highway 12 on the outskirts of Midland. It then rejoined Penetanguishene Road and continued north into Penetanguishene, ending at Robert Street near Penetanguishene Harbour.[6][7]
History
The original alignment of Highway 27 required drivers to travel along Highway 9 briefly. The current Leonard Road was formerly Highway 27 connecting from Highway 9 to 27 north of 2 Line.
The alignment (Schomberg Bypass) completed in 1968 provided a direct route between the two discontinuous sections of Highway27.
Highway27 was first designated between Barrie and Penetanguishene on September14, 1927.[2] On March28, 1934 it was extended south to Schomberg via county roads south of Barrie.[8] On August12, 1936, Browns Line and Eaton Road were designated as part of Highway27, creating an isolated section of the route between Long Branch and Elder Mills (at the modern intersection of Rutherford Road). On the same date, the road between Schomberg and Kleinburg was designated as part of Highway27, leaving a gap between Elder Mills and Kleinburg, through the Humber valley. This gap was closed beginning in late 1936. It was completed and opened to traffic in 1938, bringing Highway27 to its peak length of 148.1 km (92.0 mi).[9]
In the mid-1950s, the Toronto Bypass was constructed between Highway 2A and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), widening Highway27 to a four lane freeway in the process. This section was reconstructed again starting in 1968 and continuing until the early 1970s to turn it into a twelve-lane collector-express system. The junction with the QEW was built over 48.5 ha (120 acres) and required the construction of 19 bridges and the equivalent of 42 km (26 mi) of two lane roadway.[10] The junction with Highway401 sprawls over 156 ha (385 acres) and required the construction of 28bridges and the equivalent of 46.6 km (29 mi) of two lane roadway, the largest interchange in Canada.[11] The former was opened to traffic on November14, 1969,[12] while the latter required several more years of construction staging, fully opening on December4, 1971 (though portions were opened in the weeks prior to that), just prior to the renumbering of Highway27 as Highway427. The rest of the route was rebuilt prior to the completion of these interchanges. [13][14] In the new configuration, with Highway27 being the continuation of Highway427 collector lanes as they split off from the express lanes approaching Highway401, Highway27 received a half-cloverleaf interchange with Eglinton Avenue (originally meant for the never-built Richview Expressway), however Highway27 lost its direct access to Highway401 (although indirect access is available via Dixon Road). The isolated section of Highway27 following Browns Line from south of the QEW to Lake Shore Boulevard (then Highway 2) was subsequently decommissioned.[15][16]
On June21, 1968, a new bypass north of Schomberg opened. Originally, northbound traffic had to turn east at Highway9 then north at Leonard Road; a smooth curve is visible at this latter intersection, though it now forms the driveways of several residences. The new bypass made Highway27 a through route at Highway9.[17] In 1982, the section between Waverley and Penetanguishene was renumbered as an extension of Highway93.[18][19] The remainder of the route, from Eglinton Avenue north to Waverley, was decommissioned on January 1, 1998.[20] Within the City of Toronto it is locally maintained, and still known as Highway27; a proposal to rename it to "Etobicoke Drive" was rejected.[citation needed] North of Toronto, it is known as York Regional Road27 and Simcoe County Road27, depending on the jurisdiction.[7]
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 27, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. Former sections of Highway 27 are based upon lengths from the 1989 distance tables.[6]
Formerly Highway 11 south; former southern end of Highway 11 concurrency
82.9
51.5
Dunlop Street West
Formerly Highway 90 west; former Highway 11 / Highway 27 follows Dunlop Street
83.2
51.7
Dunlop Street East / Bayfield Street
Former Highway 26 southern terminus; formerly Highway 11 north; former northern end of Highway 11 concurrency; former southern end of Highway 26 concurrency; former Highway 26 / Highway 27 follows Bayfield Street
^"Appendix 4 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1935. p. 120.
^Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Department of Highways. 1939–40. § Mileage Tables. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
^"Drivers Face Three More Years of QE-27-401 Motoring Misery". The Toronto Star. July 22, 1969. p. 43.
^"A New Maze in the Making for Motorists". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. November 20, 1969. p. 43.
^"QE and 27 Interchange Opens Friday". The Toronto Star. November 13, 1969. p. 1.
^"2 Ramps Opened at 27-401". The Toronto Star. November 24, 1971. p. 1.
^"Highway 27 Interchange Fully in Service". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. December 4, 1971. p. 5.
^Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Photogrammetry Office. Department of Highways. 1969. Metropolitan Toronto inset. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Photogrammetry Office. Department of Highways. 1970. Metropolitan Toronto inset. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^"New Highway 27 Bypass Opening" (Press release). Department of Highways. June 19, 1968.
^Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Cartography Sections, Surveys and Plans Office. Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 1981–82. §§ F22–23. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Cartography Sections, Surveys and Plans Office. Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 1982–83. §§ F22–23. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What" (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. June 20, 2001. pp. 4, 13–14.
^Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 24, 30, 41. § Z28–K31. ISBN978-1-55198-226-7.
