Ontario Highway 416

For the route in London, Ontario, see Veterans Memorial Parkway. For the Niagara Veterans Memorial Highway in Niagara Falls, see Ontario Highway 420.

Highway 416 marker
Highway 416
Veterans Memorial Highway
Map
Highway 416 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length76.4 km[3] (47.5 mi)
History
  • Proposed 1966[1]
  • Alignment built 1969–1983
  • Freeway built 1990–1999
  • Completed September 23, 1999[2]
Major junctions
South end Highway 401 to Toronto
Major intersections Highway 16 south to Johnstown
North end Highway 417 to Ottawa
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Highway system
← Highway 413→ Highway 417

King's Highway 416, commonly referred to as Highway 416 and as the Veterans Memorial Highway, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that connects Highway 417 (Trans-Canada Highway) in Ottawa with Highway 401 between Brockville and Cornwall. The 76.4-kilometre-long (47.5 mi) freeway acts as an important trade corridor from Interstate 81 between New York and Eastern Ontario via Highway 401, as well as the fastest link between Ottawa and Toronto. Highway 416 passes through a largely rural area, except near its northern terminus where it enters the suburbs of Ottawa. The freeway also serves several communities along its length, notably Spencerville and Kemptville.

Highway 416 had two distinct construction phases. Highway 416 "North" was the 21-kilometre (13 mi) segment starting from an interchange at Highway 417 and bypassing the original route of Highway 16 into Ottawa (now Prince of Wales Drive) along a new right-of-way. Highway 416 "South" was the twinning of 57 kilometres (35 mi) of Highway 16 New (a two-lane expressway constructed throughout the 1970s and finished in 1983 that bypassed the original Highway 16), plus a new Y interchange connecting to Highway 401 towards Kingston and Toronto. Sections of both opened throughout the late 1990s. Highway 416 was commemorated as the Veterans Memorial Highway on the 54th anniversary of D-Day in 1998. The final link was officially opened by a World War I veteran and local officials on September 23, 1999.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference opened was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved October 25, 2020.