Simcoe County Road 8
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Simcoe County Road 8 (Canal Road) is a major arterial road and shortcut from Highway 9 in Schomberg, Ontario to Highway 11 in Bradford-West Gwillimbury, Ontario and connects the south end of Bradford, Ontario with Schomberg. The north side of the roadway is mostly wooded with a drainage canal from the Holland River to Schomberg River. The road is a single lane roadway with a solid painted median strip in the middle.
The southern end of the road terminates at Highway 9 and the north end of the road merges with Simcoe County Road 41 (Simcoe Road) towards York Regional Road 1.
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[edit] Major Intersections
- Bridge Street/Yonge Street
- Simcoe Road
- Highway 400 (Ontario) - accessed by two on/off ramps on the south side
- 5th Line/Fraser Street
- Tornado Drive
- Wanda Street
- Day Street
- River Road/5th Sideroad
- Webber Road
- Highway 9 (Ontario)
[edit] History
Canal Road was created to provide farmers in the Holland Marsh with access to either end of the Marsh and to major highways. It was built on top of a dyke situated beside the drainage canal. The road was given an extremely low standard interchange with Highway 400 and was designed to accommodate the traffic coming into and out of the marsh. Motorists are forced to come to a complete stop when approaching the highway and turn right. This then turns into a merging lane where drivers are forced to accelerate very quickly.
[edit] Safety concerns
Canal Road has a poor safety record. Since the road opened, 17 people have died in accidents where a vehicle has left the road and plunged into the canal. The road continues to deteriorate as the canal widens. Only a very limited number of guard rails have been installed along the canal as the land between the road and canal is very soft and unstable. Traffic on the road is growing as it serves as a shortcut to those commuting from the east on Highway 400 to Toronto
In the winter of 2005, an accident on Canal Road involving the death of a woman and her child provoked intense media attention in Ontario on the road's safety problems. Immediately people began suggesting[citation needed] and even protesting[citation needed] for the closure of the Interchange. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation refused to close the interchange with Highway 400, stating that it was vital[citation needed], but a number of measures were implemented to improve the road's safety: nearly 50 new signs were posted along the entire length of Canal Road from Highway 9 to Highway 11, two large electronic signs were installed temporarily on both exit ramps warning drivers to be extra cautious while driving and the speed limit was reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h.
[edit] Attractions
As much of the area is rural, few attractions are found along the road:
- Bradford Highlands Golf Course