King's Highway 135, commonly referred to as Highway 135, was a
provincially maintained highway in the
Canadian province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
on the southern edge of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, following Exeter Road, which it is better known as. The road's main purpose was to link
Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one,
is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian provin ...
in London with
Highway 2 in
Lambeth, at a time when the London-area section of Highway 401 was only completed to the interchange with
Highway 4 (
Colonel Talbot Road
The following is a list of the major roads in London, Ontario, London, a major city in Southwestern Ontario. The city is organized in a grid pattern that dates back to the early 19th century, where it is based on the former Townships of London and ...
).
Highway 135 was designated in 1957, alongside the newly opened section of Highway 401 between London and Woodstock. It remained in place as the freeway network grew around it. With the completion of Highway 402 to
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes w ...
in 1982, Highway 135 no longer served as a long-distance route. As a result, it was
decommissioned in 1993, and is now known as Exeter Road.
Route description
Highway 135 was a short route that travelled along present day Exeter Road on the south side of London. At its western terminus, the highway began at an intersection with Highway 2 and Highway 4 (Wharncliffe Road) near Lambeth in the Longwoods neighbourhood of London. After immediately intersecting
Wonderland Road
Wonderland Road is a major north-south arterial road in London, Ontario, designated as Ontario Highway 4 between Highway 401 and Sunningdale Road. Outside of the City limits, the road extends north into Middlesex Centre as Middlesex County Roa ...
, which did not continue south at the time, it passed east through a mix of farmland and development. To the north lay the Southwest Optimist Park baseball fields, while the Meadowland Business Park followed by a large industrial area near White Oak Road lay to the south. East of the intersection with that White Oak Road, Highway 135 ran between residential subdivision in the White Oaks neighbourhood to the north, and commercial properties to the south.
At the intersection with Sholto Drive, the route passed north of the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as well as the City of London Exeter Road Operations Centre. At Wellington Road, which the route turned south onto, it encountered the Crossroads Centre shopping mall as well several large hotel chains. Highway 135 ended a short distance south at Highway 401 at Exit 186.
History
Highway 135 was established in 1957 alongside the opening of Highway 401 between London and Woodstock. It provided a more direct route between Highway 401 and Highway 2, which continued towards
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. At that time, Highway 401 was yet to be constructed between
Tilbury
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...
and London. Highway 401 was opened on May 31, 1957.
Exeter Road was designated as Highway 135 one month later on June 27 at a length of .
The usefulness of Highway 135 as a shortcut to Windsor dwindled significantly in 1963, when Highway 401 was completed from
Tilbury
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...
to Highway 4 as a grade-separated
super two freeway.
However, it was still a provincially significant highway as it allowed motorists headed to and from
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes w ...
to travel via Highway 2,
Highway 81 and
Highway 7.
Until the 1970s,
Highway 402 was only completed in the Sarnia area;
construction west to London began in 1974 and was completed in 1982.
Consequently, the significance of Highway 135 was greatly reduced. The lack of provincial significance and the increasing urbanisation of the route led the
Ministry of Transportation
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
to transfer jurisdiction to the City of London on October1, 1993.
Today, the road is known as Exeter Road.
Major intersections
References
{{Roads in London, Ontario
Roads in London, Ontario
Ontario county roads
135 135 may refer to:
* 135 (number)
* AD 135
* 135 BC
* 135 film, better known as 35 mm film, is a format of photographic film used for still photography
*135 (New Jersey bus) 135 may refer to:
* 135 (number)
* AD 135
* 135 BC
* 135 film, better know ...
1957 establishments in Ontario
1993 disestablishments in Ontario