The numbered roads in Essex County account for of roads in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...
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 Ca ...
.
These roads include
King's Highways
The Provincial Highway Network consists of all the roads in Ontario maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), including those designated as part of the King's Highway, secondary highways, and tertiary roads. Components of th ...
that are signed and maintained by the province, as well as
county roads
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
under the jurisdiction of the
Essex County xxx. The third type of existing roadway in the county is locally maintained municipal roads, many of which are
concession roads and sidelines; these are beyond the scope of this article.
Odd-numbered roads are generally north–south, with numbers increasing from west to east; even-numbered roads are generally east–west roads, with numbers increasing from north to south, with some exceptions. County roads are not signed within the city limits of
Windsor. There are also several unrelated roads named "Malden Road". In 2002, the City of Windsor and the Town of
Tecumseh
Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...
swapped land with each other. Windsor gained land west of Banwell Road, including Windsor International Airport and Tecumseh Mall. Portions of several county roads within the land given to Windsor lost their designation as a result of this exchange.
The 43 numbered routes provide year-round access to the rural areas of the county, with roads within Windsor under a separate authority. The longest road in Essex County is
County Road 20, which stretches between Windsor and
Leamington via the shoreline of the
Detroit River and
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...
.
King's Highways
There are of
provincially-maintained highways in Essex County, known as "provincial highways" or "
King's Highways
The Provincial Highway Network consists of all the roads in Ontario maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), including those designated as part of the King's Highway, secondary highways, and tertiary roads. Components of th ...
," a term adopted in 1930.
As in the rest of Ontario, the provincially maintained highways in Essex County are designated with a shield-shaped sign topped with a crown. The highway number is in the centre, with the word ''ONTARIO'' below. These signs are known as ''
shields'', but may be referred to as ''
reassurance markers''.
Provincially maintained highways generally have greater construction standards than municipally or locally maintained roads.
County roads
There are 40
numbered county roads in Essex County.
County roads are signed with a flowerpot-shaped sign, as are most
regional and county roads in Ontario. The road number appears in the centre of the sign, with the word ''ESSEX'' above and the word ''COUNTY'' below. Like King's Highways, these signs are known as ''shields''.
Roads
King's Highways
County roads
County roads are referred to on signage as ''Essex County Road X''. The following table lists existing numbered roads maintained by the County of Essex.
Former county roads
Windsor Suburban Roads
Windsor Suburban Roads were a special designation given to certain county roads in
Essex County that were close to the
City of Windsor
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, Ontario, Essex Coun ...
. The following roads had part or all of their routes listed as "Windsor Suburban Roads":
* County Road 2
* County Road 3
* County Road 6
* County Road 7
* County Road 8
* County Road 9
* County Road 11
* County Road 17
* County Road 19
* County Road 21
* County Road 25
* County Road 34
* County Road 40
* County Road 42
* County Road 46
* County Road 117
The roads were managed by the "Windsor Suburban Roads Commission" until 1998, when Windsor became a
single-tier municipality
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
. The Suburban Roads reverted to
Essex County.
See also
*
List of roads in Windsor, Ontario
References
Route maps
External links
Official road maps of Essex County
{{Windsor, Ontario
Essex County