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presents

The Highways of Hamilton /

Phantom Highways and Mystery Roads

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Officially, the City of Hamilton has just eight numbered highways in its purview: 5, 8, 20, 52, 56, 65, 97, and 99.

This wasn't always the case. In decades past, Wentworth County and Hamilton-Wentworth catalogued and maintained a vast numbered network of minor county and regional roads. In later years, these used a three-digit numbering system keyed to the municipal constituent. Most of these were "de-numbered" following the establishment of a single-tier municipality in 2001, and a shift to inventorize the city's roads by names instead of numerics except for specially-designated arterials. However, not all traces of the old system have disappeared...

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All photos are by the author, 2022-2025:

In the 1980s, Mud Street was classified as Regional Road 411 in Stoney Creek. Here it is signed as RR 11, which is also its 1960s-era number.

Ridge Road was previously Regional Road 430 in Stoney Creek. Here it is signed as RR 30, again dropping the leading digit of the number.

In the Township of Glanbrook, Haldibrook Road was numbered RR 610. This sign is posted over the line in Haldimand County, but reference a Hamilton-Wentworth road.

Some of these phantom "de-numbered" regional roads even bear current-style signs! RR 612 was Harrison Road, an access route to the Binbrook Conservation Area. Since the route marker is part of a construction-related assembly, it's possible that it was posted by a contractor in error.

Yet another gem from Glanbrook: Regional Road 613. Yet this sign is actually in error, since maps show that RR 613 was actually Blackheath Road, a 280 metre turn off the left fork of Hall.

Here's a true mystery: A one-off reference marker on Butter Road (which never had a highway number, as far as I know). "ANC" obviously means Ancaster, but the purpose or meaning of this sign is otherwise a total fog.

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