The Highways of Hamilton /

Ontario 6

Highway	Duration	Start	Terminus	Length (km)
ON 6	1925-1927	Wellington County line north of Freelton	ON 5, Clappison's Corners	18
ON 6	1927-2004	Wellington County line north of Freelton	Haldimand County line south of Mt. Hope	45
ON 6 (north segment)	2004-	Wellington County line north of Freelton	ON 403 south of Clappison's Corners	21
ON 6 (south segment)	2004-	ON 403 near Ancaster	Haldimand County line south of Mt. Hope	13

Overview

Of the three older highways in Hamilton that still survive with their provincial shields and crowns intact, Highway 6 is easily the most impressive of the bunch.

It's a north-south road: A long north-south road, extending all the way north to the Trans Canada Highway west of Sudbury! In its nearly 500-kilometre path, Highway 6 traverses the wilds of Manitoulin Island, connects to the Bruce Peninsula via a ferry crossing, ties together small cities like Owen Sound and Mt. Forest, then makes a run for the Lake Erie shore by way of Guelph, Hamilton, and Jarvis. It's also escaped the fate of being sacrificed for a 400-series highway: The overall course of Highway 6 is almost totally intact and in commission as a strategic link of Ontario's provincial transportation infrastructure, with no comparable parallel roads.

Well, almost intact: Since 2004, Hamilton's portion of Highway 6 has had a big chunk taken out from the middle of it. This 13-kilometre gap is covered by an implied concurrency with Highway 403; yet this stretch of road is never posted as "6," only as "To 6." Dog knows why...

History

Like Hamilton's other single-digit highways, Highway 6 originated in Ontario's highway route numbering plan of 1925. In northern Wentworth County, it was routed along the township line following the pre-existing Guelph and Hamilton Stone Road. Initially, the highway ended at Highway 5 in Clappison's Corners and didn't touch urban Hamilton at all.

In 1927, the Department of Public Highways of Ontario did a "number swap." The south portion of Highway 5, which had previously made a 90-degree turn at Clappison's Corners to continue to Jarvis, was renumbered as an extension of Highway 6. Meanwhile, a new extension carried Highway 5 west to Brantford.

Highway 6's routing through downtown Hamilton changed numerous times. Its initial path followed the same route that ON 5 had used earlier in the 1920s, with a combination of the following present-day streets:

York Boulevard south from ON 2 to James. (Part of this course is now covered by the Jackson Square Mall.)
James Street south to Main.
Main Street east to John.
John Street south to Arkledun.
Arkledun Avenue east to Claremont Access (which intersected at grade prior to the 1970s).
Claremont Access west to Upper James.
Upper James south to city limits and beyond.

A full list of known adjustments follows:

C,J

D,E

B,I

F,H

A: In 1927, ON 6 absorbed the prior routing of ON 5 south of Clappison's Corners.
B: In 1932, a traffic circle was installed north of the Desjardins Canal.

C: About 1939, ON 6's downtown routing was changed to use Dundurn Street instead of James Street. (DHO, 1939 & 1940)

D: About 1948, ON 6's downtown routing was put in a circuitous path from Main Street to Wellington, Young, and John instead of using John directly. (DHO, 1948 & 1949)

E: About 1957, one-way splits were initiated for downtown Hamilton traffic. Northbound traffic on ON 6 now used John, King, and (probably) Margaret Streets, while southbound traffic used Main, James, and a portion of St. Joseph's Drive. (DHO, 1957 & 1958)
F: In 1958, the Aldershot portion of Wentworth County was annexed by Halton County and the city of Burlington. This resulted in a portion of ON 6 straddling both sides of the county line.
G: By 1960, a 2-km segment was bypassed in Mount Hope, leaving behind Homestead Drive.

H: About 1963, a Y-interchange opened connecting ON 6 to ON 403 and necessitating the relocation of a 300m segment to clear the new infrastructure. (Canada, 1963 & 1972)

I: Also about 1963, the traffic circle that had been installed three decades earlier was removed. (Canada, 1963 & 1972)
J: About 1966, the one-way split in downtown Hamilton was extended west of Dundurn Street and the 403.
K: About 1971, a 2-km segment of highway in Freelton was bypassed.

L: By 1976 the modern Claremont Access had opened, linking downtown Hamilton to the escarpment via a multi-lane highway. This resulted in yet another new traffic pattern, with vehicles on ON 6 intersecting Main and King Streets through Wellington and Victoria rather than James and John. (MTC, 1974 & 1976)
M: In 2004, ON 6 was placed onto a newly-constructed 10km segment between Ancaster and Mount Hope, connecting ON 403 directly to the Hamilton International Airport, completely bypassing Hamilton's urban centre after 79 years...and leaving the signed course of ON 6 with a gaping 13-kilometre hole.

Gallery

All photos are by the author, 2022-2025:

Southbound on Highway 6, looking down the escarpment towards downtown Hamilton. In the road's current configuration, York Road is the last available exit before all traffic is dumped onto ON 403.

Due to the highway's reconfiguration to interface with the 403 in 1963 (see H above), a short stub of ON 6 was cut off. Today, this is signed as Old Plains Road. The pavement continues for 50 metres beyond the barrier, along with a guard rail that's been untouched for more than 60 years.

Prior to 2004, traffic on ON 6 would have turned onto York Boulevard (the old ON 2) at this well-developed intersection. It falls within Aldershot, an area ceded from Wentworth County to Burlington and Halton in 1958.

The Thomas B. McQuesten High Level Bridge traditionally formed ON 6's entrance into Hamilton. Built in 1932, this spectacular arch bridge features corner towers emblazoned with the municipal arms.

The construction of the Claremont Access in the 1970s placed ON 6 on an alignment where traffic was interfaced between downtown and the Mountain via a series of ramps and bridges. Here, northbound traffic from the escarpment descends to Victoria Avenue, while southbound traffic curves from its approach on Wellington Street.

Following ON 6's 2004 realignment, much of its former course on Upper James Street became signed with "Formerly 6" street blades. Some of these are still in place today, although they're the exceptions to the rule.

The post-2004 ON 6 alignment, as seen from its intersection with Book Road. The street blade in the distance reads "Hwy 6 Bypass."

presents

The Highways of Hamilton /

Ontario 6

Overview

History

Gallery

Links