The Highways of Hamilton /

Phantom Highways & Mysteries

or, "Apparitions of Roads That Once Were and Signs That Shouldn't Be."

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 roads by names instead of numbers. However, not all traces of the old system have disappeared...

3-digit regional roads

All photos are by the author, 2022-2026:

Fifty Road (RR 450) passes near Winona, a stone's throw from the boundary of the Niagara Region. It also seems that no one told the MTO that this road isn't officially numbered any more! Numerous "450" signs are posted along the QEW on the lead-up to its interchange, even in 2026. And in case you're wondering: "Fifty Road" was named for its proximity to Fifty Mile Creek, not its number (which was actually 56 at one point!)

Fruitland Road? Well, I've found the place for me! Like RR 450, RR 455 interchanges with the QEW and remains memorialized in signage.

Near Waterdown, RR 507 ran parallel to ON 5 along East Flamboro Township concession line 4, linking the village to points both east and west. Since this sign is posted on an extant provincial highway, it was undoubtedly the MTO's doing. (These artifically-condensed fonts are something awful, though!)

RR 521 ran along the south edge of West Flamboro Township concession #5. It's labelled as Millgrove Road on some maps, although the situation on the ground is different.

In Freelton, a 1970s-bypassed segment of ON 6 was reclassified as RR 551.

In the Township of Glanbrook, Haldibrook Road was numbered RR 610. This sign is posted over the line in Haldimand County, but references 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!

1- and 2-digit regional roads

Many of the highway numbers used in the 1979-2005 3-digit regional road system were adaptations of pre-1979 1- and 2-digit numbers. It seems that Hamilton-Wentworth flirted with revisiting this system, since "abbreviated" 1- and 2-digit regional road numbers also survive in evidence on Hamilton roads...all of which appear to be post-1979:

Our first example of this phenomenon is Sunnyridge Road in Ancaster, classified as RR 203 in the 1980s. This sign shortens the designation to RR 3, which coincides with the road's 1960s-era number.

In 1979, Mud Street was classified as RR 411 in Stoney Creek. Here it is signed as RR 11, which was also its 1960s-era number.

Ridge Road was previously RR 430 in Stoney Creek. It's signed in the field as RR 30, which was (however briefly) the road's pre-1979 number.

Other anomalies

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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