Ontario Highway 17A

Ontario provincial highway

Highway 17A

Kenora By-Pass

Route information

Auxiliary route of Highway 17

Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

Length

33.3 km^[1] (20.7 mi)

Existed

November 16, 1990^[2]–present

Major junctions

Beltway around Kenora

West end

Highway 17 west near Keewatin

Major intersections

Highway 596 near Keewatin

Highway 658 near Jaffray–Melick

Highway 671

East end

Highway 17 east near Kenora

Location

Country

Canada

Province

Ontario

Counties

Kenora District

Major cities

Kenora, Kenora Airport

Highway system

Ontario provincial highways

←

Highway 17

→

Highway 17B

King's Highway 17A, commonly referred to as Highway 17A or as the Kenora By-Pass, is an alternate route of Highway 17 around the city of Kenora, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was built along a former Canadian Pacific Railway right-of-way, and has two westbound passing lanes in separate parts, and one eastbound passing lane.

Route description

Although it is not an official part of the Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 17A is designated as the through route when travelling into Kenora on the Trans-Canada.^[3]^[4] The road also provides access to Kenora Airport, but otherwise avoids the built-up areas of the city.^[5] The highway passes through a heavily forested area dominated by large granite rock outcroppings, geography typical of the Canadian Shield.^[6] On an average day approximately 3,200–5,200 vehicles travel along the road, varying by season.^[1]

History

Construction of Highway 17A began in 1981 in response to traffic congestion within the city of Kenora, which created a severe bottleneck for cross-national traffic. The bypass opened in stages as it was constructed from west to east.^[7] The first 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi), from Highway 17 to Highway 596 opened in September 1983. Following this, contracts were tendered for construction of the Winnipeg River bridge.^[8] The section between Highway 596 and Highway 658 opened several years later in the autumn of 1988.^[7] The final section, linking Highway 658 with Highway 17, was opened on November 16, 1990, at which point the Kenora Bypass was designated Highway 17A.^[2]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 17A, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.^[9] The entire route is located in Kenora District.^[5]

Location	km^[9]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Unorganized Kenora	0.0	0.0	Highway 17 / TCH – Kenora, Winnipeg	Through traffic follows Highway 17 west
Unorganized Kenora	7.0	4.3	Highway 596 north – Minaki Darlington Drive
Kenora	12.5	7.8	Winnipeg River Bridge
	14.8	9.2	Highway 658 north (Redditt Road) – Redditt
	21.0	13.0	East Melick Road	Formerly Highway 659 north
	25.3	15.7	Highway 671 north (Jones Road) – Jones
Unorganized Kenora	33.3	20.7	Highway 17 / TCH – Kenora, Thunder Bay	Through traffic follows Highway 17 east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

^ ^a ^b Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2007). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Government of Ontario. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Highway 17A in Kenora". Hansard Transcripts (Report). Legislative Assembly of Ontario. November 21, 1990. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^ Google (August 31, 2021). "Highway 17 westbound approaching 17/17A split" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
^ Google (August 31, 2021). "Highway 17 eastbound approaching 17/17A split" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Mapart (2010). Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Peter Heiler Ltd. p. 106. § G3. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
^ "Farming on the Canadian Shield". Lake of the Woods Museum. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (May 1989). Northern Transportation Construction Projects 1989–90 (Report). Transportation Capital Branch, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. p. 6. ISSN 0822-1480.
^ Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (April 1988). Northern Transportation Construction Projects 1988–89 (Report). Transportation Capital Branch, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. p. VII. ISSN 0822-1480.
^ Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved January 1, 2021.