Background

Highway 11 is a major transportation gateway linking Northern Ontario with the southern portion of the province.

Envisioned as early as 1793 as an access road linking York (Toronto) and Lake Simcoe, the route was gradually extended in the years that followed northward and north-west as demand for natural resources and settlement lands grew. By 1930, construction to its current length was completed, stretching 1,850 km from the shores of Lake Ontario to Rainy River at the Ontario/Minnesota border.

North of Huntsville, Highway 11 is primarily a two lane roadway serving both as a long distance connection for people and goods between northern and southern population centres, and as a route for local commuter traffic.