Connecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which are not owned by the Ministry of Transportation. Connecting links are governed by several regulations, including section 144, subsection 31.1 of the Highway Traffic Act and section 21 of the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act. While the road is under local control and can be modified to their needs, extensions and traffic signals require the approval of the MTO to be constructed.
The Connecting Link program was established in 1927. Today, of roadway in 77 municipalities are maintained under the program. These links cross 70 bridges also maintained under the program.
In return for that particular road being downloaded, the town or county receives money and assistance in maintaining it, and is able to still sign and list it as a provincial highway, though not all connecting links are signed as provincial highways. Some connecting links, however, were never provincial highways at all, but rather county or regional roads, or even local streets that the town or city has assistance in maintaining.
During the large-scale downloading of many provincial highways in 1997, many connecting links were repealed when their parent highways were decommissioned. However, in some cases, where a highway terminated in a city, only the connecting links through the urbanized areas were repealed, while the rest of the highway remained under provincial jurisdiction. An example of this was Highway 10 through Mississauga and Brampton. In one unique case, Highway 11A, the entire highway was decommissioned as a result of it being a connecting link for its full length.
Most connecting links are busy municipal or county roads that were once provincial highways, and are designated by small yellow squares or diamonds with the text "C/L" or "CL" on them at their start and end termini. These are similar to, but not always related to 7000-series highways.
Current links
The following table lists the current connecting links in the province by highway. Note that this list is incomplete.| Highway | Location | Local street name | Southern/western terminus | northern/eastern terminus | Length |
| Windsor | Huron Church Road | ||||
| Aylmer | Talbot Street | ||||
| Delhi | King Street James Street | ||||
| Simcoe | Queensway West Queensway East | ||||
| Jarvis | Talbot Street | ||||
| Cayuga | Talbot Road | ||||
| Dunnville | Broad Street George Street Main Street | ||||
| Lucan Biddulph | Main Street | ||||
| Exeter | Main Street | ||||
| Clinton | Victoria Street | ||||
| Jarvis | Main Street | ||||
| Hagersville | Main Street | ||||
| Guelph | Woolwich Street Woodlawn Road | ||||
| Fergus | St. David Street Tower Street Bridge Street | ||||
| Arthur | |||||
| Mount Forest | |||||
| Durham | Garafraxa Street | ||||
| Chatsworth | Garafraxa Street | ||||
| Owen Sound | 9th Avenue East 10th Avenue West | ||||
| Wiarton | Berford Street | ||||
| Little Current | Highway 6 | ||||
| Espanola | Centre Avenue | ||||
| Stratford | Erie Street Ontario Street | ||||
| Guelph | Woodlawn Road Wellington Street Wyndham Street York Road | ||||
| Acton | Highway 7 | ||||
| Georgetown | Guelph Street | ||||
| Omemee, Kawartha Lakes | King Street | ||||
| Havelock | Highway 7 | ||||
| Marmora | Matthew Street | ||||
| Goderich | Toronto Street Huron Road Elgin Avenue | ||||
| Clinton | Huron Street Ontario Street | ||||
| Seaforth | Goderich Street | ||||
| Mitchell | Ontario Road Huron Road | ||||
| Stratford | Huron Street Ontario Street | ||||
| Mildmay | Elora Street | ||||
| Clifford | Elora Street | ||||
| Harriston | Elora Street | ||||
| Caledon | Hurontario Street | ||||
| Shelburne | Highway 10 Owen Sound Street Highway 10 / 89 Main Street | ||||
| Flesherton | Sydenham Street Toronto Street | ||||
| Markdale | Toronto Street | ||||
| Kapuskasing | Highway 11 | ||||
| Hearst | Highway 11 | ||||
| Fort Frances | Highway 11 Highway 11 / 71 | ||||
| Rainy River | Highway 11 | ||||
| Smiths Falls | Highway 15 | ||||
| Sturgeon Falls | Highway 17 | ||||
| Blind River | Highway 17 | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie | Highway 17 | ||||
| Dryden | Highway 17 | ||||
| Tillsonburg | Broadway Street Oxford Street Simcoe Street Vienna Street | ||||
| Forest | Main Street King Street | ||||
| Grand Bend | Ontario Street | ||||
| Goderich | Victoria Street Bayfield Road Brittania Road | ||||
| Port Elgin | Goderich Street | ||||
| Southampton | Albert Street Railway Street | ||||
| Owen Sound | Highway 6 / 21 10th Avenue West | ||||
| Mitchell | Blanshard Road St. George Street | ||||
| Listowel | Main Street Wallace Avenue | ||||
| Simcoe | Norfolk Street | ||||
| Brantford | King George Road | ||||
| Owen Sound | Highway 26 16th Street East | ||||
| Meaford | Sykes Street | ||||
| Thornbury | Arthur Street King Street | ||||
| Collingwood | Balsam Street First Street Huron Street Pretty River Parkway | ||||
| Stayner | King Street Highway 26 | ||||
| Barrie | Bayfield Street | ||||
| Bancroft | Highway 28 | ||||
| Bloomfield | Bloomfield Main Street | ||||
| Picton | Main Street | ||||
| Bath | Main Street | ||||
| Vankleek Hill | |||||
| Hawkesbury | |||||
| Tweed | |||||
| Chatham–Kent | Grand Avenue East St. Clair Street | ||||
| Wallaceburg | Dufferin Avenue McNaughton Avenue Murray Street |