Highway 30 began at former Highway 2 in downtown Brighton, following Young Street northward and meandering out of town towards an interchange with Highway 401. It continued to meander northward through the communities of Hilton and Orland before straightening out. It passed through Codrington, but otherwise encountered stretches of farmland or forests. The route eventually curved to the northeast to meet theTrent River in Meyersburg. It paralleled the river into Campbellford, taking on the local name of Grand Road. In downtown Campbellford, Highway 30 turned west onto Bridge Street West and followed it out of town before curving north. It continued through farmland along a generally straight course to Havelock, crossing the Trent River and skirting the community of the same name several kilometres to the south. Entering Havelock, the highway took on the name Concession Street, and terminated at Highway 7; Concession Street continued north as Peterborough County Road 46, as it is still known.
History
On July 9, 1930, the Department of Highways, predecessor to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, assumed the, gravel-surfaced Brighton–Campbellford Road. Unemployment relief measures carried out in 1931 and 1932 resulted in the construction of Highway 7 between Peterborough and Ottawa. As a result, Highway 30 was extended north from Campbellford to Havelock in 1934 along existing roads. The section within Peterborough County was assumed on March 28, while the section within Northumberland County was assumed on April 11. In 1936 work began to grade and improve Highway 30 along its entire length. By the end of 1937, paving was completed several kilometres south of Havelock as well as from Campbellford south to Northumberland County Road 29. A gravel base was laid from there to south of Orland. The remainder of the road was gravelled. A diversion was also constructed at Meyersburg, bypassing the junction with Percy Boom Road. Between 1942 and 1949, paving was completed on the gravel section between Brighton and Campbellford. The remaining gravel section, between Campbellford and Havelock, was paved in 1951. Highway 401 opened between Brighton and Trenton on November 25, 1958. Traffic could only proceed east to Trenton until the gap between Port Hope and Trenton was opened on July 20, 1961. A new bridge was built over the Trent Canal in 1968, bypassing the route along Church Street. Highway 30 remained generally unchanged over the next 30 years, until January 1, 1998, when the entire route was decommissioned and transferred to Northumberland and Peterborough counties. It was subsequently designated as Northumberland County Road 30 and Peterborough County Road 30.
