Skip to main content

King's Highway 402

While recently visiting Ontario I drove the entirety of King's Highway 402 from the Blue Water Bridge to KH 401 near London.


The western terminus of KH 402 is in Sarnia of Lambton County on the St. Clair River at the Blue Water Bridge.  The history of the Blue Water Bridge can be found on the previous blog below.

Blue Water Bridge; east terminus of Interstate 94 and north terminus of Interstate 69

KH 402 is a limited access freeway which is 102.5 Kilometers (63.7 miles) in length.  The first section of KH 402 was designated in 1953 when a limited access approach road from the Blue Water Bridge to KH 7 and KH 40 was opened.  Although plans had been announced to connect KH 402 to KH 401 near London had been announced by 1957 construction of the extension began in 1972.  KH 402 was fully completed to KH 401 by 1982.

Functionally KH 402 serves as a limited access replacement of KH 7 and KH 22 from Sarnia east to London.  This is very apparent comparing the 1931 and 1955 Province Road Maps to a modern roadway map.

1931 Ontario Road Map

1955 Ontario Road Map 

KH 402 eastbound begins beyond the Customs Station at the end of the Blue Water Bridge.  Traffic is almost immediately notified at Exit 1 that KH 401 near London is the primary control city.





Speed limits on freeways in Ontario are signed usually slower than their American counterparts.  KH 402 gradually ascends to a terminal 100 KM/H which equates to about 62 MPH.  At Exit 6 KH 402 meets KH 40.






London is signed as being 107 Kilometers away east of KH 40.  The design difference between Ontario freeways and American Interstates (this is an American highway page after all) east of KH 40.  KH 402 largely lacks inside shoulders and has guard rails surprisingly close to the left travel lane.  This gives the impression when viewed that KH 402 is very narrow.


Exit 15 on KH 402 east accesses County Route 26 on Mandaumin Road. 



East of Exit 15 KH 402 has a truck inspection station.


At KH 402 Exit 25 there is signed access to County Routes 21 and 30 via Oil Heritage Road.



At KH 402 east Exit 402 there is signed access to County Route 8 and KH 21 via Forest Road.



KH 402 crosses over KH 22 east of Exit 34.  KH 22 from Sarnia east to just past Exit 34 runs south of the freeway.  KH 22 remains north of the remainder of KH 402 all the way to London.

At KH 402 east Exit 44 there is signed access to County Route 79 via Nauvoo Road.



East of County Route 79 KH 402 enters Middlesex County.  At Exit 56 KH 402 east accesses County Route 6 on Kerwood Road.



At Exit 65 KH 402 east meets County Route 81 on Centre Road.



At KH 402 east Exit 69 there is signed access to County Route 39 on Hickory Drive.



At KH 402 east Exit 82 there is access to County Route 14 on Glendon Drive.



At KH 402 east Exit 86 there is signed access to County Route 2 on Longwoods Road.



At KH 402 east Exit 98 there is signed access to KH 4 on Colonel Talbot Road.  At Exit 100 there is access to Wonderland Road.



KH 402 east terminates at KH 401 on the outskirts of London.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dillon Road

Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.  Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass.  Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct.  Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley.  Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass.   Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley.  The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona.  Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939.  West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations.  The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces.  Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e

Oldtown Toll Bridge - Maryland and West Virginia

  The Oldtown Toll Bridge linking Oldtown, Maryland over the Potomac River with neighboring Green Spring, West Virginia is only one of a few truly privately owned toll bridges located in the United States. It's a simple bridge by design, as the 318 foot long Oldtown Toll Bridge is a low water bridge. Low water bridges are designed to allow water to safely and efficiently flow over the bridge deck. Additionally, a dozen concrete pedestals have been secured in the Potomac River in order to support the bridge and wooden deck. The bridge was constructed in 1937 when a gentleman by the name of Mr. Carpenter obtained the proper permits to build the Bridge through an Act of Congress. This was a blessing for residents, especially on the West Virginia side of the Potomac River, as it saved motorists commuting to Cumberland an hour in travel time. Using Mr. Carpenter's blueprints, the Army Corp of Engineers and a number of local laborers constructed the bridge and it remained under the