Ontario Highway 802

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Highway 802 shield
Highway 802
     Highway 802      Highway 11 concurrency
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length13.7 km[2] (8.5 mi)
ExistedApril 25, 1962[1]–present
Major junctions
South endBurchell Lake
Major intersections Highway 11
North endKashabowie railway crossing
Location
DistrictsThunder Bay
VillagesKashabowie
Highway system
← Highway 673→ Highway 804
Former provincial highways
←  Highway 801 Highway 803  →

Tertiary Highway 802, commonly referred to as Highway 802, is a provincially maintained tertiary road in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Thunder Bay District. The 13.7-kilometre (8.5 mi) route branches both north and south from Highway 11 to connect with the ghost town of Burchell Lake and the community of Kashabowie, respectively. The highway was established in 1962 at the peak of operations of the Burchell Lake mine. Although the mine and town were subsequently abandoned in 1966, the highway remains under provincial jurisdiction. The section that travels concurrently with Highway 11 forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Route description[]

Highway 802 is a 13.7 km (8.5 mi) route that branches both north and south from Highway 11 approximately 100 km (60 mi) west of Thunder Bay. The north branch travels 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the community of Kashabowie, ending at a crossing of the Canadian National Railway (CNR). The south branch begins 1.8 km (1.1 mi) to the west of the north branch, and travels 10.9 km (6.8 mi) to the ghost town of Burchell Lake, ending at a locked gate.[2][3] Highway 11, which forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway, connects the two branches; although it is listed as a concurrency with Highway 802, there is no signage to indicate this.[2] The north branch is also known as Kashabowie Road, while the south branch is known as Burchell Lake Road.[4]

While the Ministry of Transportation is responsible for maintaining Highway 802, the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act stipulates that this "does not include the clearing or removal of snow therefrom or the application of chemicals or abrasives to the icy surfaces thereof." Furthermore, the Ministry is "not liable for any damage sustained... using a tertiary road."[5] Traffic levels along the route are low, with approximately 40 vehicles travelling the north branch and 30 vehicles travelling the south branch on an average day in 2016.[2] The speed limit along the north branch is 50 km/h (30 mph), while along the south branch it is 80 km/h (50 mph).[6]

History[]

Highway 802 follows a road that was originally built in 1901 to link the mineral exploration site at Burchell Lake with the train station at Kashabowie, along the newly-opened CNR (then the Canadian Northern Railway) tracks. The site, where copper was discovered by three prospectors in 1876, quickly grew following the opening of the new transportation link. Fluctuations in the price of copper would result in the closure of the Tip Top Mine following World War I. Interest in the site was renewed in the 1950s, and a town site constructed in 1956.[3] The new mine began full operations extracting copper and gold in 1960, with Burchell Lake boasting a population of almost 400 at its peak.[7]

The Department of Highways, predecessor to the modern Ministry of Transportation, having recently opened up Highway 11 to Atikokan, took over the access road to the mine and to Kashabowie on April 28, 1962.[1] However, operations at the mine were short-lived, and it closed permanently on August 5, 1966.[3] Despite this, the southern branch of the highway has remained under provincial jurisdiction.[2]

Lac des Mille Lacs Road[]

In the 2012 edition of the Ministry of Transportation's official road map, the more northerly Lac des Mille Lacs Road, from Lac des Mille Lacs to Upsala, was also marked as part of Highway 802.[8] This appears to have been a cartographic error, as the Highway 802 marker was removed in the 2014 map,[9] and no records indicate that the Ministry ever actually assumed jurisdiction over the road.[2]

Major intersections[]

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 802, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[2] The entire route is located in Thunder Bay District.[4] 

Locationkm[2]miDestinationsNotes
Burchell Lake0.00.0Highway ends at fence blocking entrance to former mine and ghost town[3]
Thunder Bay District10.96.8 Highway 11 west – Rainy River, Fort FrancesBeginning of Highway 11 concurrency[2]
12.77.9 Highway 11 east – Thunder BayEnd of Highway 11 concurrency[2]
Kashabowie13.78.5Highway ends at CN railway crossing[2]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[]

Route map:

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  1. ^ a b Ontario Department of Highways (March 31, 1963). "Appendix No.3A - Schedule of Designation and Re-Designations of Sections of the King's Highway, Secondary Highway and Tertiary Road Systems for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 1963". Annual Report (Report). p. 247. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Brown, Ron (2007). "Burchell Lake". Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage. Boston Mills Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 978-1-55046-467-2.
  4. ^ a b Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. p. 107. § H7. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
  5. ^ "Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, Part IV - Tertiary Roads". Government of Ontario. July 21, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Ministry of Transportation of Ontario Geomatics Office; Land Information Ontario (December 10, 2020). "Ontario Road Network - MTO Jurisdiction". ArcGIS.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Fishing Hole Maps - Burchell Lake". Northern Wilds Magazine. February 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  8. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Geomatics Office. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2012–13. § H5.
  9. ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Geomatics Office. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2014–15. § H5.
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