Ontario Highway 810

Tertiary Highway 810, commonly referred to as Highway 810, is a provincially maintained access road, extending from Bull Lake to Richie Falls alongside the River aux Sables north of Massey. A northerly extension of Highway 553, the road was established in 1974 and has remained unchanged since then.

Highway 810
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length	42.6 km[1] (26.5 mi)
Existed	November 20, 1974[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South end	Highway 553 at Bull Lake
North end	Richie Falls
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Districts	Algoma
Highway system
Ontario provincial highways Current Former 400-series
← Highway 805 → Highway 811
Former provincial highways ←  Highway 809

Route description

Highway 810 is the southernmost tertiary highway in the province and is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Sudbury. A large portion of the route follows alongside the River aux Sables in River aux Sables Provincial Park.^[2] There is relatively little human habitation along Highway 810, owing to the extremely remote and rugged location.^[3] The highway begins 33.2 kilometres (20.6 mi) north of Highway 17, at Whisky Lake Road. At this point, Highway 553 ends and Highway 810 begins, travelling north through the Canadian Shield. As it snakes northward parallel with the River aux Sables, the route passes several resource access roads which travel even further into the wilderness.^[2] The highway ends at Ritchie Falls, 42.6 kilometres (26.5 mi) north of its southern terminus, north of which the roadway that carried it continues as a forest access road.^[1]

While the Ministry of Transportation is charged with maintaining Highway 810, 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."^[4] Traffic levels along the route are low, with approximately 50 vehicles travelling it on an average day.^[1]

History

The road that Highway 810 follows was originally opened as the Massey Tote Road by the Spanish River Lumber Company at the turn of the 20th century, and provided access for loggers between Lake Huron and logging sites on the River aux Sables, which the road closely paralleled.^[5][6][7] In early 1956, this road became Highway 553 as far north as Whisky Lake Road.^[8][9] A 42.6 kilometres (26.5 mi) northerly extension of Highway 553 was designated as Highway 810 on November 20, 1974.^{[citation needed]} Since then, the highway has remained unchanged.^[1][2]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 810, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.^[1] The entire route is located in Algoma District.^[2] 

Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Unorganized Algoma District	0.0	0.0	Highway 553 south – Massey Whisky Lake Road	Highway 810 and Highway 553 share termini.
Richie Falls	42.6	26.5		Highway ends at river crossing
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. pp. 89, 105. § A9–C10, K15. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
3. "Highway 810 - Length and Route" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
4. "Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, Part IV - Tertiary Roads". Government of Ontario. July 21, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. Massey Area Museum. "Text Attachment". Virtual Museum of Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
6. Massey Area Museum Board Members. "Hugh Cummings Photography Collection - How Massey Came to be". Virtual Museum of Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
7. Sheenan, H.W. "The Geology of the Lac Aux Sables - Shakwa Lake Area, Districts of Algoma and Sudbury, Ontario" (PDF). Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Ontario Department of Mines. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
8. Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1956. § M–N28.
9. "Ontario Secondary Roads Now Designated 500, 600". Vol. 112, no. 33, 119. The Globe and Mail. February 4, 1956. p. 4. Two new Ontario road numbers appear on the province's 1956 official road map which will be ready for distribution next week. The new numbers are the 500 and 600 series and designate hundreds of miles of secondary roads which are wholly maintained by the Highways Department. More than 100 secondary roads will have their own numbers and signs this year. All of these secondary roads were taken into the province's main highways system because they form important connecting links with the King's Highways