Thunder Bay Expressway
Thunder Bay Expressway | ||||||||||
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| Part of Terry Fox Courage Highway Ontario Highway 7250 | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Maintained by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario | ||||||||||
| Length | 15.3 km (9.5 mi) | |||||||||
| Existed | August 29, 1967–present | |||||||||
| History | Highway 61 extended: 2007 | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| South end | Arthur Street (as Highway 61) | |||||||||
| Harbour Expressway east Highway 11 / Highway 17 / TCH west Highway 102 west / Red River Road east Balsam Street | ||||||||||
| East end | Copenhagen Road north / Hodder Avenue south (as Highway 11 / Highway 17 / TCH east) | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | Canada | |||||||||
| Province | Ontario | |||||||||
| Major cities | Thunder Bay | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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The Thunder Bay Expressway, originally known as the Lakehead Expressway is a high-capacity at-grade suburban limited access highway corridor around the western side of Thunder Bay in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 15.3 km (9.5 mi) route travels in a generally north–south direction on the city's west side. It carries a part of Highway 61 at its southern segment, and a part of the concurrent routes Highway 11 and Highway 17 at the six remaining segments. The expressway features several at-grade intersections between its southern terminus at Arthur Street West and its northeastern terminus at Hodder Avenue.
The Thunder Bay Expressway was built throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, and opened in stages between mid-1967 and late 1970, rerouting Highway 11/17 around the city. The old routes of Highway 11/17 and Highway 61 through Thunder Bay were redesignated as Highway 11B/17B and Highway 61B. In 2008, following the opening of the “Shabaqua Highway” segment of the 11/17, the segment between Arthur Street and Harbour Expressway was transferred to Highway 61. Work is now ongoing to twin Highway 11/17 northeast to Nipigon.