Highway 3

Highway 3 (Chinese: 國道3號) is an at-grade highway that stretches from the community of Welford in the town of Donsley to just north of the Township of Sydenham. Highway 3 officially ends at Highway 503, but it actually connects with Concord County Highway 213600 to the north, leading towards Sainte Marie Town Centre.

When the highway was originally built, the highway was referred to as a Donsley - Sydenham Link. The entire highway is 53.3 km in length, but there are plans extending the highway in the near future.

History
Highway 3 was first constructed in the late 1890s, when the road was a rural concession road. In 1921, the road was extended to the north to the township of Sydenham, and hence named "Sydenham Road". The road was first paved in 1924, with increasing traffic by the mid 1930s. In 1943, Lisi Road was built, and intersected this road at the current Donsley Town Centre. Lisi Road was upgraded to Highway 6 in 1947. Hence, the settlement of Donsley thus began in the intersection of Highway 6 and Sydenham Road.

As the traffic increased, Sydenham Road became a major thoroughfare between Donsley, Sydenham, and Concord County. It was also seen as an alternative route to the already at-capacity Highway 2, the crucial link between Archemedes and Lethbridge. As a result, Sydenham Road was assigned as Highway 3 on February 1, 1973, with numerous road improvements, such as widening to 4 lanes in 1976 near Donsley to improve the traffic capacity of the highway.

Recently, the traffic problem near the intersection with Highway 4 came into a concern. Freight trucks from and to Concord County are using this corridor, making Highway 3 very congested near Sydenham, especially at its interchange with Highway 4. Also, Highway 3 cuts through a quiet community in Sydenham, leading to many residents' objections. Widening is not possible due to the historic buildings along the road. As a result, a Sydenham By-Pass is scheduled to be built to divert traffic. Currently, the section of the by-pass between Gravenhurst Regional Road 6 (McLeod Drive) and Gravenhurst Regional Road 7 (Fairgrounds Avenue) has been completed.

As well, the section between Tennessee Avenue (Old Highway 11) and Frank Wright Boulevard is currently under a widening project to 4 lanes for future traffic demands. The section near Downtown Donsley is also being widened to 6 lanes.

Future Prospects
Transport Gravenhurst, in the near future, may re-route Highway 3, signing the Sydenham By-Pass as Highway 3, and downloading the current section of Highway 3 (Schoolhouse Road) to the Township of Sydenham.

Lane Configuration
From west to east: