Highway 96 was a short highway that travelled in a generally east–west direction across Wolfe Island. The route began at 2nd Line Road, immediately west of the ferry connection to Simcoe Island. From there it travelled east, passing through Marysville where it connected with Highway 95 and the summer ferry to Kingston, named the Wolfe Islander III; the ferry docks further east during the winter months and Dawson Point.[5]
Unlike the private ferry service at the southern tip of the island, the Wolfe Islander III is operated by the Ministry of Transportation and can be used free of charge.[6]
From Dawson Point Road, just east of Marysville, the highway continued east across the island. It zig-zagged south and east several times, passing the Wolfe Island Tourist Information Centre and heading towards its eastern terminus at a cul-de-sac facing the St. Lawrence River.[7]
Beside the ferry services, there is no other link between Wolfe Island and the mainland, making the two routes on the island the only King's Highways that were not connected to the rest of the network by a fixed link.[8]
History
Highway 96 was established on May 22, 1935, when the Department of Highways assumed several existing concession roads.[1]
Highway 96 was the second King's Highway on Wolfe Island, Highway 95 having been established the previous year.[9][10]
The route remained generally unchanged, except for the addition of gentler curves, until its decommissioning on January 1, 1998.[2]
It was subsequently transferred to the municipality and designated as County Road 96.[5]
Highways 95 and 96 originally connected to the remainder of the Ontario highway system via ferry crossing to Ontario Street in Kingston, which was a connecting link in Ontario Highway 2. The removal of the local portion of that road from the provincial highway system in 1998 nominally disconnects 95 and 96 from the provincial King's Highway network.
