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This page contains historical and present day photos of Ontario's King's Highway 103. Please note that Highway 103 was
renumbered as Highway 69 in 1976, which in turn was renumbered as Highway 400 in 1997. All photographs displayed on this page were taken by the Webmaster (Cameron
Bevers), unless specifically noted otherwise. Historical photographs are arranged in approximate chronological order, while present day photographs (Year 2000 to
date) are arranged by location from south to north. Click on any thumbnail to see a larger image!
Please note that all photographs displayed on this
website are protected by copyright. These photographs must not be reproduced, published,
electronically stored or copied, distributed, or posted onto other websites without
my written permission. If you want to use photos from this website, please
email me first for permission. Thank-you!
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Historical King's Highway 103 Photographs
Above - View of Georgian Bay (Tug Channel) from the new causeway on the Port Severn Bypass (Hwy 103, later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1960. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960) 
Left - Facing south along Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) towards the Hwy 12 Junction at the Waubaushene Canadian National Railway (CNR) Overhead.
See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Western side of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on the Waubaushene Bypass (Hwy 103, later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). This new railway overhead was constructed on the Waubaushene Bypass in 1957. This grade separation eliminated an at-grade railway crossing on the original route of Hwy 103 through Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing north towards Port Severn. Constructed under Contracts #1957-27 &
#1957-109, this two-lane structure bypassed the old one-lane Waubaushene Bridge on Old Hwy 103. Traffic using the old highway between Waubaushene and Port Severn had
to take turns crossing the bridge, resulting in periodic traffic delays. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - View of the Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing east from Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Above - Facing south along Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) on the Port Severn Bypass at the Boat Channel Bridge over the Trent-Severn Waterway. This was one
of three bridges built in the late 1950s to carry the Trans-Canada Highway's Georgian Bay Route across the two branches of the Severn River along with the
Trent-Severn Waterway. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Above - Boat Channel Bridge over the Trent-Severn Waterway on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) at Port Severn, built under Contract #1957-85. The Port Severn
Bypass allowed through traffic on Hwy 103 to cross the Trent-Severn Waterway via a fixed bridge link. Until the completion of the Port Severn Bypass, traffic bound
for Honey Harbour and points north had to cross the Port Severn Swing Bridge, which opened periodically to allow marine traffic to pass through the canal below. See
an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 21, 1962. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Above - Severn River South Branch Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) at Port Severn, built under Contract #1957-85. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 1, 1963. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Eastern side of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), built under Contract #1957-68. The at-grade railway crossing on
Old Hwy 103 (Coldwater Road) can be seen in the far background of this photo. This was one of several railway grade separations built to improve traffic flow along
the Trans-Canada Highway between Orillia and the Parry Sound area during the 1950s and 1960s. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 8, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Facing north towards Port Severn along the Waubaushene Bypass (Hwy 103, later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) at the CNR Overhead. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 8, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Close-up of the superstructure of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). This unusual three-span structure featured a
continuous concrete slab deck supported on a series of fixed square piers. The designer chose not to introduce separate pier caps to support the concrete deck slab.
Rather, the deck slab's overall depth was increased over the pier areas, which gave this structure a very streamlined appearance. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 8, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Facing north across the Waubaushene CNR Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) towards Port Severn. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 8, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Western side of the Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Facing north across the Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) at Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Eastern side of the Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Engineering core sample taken from the Matchedash Bay Bridge for testing purposes. Note the guide sign in the background, which reads "Duck Bay Road Turn Left 1000 Feet". At one time, a connector road existed between the Waubaushene Bypass and Old Hwy 103 (Duck Bay Road) just north of the Matchedash Bay Bridge. This access road was closed to traffic permanently in the early 1990s when the Waubaushene and Port Severn Bypass was widened from a two-lane highway to a four-lane Controlled-Access Highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Boat Channel Bridge over the Trent-Severn Waterway on the Port Severn Bypass (Hwy 103, later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 15, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Facing north along Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400) at the Boat Channel Bridge over the Trent-Severn Waterway. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 15, 1965. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Above - Western side of the Waubaushene CNR Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). This structure is situated on a superelevated horizontal curve. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in August 1967. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Above - Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing north towards Port Severn. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in August 1967. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - View of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing north from the southeast abutment. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in September 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Eastern side of the Waubaushene CNR Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing west. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in September 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) 
Left - Close-up of the superstructure of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on January 23, 1970. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) Right - Winter view of the Waubaushene CNR Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing west towards Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on January 23, 1970. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022) |
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Present Day King's Highway 103 Photographs
Left - In the mid-1950s, the Department of Highways embarked on an ambitious project to link Hwy 103 at Port Severn to MacTier. The route of Hwy 103
(later known as Hwy 69) was diverted around the proposed site of a bridge across the Moon River. The soil conditions at the bridge site were not adequately
tested during the highway's design phase, reportedly as a result of an engineering oversight. Contracts were tendered and construction of the new highway
began. When the results of the soil tests became available, engineers learned that the proposed bridge would have to be moved due to unfavourable soil
conditions at the initial bridge site. As a result, a considerable portion of the planned highway was rendered useless. This aborted Hwy 103 alignment
south of Moon River is now a Jeep trail. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) Right - The construction of Hwy 103 progressed to the point that culverts had been constructed underneath the proposed highway. Had the soil tests been carried out early in the design phase, construction would not have proceeded. An abandoned concrete culvert (centre of photo) is visible from the current highway. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) 
Left - Another view of the aborted alignment south of the cancelled Moon River Bridge on Hwy 103. Note the disused concrete culvert to the right of the hydro
pole. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) Right - Several rock cuts were blasted, and the grading was practically completed before the oversight was discovered. This is a small rock cut on the aborted Hwy 103 alignment north of Moon River. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) 
Left - A large rock cut on the aborted Hwy 103 alignment. Note the height of the truck for scale. The soil conditions at the Moon River Bridge site
resulted in the relocation of almost 2 km of the proposed highway. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) Right - Grading was halted after the proposed bridge at Moon River was cancelled due to unfavourable soil conditions. What makes this situation so unique is that the highway approaches were almost complete when engineers decided to relocate the bridge site. While the exact sequence of these events will never be known for sure, it can be said with great certainty that the Department of Highways would not have allowed construction to proceed if the soil tests were in fact carried out properly. By the time the results of the soil condition tests were known, it was too late to salvage the planned highway. This unfortunate oversight likely cost the Department of Highways millions of dollars to rectify. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) 
Left - View of aborted Hwy 103 alignment immediately north of the proposed Moon River Bridge (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers) Right - North end of aborted Hwy 103 alignment at Moon River. The actual Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69) is seen in the background. (Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)
More King's Highway 103 Photographs Coming Soon!
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Links to Adjacent King's Highway Photograph Pages:
Back to King's Highway 102 (#2) Photos /
King's Highway 103 History /
On to King's Highway 104 Photos
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