Present Day Highway 11 Photographs (Hearst to Otasawian River)
Left - Timber trestle bridge over the Valentine River on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Looking underneath the Valentine River Bridge at the laminated timber bridge deck.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Southern side of the Valentine River Bridge. Structure completed in 1956.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing east along Hwy 11 towards Hearst across the Valentine River Bridge.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Kabinakagami River Bridge on Hwy 11 near Calstock. Structure completed in 1944.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing east along Hwy 11 towards Hearst across the Kabinakagami River Bridge.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Southern side of the Kabinakagami River Bridge on Hwy 11. This bridge was one of only 10 structures completed on the provincial highway network during the critical war year, 1944. The construction of the Hearst-Geraldton Highway was considered a high-priority Wartime project. Even though structural steel was in short supply at the time, the Kabinakagami River Bridge was one of several permanent steel and concrete bridges built along Hwy 11 in the Hearst-Geraldton area during the 1940s.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - The northern side of the Kabinakagami River Bridge has a newer section of concrete parapet wall. A portion of the old steel handrail on the north side of the bridge was damaged several years ago and was subsequently replaced.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Shekak River Bridge on Hwy 11 east of the Hwy 631 Junction. Structure completed in 1957.
(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing west along Hwy 11 towards Longlac across the Shekak River Bridge.
(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Southern side of the Shekak River Bridge on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.
(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Below-deck view of the Shekak River Bridge. The pier design of this bridge is very unusual, as the steel deck girders are supported on a series of transverse steel beams which are supported on large concrete bents.
(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Northern side of the Shekak River Bridge on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.
(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Northern terminus of Hwy 631 at the Hwy 11 Junction west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Directional signs and shield assembly at the northern terminus of Hwy 631 at Hwy 11. The two highways intersect 63 km west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing east along Hwy 11 towards the Hwy 631 Junction. Despite its remote location, the Hwy 11 & Hwy 631 Junction is the most important
highway junction in this part of Ontario. The latter highway provides the area's only north-south road link to Hwy 11. The next north-south road link is
Hwy 655, located 250 km to the east. There are no major provincial highway links west of this point, until Hwy 11 and Hwy 17 connect 340 km west of here at
Nipigon. All other north-south provincial highways which intersect Hwy 11 along the 590 km stretch between Driftwood and Nipigon are not through roads.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing south along Hwy 631 towards Hornepayne from the Hwy 11 Junction west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Warning sign on Hwy 631 indicating that there are no services on this highway for 72 km. Motorists who are short on fuel in this part of the
province can easily be stranded in this area, as there are no service stations located along this section of Hwy 11 either. However, gas is sometimes
available for purchase at a seasonal outfitter at the Nagagami River Bridge when they are open.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing west along Hwy 11 at the Hwy 631 Junction west of Hearst. From this point, it is a very lonely 150 km drive along Hwy 11 to Longlac.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Nagagami River Bridge on Hwy 11 near the Hwy 631 Junction west of Hearst. Structure completed in 1958.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Southern side of the Nagagami River Bridge on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing west along Hwy 11 towards Longlac across the Nagagami River Bridge.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - View undernearth the Nagagami River Bridge on Hwy 11. The pier design of the Nagagami River Bridge is essentially identical to the one used
for the adjacent Shekak River Bridge located about 15 km to the east.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Concrete parapet and steel handrail design of the Nagagami River Bridge on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - The 1958 Nagagami River Bridge replaced a crude timber truss structure that was built a short distance to the north of the current
bridge during the initial construction of Hwy 11 in the early 1940s. The severe shortage of structural steel brought about by World
War II resulted in the construction of many temporary timber and log truss bridges on the new highway link between Hearst and Geraldton. Some of these
"temporary" Wartime timber bridges actually survived until well into the 1950s, due to post-war shortages of steel and other construction materials.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - The beautiful Nagagami River meanders slowly northwards towards James Bay and the Arctic Ocean. The temporary Hwy 11 timber truss bridge
built during World War II crossed the Nagagami River at this location.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Using a bucket truck, bridge engineers perform a routine inspection below the deck of the Nagagami River Bridge on Hwy 11. All provincial
highway bridges are inspected frequently to monitor the structural conditions and to set a priority schedule for bridge rehabilitation and maintenance work.
In extreme cases, older structures may have to be replaced altogether as their maximum useful life span in reached. Most bridges in Ontario are designed to
last between 50 and 75 years.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing west along Hwy 11 towards the Nagagami River Bridge west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on August 29, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing east along Hwy 11 towards Hearst across the Nagagami River Bridge.(Photograph taken on September 4, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing west along Hwy 11 towards Longlac, west of the Nagagami River Bridge.
(Photograph taken on August 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing west along Hwy 11 towards Longlac at the Otasawian River Bridge.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing east along Hwy 11 towards Hearst at the Otasawian River Bridge.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Southern side of the Otasawian River Bridge on Hwy 11 between Hearst and Longlac.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Northern side of the Otasawian River Bridge on Hwy 11. Structure completed in 1958.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Concrete parapet and steel handrail design of the Otasawian River Bridge on Hwy 11 west of Hearst.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - View underneath the Otasawian River Bridge on Hwy 11 between Hearst and Longlac.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Above - The current Otasawian River Bridge replaced a temporary timber trestle bridge built during World War II. The sawn-off timber bents which
once supported the temporary timber bridge sit just below the river's surface on the north side of the existing structure.(Photograph taken on September 5, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
