Ontario Highway 12 Photographs - Page 6 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Hwy 12 West Overpass on the Orillia Bypass (Hwy 11). This single-span concrete rigid frame girder structure was completed in 1956. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 4, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Former Hwy 12 alignment between Price's Corners and Warminster, facing south. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north towards the Dunlop Bridge on a former Hwy 12 alignment near Price's Corners. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Dunlop Bridge was bypassed by an improved Hwy 12 alignment in the late 1930s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Dunlop Bridge as seen from the current Hwy 12 alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (1922) on the Dunlop Bridge on the former Hwy 12 alignment near Price's Corners. This bridge was built prior to the designation of the Orillia-Midland Road as a King's Highway in 1931. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Two cell concrete box culvert on the Hwy 12 Warminster Diversion. Structure completed in 1939. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Old 1930s culvert on Hwy 12 between Warminster and Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 3, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Structure identification number and date stamp (1966) on the Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12, facing east towards Orillia. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 12 at the Coldwater Railway Overhead, before reconstruction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12 after reconstruction, facing west. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 at the Coldwater Railway Overhead, before reconstruction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12 after reconstruction, facing east. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12, before reconstruction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Coldwater Railway Overhead on Hwy 12 after reconstruction. The entire superstructure of this bridge was replaced in 2008-2009. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 12 towards Coldwater from the Coldwater Railway Overhead. Note the older cedar post and three-cable guide rail system beside the highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 8, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 12 towards Coldwater from the Coldwater Railway Overhead, after reconstruction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The original concrete superstructure of the Coldwater Railway Overhead was replaced with a new steel beam superstructure in 2008-2009. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the Lower Big Chute Road Junction on Hwy 12 near Coldwater. Lower Big Chute Road was once part of Hwy 400. In the late 1970s, Hwy 400 was diverted onto a new alignment between Coldwater and Waubaushene. The bypassed section of Hwy 400 became an unposted "7000-series" highway (Hwy 7174). The route is also signed with green-and-white "TO 400" trailblazer signs. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 towards Orillia from the Lower Big Chute Road (Hwy 7174) Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - This municipal signpost correctly indicates that both Hwy 12 and Lower Big Chute Road are owned by the Province of Ontario. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 at the Lower Big Chute Road (Hwy 7174) Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green guide sign marking Lower Big Chute Road on eastbound Hwy 12 near Coldwater. As is the case for nearly all routes in Ontario with a 7000-series designation, the four-digit route number is not posted along the highway. Rather, the route is signed with an actual street name (Lower Big Chute Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 7174 (Lower Big Chute Road) from the Hwy 12 Junction. Lower Big Chute Road connects to Hwy 400 about 2 km to the south. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the northern terminus of Hwy 7174 (Lower Big Chute Road) at Hwy 12 near Coldwater. There was a proposal in the late 1950s to extend Hwy 400 northeasterly from Coldwater to Gravenhurst. A route was selected and a Preliminary Route Plan was designated for the proposed route in 1959. Subsequent planning studies done in the 1970s recommended an eventual twinning of the existing Waubaushene-MacTier Highway (Hwy 103, later Hwy 69) rather than the construction of a new highway link to Muskoka. As a result, the route between Coldwater and Gravenhurst was never actually built, and the designated route was legally closed in 1972. Had the Hwy 400 Extension to Gravenhurst been constructed, the highway would have crossed Hwy 12 here and continued straight ahead across the remote eastern tip of Simcoe County and up into Muskoka. The proposed route of Hwy 400 would have tied into Hwy 11 immediately south of Gravenhurst. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching the Simcoe Road 16 and Simcoe Road 23 (Vasey Road) Junction on westbound Hwy 12 near Coldwater. Up until 1997, the route of Hwy 12 continued straight ahead towards Midland. The section of Hwy 12 between Coldwater and Waubaushene was downloaded to Simcoe County in 1997. The county elected to call the route of Former Hwy 12 as Simcoe Road 16. The renumbering left a gap in the route of Hwy 12. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green trailblazer sign marking the route to Hwy 400 via Simcoe County Road 23 (Vasey Road) from Hwy 12. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Destination signs on westbound Hwy 12 approaching the Simcoe Road 16 and Simcoe Road 23 (Vasey Road) Junction. Until recently, westbound Hwy 12 traffic bound for Midland was directed to follow Simcoe Road 16. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - This destination sign on westbound Hwy 12 still reflects the pre-1997 highway route. Midland-bound traffic was directed to follow Simcoe Road 16 (Former Hwy 12) through Fesserton in order to reach Midland. A route renumbering took place in this area in 2014, in which Hwy 12 was routed concurrently along Hwy 400 between Coldwater and Waubaushene. Following the route renumbering, Midland-bound traffic was directed to turn left and access Hwy 400 & Hwy 12. The destination signed along Simcoe Road 16 is now Fesserton. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 12 approaching the Simcoe Road 16 and Simcoe Road 23 (Vasey Road) Junction near Coldwater. Interestingly, all four legs of the upcoming intersection have at one time or another been under the jurisdiction of the province. When this section of Hwy 12 was first assumed by the province in 1931, the route of Hwy 12 passed through Downtown Coldwater. The route emerged from town on Sturgeon Bay Road, and then turned north towards Fesserton along what is now today's Simcoe Road 16. In 1960, the Coldwater Bypass was completed, allowing through traffic by bypass Downtown Coldwater. The old route of Hwy 12 through Downtown Coldwater via Coldwater Road and Sturgeon Bay Road became Hwy 12B. In 2014, Hwy 12 was signed via Vasey Road (at left) to provide a link to adjacent Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Before the route renumbering in 2014, Hwy 12 just vanished at this intersection. An attempt was made in the late 1990s to sign Hwy 12 along Hwy 400 through the placement of some sporadic Hwy 12 route markers along Hwy 400. These route markers were later removed and replaced with green trailblazer signs like the example seen here, which directed Hwy 12 traffic to use Simcoe Road 16 through Fesserton instead. This trailblazer sign was really the only indication that Hwy 12 continued any further west beyond this point. The problem was finally resolved in 2014, when a well-signed continuous route for Hwy 12 was established, which overlapped with Hwy 400 between Exit #141 and Exit #147. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western terminus of Former Hwy 12B (Sturgeon Bay Road) at the Hwy 12 and Vasey Road Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along the downloaded section of Hwy 12 (Simcoe Road 16) approaching the Vasey Road and Sturgeon Bay Road (Former Hwy 12B) Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Oversized Hwy 12 route marker on eastbound Simcoe Road 16 near Coldwater. As the sign indicates, the route of Hwy 12 continues straight ahead towards Orillia. Since the route renumbering of 2014, Hwy 12 West is signed via Vasey Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Simcoe Road 16 at the Vasey Road and Sturgeon Bay Road (Former Hwy 12B) Junction near Coldwater. The provincially-owned section of Hwy 12 resumes at this intersection and continues east towards Orillia. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 (Vasey Road) at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. Following the route renumbering of 2014, the route of Hwy 12 is now clearly signed along Vasey Road from Hwy 400 to Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - "Junction 400 12" sign on eastbound Simcoe Road 23 (Vasey Road) approaching the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. This recently-installed sign assembly makes use of a full "Junction" sign tab, which has been a relatively uncommon signing practice on provincial highways in recent years. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Hwy 12 & Trans-Canada Highway Route Marker at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. When Hwy 12 was downloaded between Coldwater and Waubaushene in 1997, the Trans-Canada Highway signs along the old highway route were removed, leaving a 6 km unsigned gap in the route of the Trans-Canada Highway between Waubaushene and Coldwater. During the route renumbering of 2014, the gap in the Trans-Canada Highway's Georgian Bay Route was finally rectified when it was applied to the new overlapped route of Hwy 400 & Hwy 12 between Coldwater and Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Oversized Hwy 400 & Hwy 12 route markers on eastbound Hwy 12 (Vasey Road) at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)