Ontario Highway 12 Photographs - Page 7 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Above - Facing west along the Victoria Harbour Bypass (Current Hwy 12), approaching the junction of Old Hwy 12B . The bypassed route of Hwy 12 approaching Victoria Harbour can be seen at right. The former route of Hwy 12 through Victoria Harbour was known as Hwy 12B for several years after the bypass was completed.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the abandoned Hwy 12 alignment leading to the old Hogg Bay railway subway. This narrow structure was taken out of service in the 1970s.
(Photograph taken in July 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Old railway underpass beside Hwy 12 near Victoria Harbour at Hogg Bay. The structure was abandoned during a highway realignment project, in which Hwy 12 was relocated between Victoria Harbour and Midland.
(Photograph taken in July 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Close-up of the western portal of the old railway underpass on Hwy 12 near Victoria Harbour. This narrow one-lane subway was in use until the mid-1970s, when it was bypassed by a new highway alignment.
(Photograph taken in June 4, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Abandoned Hwy 12 alignment between Victoria Harbour and Port McNicoll
(Photograph taken on June 4, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Junction of Old Hwy 12 and the Port McNicoll Bypass (Current Hwy 12). Most sections of Hwy 12 between Midland and Victoria Harbour were bypassed by a new straighter highway alignment in the 1970s.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Old green fingerboard direction signs on Hwy 12 near Port McNicoll. During the 1990s, the dimensions of the green fingerboard direction signs were increased substantially in order to make them more visible to drivers. Most of the old narrow fingerboard signs have been replaced with the new wide-format fingerboard signs over the past decade, but some of the older style signs can still be found along the highways.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Start of the Port McNicoll Bypass east of Midland. The old route of Hwy 12 through Port McNicoll and Victoria Harbour was bypassed in the 1970s. The new highway provides more direct access to Midland from Orillia and Hwy 69/400.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Bypassed section of Hwy 12 between Midland and Port McNicoll. The old section of Hwy 12 serves as an access road to properties located on the north side of the Port McNicoll Bypass.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 across the Wye River Bridge in Midland. The large church which overlooks the highway at this location is the famous Martyrs' Shrine. To complement the historic church, the Ontario Department of Highways constructed a new bridge across the Wye River in the 1930s to commemorate the French Jesuit Missions of the 17th Century. The commemorative Shrine Bridge had parapets which featured decorative steel fleur-de-lys grilles and ornamental concrete embellishments. Sadly, the Shrine Bridge was demolished in the 1970s when Hwy 12 was widened to four lanes. The current Wye River Bridge on Hwy 12 does not offer anything of historic or aesthetic value to people visiting the Martyrs' Shrine or Ste. Marie among the Hurons, located on the opposite side of Hwy 12.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the new Wye River Bridge on Hwy 12. The historic 1930s Shrine Bridge was replaced in the 1970s with this very plain concrete girder structure. While this new four-lane bridge is certainly more efficient at moving through traffic between Midland and Orillia, it came at the expense of a bridge commemorating an important chapter in Canada's early history. The original commemorative bridge should have been widened or replicated in order to preserve the historic character and identity of this area. When is Ontario going to learn to protect its precious built heritage?
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the new Wye River Bridge on Hwy 12 in Midland. Structure completed in 1971.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (1971) and MTO structure identification number on the Wye River Bridge in Midland
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of the Wye River Bridge substructure. This unusual concrete girder bridge is supported on both sides of the river banks by concrete bents encased in corrugated steel cylinders. The pedestrian trail on the opposite side of the river connects the Martyrs' Shrine with Ste. Marie among the Hurons, located on the southern side of Hwy 12.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 12 towards William Street from the Midland Railway Subway
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 towards the Wye River from the Midland Railway Subway. This section of Hwy 12 was widened from two to four lanes in the early 1970s in order to accommodate increasing traffic volumes on this important highway corridor.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Eastern side of the Midland Railway Subway on Hwy 12. Structure completed in 1970.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)