Ontario Highway 17 Photographs - Page 39 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - A heavily-overgrown Hwy 17 alignment emerges from the woods near Aaron Lake, located about 10 km west of Vermilion Bay. This old section of Hwy 17 was bypassed during a highway improvement project which took place here in 1959-1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of a long-abandoned section of Hwy 17 near George Lake, located about 31 km west of Vermilion Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - This old Hwy 17 alignment is located near Bee Lake, about 34 km west of Vermilion Bay. The old highway now serves as an access road to a telecommunications tower. Hwy 17 was relocated onto an improved alignment a short distance to the south in 1961, which bypassed several sharp curves on the original highway's route. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - This interesting bypassed alignment of Hwy 17 between Bee Lake and Little Joe Lake has only one paved lane. For some reason, one of the asphalt lanes was removed along this old Hwy 17 alignment, located near Little Joe Lake about 38 km west of Vermilion Bay. This former alignment of Hwy 17 was bypassed relatively recently, likely at some point during the 1990s. The old highway still serves as an access road to a nearby lake as well as a utility line. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of Hwy 17 at the Little Joe Lake Scenic Turnout, facing east towards Vermilion Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing west along Hwy 17 towards Kenora from the Little Joe Lake Scenic Turnout, located about 35 km east of the Hwy 71 Junction at Longbow Corners. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - This old Hwy 17 alignment near Willard Lake now serves as an access road to a sand pit. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - An abandoned alignment of Hwy 17 east of Willard Lake. During 1960 and 1961, the entire section of Hwy 17 from Longbow Corners to the vicinity of George Lake was reconstructed. Several sections of the original highway which could not be brought up to Trans-Canada Highway standards economically were simply abandoned rather than improved. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Abandoned alignment of Hwy 17 at Willard Lake. A portion of this old Hwy 17 alignment (Willard Lake Road) is still maintained by the province as an access road to serve the nearby community of Willard Lake. The first 1.3 km section of Willard Lake Road is a 7000-Series Highway (Hwy 7057), while the remainder of the old highway alignment lies abandoned and disused in the forest. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Another abandoned alignment of Hwy 17 at Willard Lake. About 2 miles of Hwy 17 was rebuilt on an improved alignment near Willard Lake in 1960-1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Abandoned Hwy 17 alignment immediately east of the Hawk Lake Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Subway. At one time, the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) operated a roadside park and campground at adjacent Twin Lake. This former alignment of Hwy 17 once served as a park access road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View of the former entrance to Twin Lake Roadside Park located just north of the Hawk Lake Subway. This small waterfront park became extremely popular with motorists as the years went by. During the peak summer months, the campground became rather overcrowded. By 1960, the Twin Lake Roadside Park was converted to a day-use park only and was eventually closed and abandoned altogether. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Hawk Lake Subway on Hwy 17, facing west towards Kenora. This three-span steel and concrete girder structure was completed in 1935. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Close-up of the decorative "CPR 1935" date stamp on the Hawk Lake Subway on Hwy 17. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 17 towards Vermilion Bay through the Hawk Lake Subway on Hwy 17. This interesting structure once stood about 22 km east of the Hwy 71 Junction at Longbow Corners and 3 km west of Willard Lake. However, this aging structure was bypassed by a new railway overhead during a complicated multi-year construction contract which started in 2007. Once Hwy 17 had been diverted onto the new railway overhead, the old 1930s railway subway seen here was removed. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing west along Hwy 17 towards Kenora at the Hawk Lake Subway east of Willard Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Below-deck view of the concrete T-beam approach span of the Hawk Lake Subway. These types of cast-in-place concrete girders were used on many structures during the 1930s. The main span of the Hawk Lake Subway which crosses over Hwy 17 is a steel girder span. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View of Hwy 17 at the Hawk Lake Subway, facing east towards Vermilion Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 2, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern end of the old alignment of Hwy 17 at Rae Lake east of Kenora. The Rae Lake Diversion was constructed in the early 1960s, which completely bypassed the old highway which looped around the southern end of Rae Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The old highway alignment at the south end of Rae Lake featured some sharp superelevated curves. The new alignment of Hwy 17 at Rae Lake was completed in 1961 with far more gentle curvature which could accommodate faster through traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The young forests around Rae Lake are slowly engulfing the former Hwy 17 alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Another superelevated curve on the former Hwy 17 alignment at Rae Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western end of the abandoned Hwy 17 alignment at Rae Lake, located about 15 km east of the Hwy 71 Junction at Longbow Corners. The bypassed highway connects back to the current route of Hwy 17 just east of Percy Lake. The old highway at Rae Lake is actually part of a long series of abandoned alignments situated between Willard Lake and Dogtooth & Longbow Lakes, which total some 25 km of former highway. Numerous bypassed loops of Hwy 17 can be found in this area. Most of them have been closed to traffic since the early 1960s, when substantial upgrades were made to the route of Hwy 17 east of Kenora. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 25, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the northern terminus of Hwy 71 at the Hwy 17 Junction at Longbow Corners. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 71 towards Sioux Narrows from the Hwy 17 Junction at Longbow Corners. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the Hwy 71 Junction on Hwy 17 at Longbow Corners near Kenora, facing east. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Overhead green guide signs facing westbound Hwy 17 traffic approaching the Hwy 17A Junction east of Kenora. At this highway junction, motorists can either elect to drive through Kenora's City Centre via Hwy 17 or bypass Kenora altogether via Hwy 17A. Regardless of which route is taken, motorists will eventually reach the Ontario-Manitoba Boundary. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Junction sign assembly and fingerboard guide signs at the Hwy 17 and Hwy 17A (Kenora Bypass) Junction east of Kenora. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of Hwy 17, facing east towards Longbow Corners from the Hwy 17A Junction east of Kenora. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Start of the Kenora Bypass (Hwy 17A), facing west from the Hwy 17 Junction east of Kenora. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 31, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)