Ontario Highway 26 Photographs - Page 1 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Photographic History of King's Highway 26 - Page 1

Hwy 26 Photos - Page 2

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 west to east. 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!

Historical Highway 26 Photographs

Above - New Nottawasaga River Bridge on Hwy 26 at Edenvale, shortly after completion (1931)
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - Single lane concrete pavement on Hwy 26 east of Stayner in 1933. While this method of providing a "paved highway" was economical for the DHO in the lean economic times of the 1930s, the resulting road surface was not popular with the motoring public. Drivers would often deliberately drive on the wrong side of the road, to avoid the unpaved highway lane with a gravel or dirt surface. Vehicle operators driving on the paved lane always had to be on the lookout for traffic heading in the opposite direction in their lane. These single lane paved roads became surprisingly common on less-traveled highways in Ontario by the late 1930s. These roads were soon dubbed "Hepburn Sidewalks" by frustrated motorists of the day. The nickname was derived from the name of Ontario Prime Minister Mitchell Hepburn, whose government was responsible for building many of these single lane concrete highways across rural Ontario in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - New macadam pavement on Hwy 26 west of Craigleith (1934)
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 400 and Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Interchange in Barrie. Photo taken in 1954.
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - Four miles east of Owen Sound on Hwy 26 (1955)
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - Facing east along Hwy 26 near Craigleith (1958)
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 400 and Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Interchange in Barrie (1974)
Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Present Day Highway 26 Photographs (Owen Sound to Thornbury)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 26 towards Meaford at the Owen Sound railway overhead.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of Owen Sound Overhead. Structure completed in 1930.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of Owen Sound Overhead. The old railway line is now a recreation trail.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 26 towards Owen Sound railway overhead.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Close-up of railing design on northern side of Owen Sound Overhead.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Deteriorated concrete railing on southern side of Owen Sound Overhead.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of two holes in the concrete deck of Owen Sound Overhead. These holes were not located under a part of the travelled roadway. They were actually under a part of the highway's shoulder, which was blocked off from traffic by a newer steel guide rail.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Looking through one of the holes in the concrete deck of the old railway overhead just east of Owen Sound. This aging structure was demolished in 2005. It will be replaced by an oversized culvert to accommodate the recreation trail underneath. While it is very unfortunate to see Ontario lose yet another 1930s vintage highway bridge, the Owen Sound Overhead was deteriorating rapidly and was long overdue for replacement.
(Photograph taken on May 16, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Site of Owen Sound Overhead after demolition, facing east.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Former site of Owen Sound Overhead in September 2005, facing west.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Former western abutment of the Owen Sound Overhead. The concrete abutment is being buried underneath the fill for the reconstructed Hwy 26 that will be completed in late 2005.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 26 towards Grey Road 11 Junction during reconstruction.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Culvert replacement on Hwy 26 at Woodford Creek, 15 km east of Owen Sound.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 26 towards Woodford Creek project site.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 26 at Woodford Creek during reconstruction.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 26 from Woodford Creek during reconstruction.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Reconstruction on Hwy 26, facing west towards Grey Road 18 Junction and Woodford.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Nottawasaga Bay from Hwy 26 west of Meaford, facing east.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Continue on to King's Highway 26 Photos: Owen Sound to Thornbury

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