Ontario Highway 28 Photographs - Page 1 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - New twin-slab concrete pavement on Hwy 28, 1 mile south of Lakefield in 1934. Immediately after the section of Hwy 28 between Peterborough and Lakefield was assumed by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) in 1934, about 6 miles of concrete pavement was constructed along the route under Contract #1934-05. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1934.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1934)

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Right - View of a concrete-surfaced section along Hwy 28, located about 6 miles north of Port Hope in 1940. This early photo of Hwy 28 shows the cross section of a typical King's Highway of the era, with a paved road surface with a width of 20 feet and grass shoulders. The concrete pavement along this section of the highway was constructed in 1928, 12 years before this photo was taken. This section of Hwy 28 was bypassed by a new straighter route during the 1970s. Since the old highway was left behind, the road's geometry was never modified although it was ultimately resurfaced with an asphalt top course. This view can be found on Rice Lake Drive (Old Hwy 28) south of Bewdley, where the road still looks quite similar even today. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 23, 1940.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - RG-14-162-3, Cont. A1355, Photo #3410S)

Above - Circa 1940 postcard view of Hwy 28 near Bewdley. Note the mature trees lining both sides of the highway, which were removed during various highway safety improvement projects in the 1950s and 1960s. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1940.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Left - New bituminous prime surface treatment along a section of Hwy 28 approaching the Eels Creek Bridge at Haultain, located about 10 miles south of Apsley. During 1940, the gravel-surfaced highway between Lakefield and Apsley was surface-treated using an M.C.1 asphalt prime for a total distance of about 27 miles. The resulting highway surface offered a somewhat smoother and more stable ride for motorists using Hwy 28 than the previous untreated gravel surface. These treated surfaces also helped to control the dust clouds which were often stirred up by vehicles travelling along untreated gravel highways. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 23, 1940.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1940)

Right - Newly-completed section of Hwy 28 in 1943, facing south towards Apsley at the Peterborough County Boundary. The extension of Hwy 28 from Apsley to Bancroft in 1943 was one of the only new highways completed in Ontario during World War II. Highway construction during World War II was extremely difficult, due to chronic shortages of construction equipment, labour and Wartime rationing of fuel and other materials. The section of Hwy 28 seen here remained gravel-surfaced for a number of years, until the highway was paved in the early 1950s. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1943.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1943)

Above - Circa 1945 postcard view of Hwy 28 approaching the Crowe River Bridge at Paudash, facing north towards Bancroft. Note the log guide rail beside the highway. Log guide rails such as this were commonly used along highways in Northern and Central Ontario in the 1930s and 1940s, since the timber was readily available nearby and the guide rails required few manufactured parts for assembly. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1945.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Above - Circa 1950 postcard view of the old York River Bridge on Hwy 62 in Bancroft. This historic concrete arch structure was built in 1913. The bridge was quite narrow and was difficult for trucks to negotiate, especially at the Hwy 28 Junction which lay at the western end of the bridge. The old arch bridge was replaced by the current Hwy 62 bridge in 1965. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1950.
(Photo courtesy of the Gazette Publishing Company, Picton)

Left - Junction sign assembly in front of the Bancroft Theatre on Bridge Street (Hwy 62) approaching the Hwy 28 Junction in Bancroft in 1950. Note the unusual "Straight Ahead" tab below the Hwy 28 route marker. These sign tabs were used in lieu of a through arrow at early highway junction sign assemblies. For many years in fact, arrows were not used at all on the "advance" junction sign assembly in Ontario. Small "L" and "R" shields used to be placed below the highway route marker to indicate whether the highway turned to the left or right at an upcoming intersection. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1950.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-56-11, Photo #I-0027139)

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Right - Tree-lined view of Hwy 28 about 1 mile south of Bewdley in 1950, showing new pavement zone striping. Prior to World War II, pavement markings were used quite sparingly in Ontario and were only applied in specific situations where additional guidance to motorists was deemed necessary. Following the outbreak of war in 1939, materials and equipment needed to manufacture and apply highway paint were suddenly in short supply and the practice of striping pavements was greatly reduced. As shortages of paint eased after World War II, the DHO began to actively stripe passing zones and centrelines along most of Ontario's King's Highways as an additional safety measure. In this photo, two motorists travelling in opposite directions safely pass by one another with each highway lane clearly delineated. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 23, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Left - View of the new intersection channelizations constructed at the junction of Hwy 28 and the Welcome-Dale Cut-Off Highway (later known as Hwy 106) at Dale, facing south towards Port Hope in 1951. Under Contract #1951-381, both Hwy 28 and the Welcome-Dale Cut-Off Highway were resurfaced with hot-mix asphalt. New right-turn channels were also built at this well-used highway junction to allow traffic to easily pass between Hwy 28 and nearby Hwy 2. Prior to the completion of Hwy 115 in 1954, virtually all traffic travelling between Toronto and Peterborough had to pass through this junction. In this photo, the Welcome-Dale Cut-Off Highway is signed using a Hwy 2 route marker and a right-pointing arrow, even though the cut-off itself was never considered to be a part of Hwy 2. The Welcome-Dale Cut-Off Highway did not have its own unique route number until 1953, when the Hwy 106 designation was introduced along this short but important cut-off route. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on December 12, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Right - Department of Highways' Sign Truck at the Port Hope District Garage. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 17, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Above - Pavement conditions along Hwy 28, about 1 mile south of Burleigh Falls in 1952. A mulch asphalt surface was laid by DHO divisional forces in 1949 between Lakefield and Burleigh Falls. While relatively inexpensive to construct, mulch asphalt surfaces generally didn't have the longevity of stronger hot-mix asphalt pavement designs. Mulch asphalt pavements were more prone to seasonal frost-heaving and were often battered by heavy truck traffic. However, these inexpensive pavements did serve their purpose as Ontario struggled to keep up with a lengthy backlog of highway improvement needs in the years following World War II. With traffic volumes skyrocketing each year, DHO was often forced to do interim improvements to highways until such time that full reconstruction of the highway was feasible. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 20, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Left - Completed mulch asphalt and zone striping along Hwy 28, about 11 miles south of Bancroft. During 1952, Hwy 28 was surfaced with mulch asphalt for a distance of about 21 miles from Apsley northerly to Paudash by DHO District #10 (Bancroft) divisional forces. Note the small lay-by beside the highway at left, which served as a parking area for DHO's diminutive Roadside Park at Paudash Lake. Although the park at Paudash Lake closed many years ago, the lay-by and stone retaining wall is still visible along Hwy 28 today. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 22, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

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Right - View of the Paudash Lake Roadside Park on Hwy 28, about 11 miles south of Bancroft. At the time this photo was taken in 1952, this was the smallest of DHO's roadside parks, with a total park size of about a half-acre. The park had a small number of picnic tables, a stone cooking stove and a handful of waterfront campsites. Due to the park's small size, camping was prohibited within the park by the late 1950s to prevent overcrowding. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 22, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Above - View of a construction crew preparing to widen a rock cut along Hwy 28, about 5 miles north of Burleigh Falls in 1952. Under Contract #1951-27, about 6 1/2 miles of Hwy 28 were improved through the widening of rock cuts, removal of curves and resetting of the highway's vertical profile. While it was common for DHO to contract out larger highway projects to private construction companies, the DHO still used its own divisional forces to complete less complex highway grading and paving activities. In some cases, the DHO would even hire local labourers on a day-to-day basis to complete small construction projects, particularly in Northern and Central Ontario. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 22, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Left - Old Youngs Point Bridge over the Otonabee River on Hwy 28 in 1953. This narrow 19th-Century structure was bypassed by a new high-level bridge which spanned both the Otonabee River and the Trent-Severn Waterway in 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 17, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

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Right - View of the realignment of Hwy 28 at the Eels Creek Bridge at Haultain, Contract #1952-29. Interestingly, the old steel truss bridge which once carried Hwy 28 was salvaged from the Haultain site shortly after this photo was taken. The steel truss bridge was then reassembled at a new site at the Crowe River on the Chandos Loop Road (Hwy 504) east of Apsley in 1953-1954. Structural steel was in very short supply after World War II and during the Korean War, which made bridge salvaging operations such as this a necessity in order to keep pace with Ontario's growing highway infrastructure needs. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 9, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - South Burleigh Falls Bridge on Hwy 28 under construction in 1953, Contract #1953-05. The South Burleigh Falls Bridge replacement was the first of several contracts awarded in the 1950s and 1960s to reconstruct Hwy 28 through Burleigh Falls on an improved alignment. Several narrow bridges were replaced at Burleigh Falls in the process. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 9, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Completed South Burleigh Falls Bridge on Hwy 28 in 1954. Constructed under Contract #1953-05, this was the first of several bridge replacements which took place along Hwy 28 at Burleigh Falls. This bridge spans the Burleigh River and consists of three concrete "T"-beam spans. The previous bridge over the Burleigh River was an iron through truss structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 28, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

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Right - Grading along Hwy 28 south of Apsley under Contract #1954-21, facing south from Sta. 427+50. During the 1950s, many older sections of Hwy 28 south of Apsley were improved by relocating the highway onto a revised alignment. These improvements removed sharp curves and steep grades on the original highway's alignment. The revised highway grade offered motorists with increased sight distance of the road ahead and thus facilitated passing. Prior to the highway's reconstruction, it would been extremely difficult to pass a slow-moving vehicle along this section of Hwy 28, due to the highway's winding alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 25, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Left - New Eels Creek Bridge (the Parks Bridge) on Hwy 28 between Haultain and Apsley, Contract #1953-06. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 25, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

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Right - New high-level bridge for Hwy 28 over the Otonabee River and the Trent-Severn Waterway at Youngs Point, Contract #1953-04. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 29, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - View of Rice Lake from Hwy 28 near Bewdley in 1955. Note the old dual cable and cedar post guide rail beside the highway. This early example of a roadside hazard protection system likely dates from the mid-1920s, when this design started to see widespread use on Ontario's provincial highways. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 10, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Right - Youngs Point Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway north of Lakefield in 1955. Up until 1954, all Hwy 28 traffic had to cross the Youngs Point Lock via a narrow turn-of-the-century swing bridge. A new high-level bridge was completed across the channel at Youngs Point in 1954. The new high-level bridge greatly improved traffic flow on Hwy 28, since the new bridge allowed highway traffic to cross the channel uninterrupted by marine traffic on the canal below. The old Hwy 28 swing bridge can be seen in the background of this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 13, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - Postcard view of Hwy 7 (George Street) in Downtown Peterborough in 1956, facing north from the Hwy 28 Junction at Charlotte Street. This interesting photo shows George Street just before the one-way street system was introduced through Downtown Peterborough in the late 1950s. Today, George Street carries southbound traffic only, while northbound traffic follows adjacent Water Street through the city centre. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1956.
(Photo courtesy of Royal Specialty Sales, Toronto)

Right - Circa 1957 postcard view of Hastings Street (Hwy 62) in Downtown Bancroft, facing north from the Hwy 500 Junction (later known as Hwy 28). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Post Card Company, Ltd. Toronto)

Above - Preparation for the blasting of a new rock cut on a diversion of Hwy 28 (then known as Hwy 500) between Hermon and McArthur Mills east of Bancroft, Contract #1962-33. The section of Hwy 500 lying east of Bancroft became an extension of Hwy 28 in 1982. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Left - Completed Dungannon Bridge over the York River on Hwy 28 (then known as Hwy 500) east of Bancroft, Contract #1967-203. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1968.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1968)

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Right - Completed hot-mix paving along Hwy 28 between Apsley and Paudash, Contract #1968-128. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1969.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1969)

Left - Reconstructed section of Hwy 28 at the Eels Creek Bridge south of Paudash Lake, Contract #1969-164. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1971.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1971)

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Right - Resurfaced section of Hwy 28 between Paudash and Bancroft, Contract #1972-86. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1973.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1973)

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 28 Interchange on Hwy 115 southwest of Peterborough in 1972, facing south towards Port Hope. This interesting photo shows the partially-completed interchange, as it appeared before the extension of Hwy 115 to the Peterborough Bypass in the late 1970s. When Hwy 115 was first opened to traffic in 1954, the highway terminated at a "T" Junction at Hwy 28. As traffic volumes grew over the years, the number of vehicles turning left onto Hwy 28 at the end of Hwy 115 started to cause significant congestion at this highway junction. In 1966-1967, a partial interchange was built at Hwy 115 & Hwy 28 as an interim improvement until Hwy 115 was extended easterly from Hwy 28 to the Peterborough Bypass. This interim improvement proved to be very effective, as it successfully accommodated the heavy left-turn movement from Hwy 115 via a grade separation over Hwy 28. A loop ramp carried Hwy 115 traffic north towards Peterborough uninterrupted. It wasn't until 1978 that Hwy 115 was finally extended easterly from Hwy 28 to the Peterborough Bypass. The Hwy 28 Interchange was reconfigured when this section of Hwy 115 was twinned in 1985. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1972.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2013)

Left - Paving operations along Hwy 28 (then known as Hwy 500) west of Denbigh, Contract #1980-48. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1981.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1981)

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Right - Reconstruction of Hwy 28 east of the Hwy 514 Junction at Hardwood Lake, Contract #1982-17. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1983.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1983)