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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!
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Page 1: Historical Highway 3 Photographs
 Above - Automobile stuck in the mud on Hwy 3 (1927) (Photograph courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation) This situation was a surprisingly common experience for early motorists touring Ontario's provincial highways. Until the late 1920s, many rural highways in Ontario were surfaced with gravel or stone. These road surfaces were often laid upon poorly prepared and compacted subgrades, and consequently, the surface of these unpaved highways would quickly deteriorate in poor weather conditions and during the spring thaw. For many years, only hard-surfaced roads could be relied upon year-round. Fortunately, engineering and construction standards for gravel highways in Ontario were improved by the early 1930s, which allowed motorists to make use of both paved and unpaved highways in all seasons.  Above - Postcard view of new Big Creek Bridge in Delhi (ca. 1930). This tied concrete bowstring truss bridge was completed in 1929. It was replaced by a new bridge in 1965.  Above - Postcard view of Hwy 3 approaching the Hwy 73 Junction in Aylmer (ca. 1940)  Above - Postcard view of Hwy 3 near Dutton (ca. 1945) As this photo clearly illustrates, the section of Hwy 3 between Blenheim and St. Thomas was much busier in its earlier days than it is now. Traffic volumes on this section of Hwy 3 peaked around 1960, and then dropped precipitously once the various stages of adjacent Hwy 401 were completed and opened to traffic. When the MTO downloaded this section of Hwy 3 in Southwestern Ontario in the late 1990s, the highway carried fewer than 900 vehicles per day. By comparison, over 2,500 vehicles per day used this section of Hwy 3 back in 1960, before Hwy 401 was built through the area.  Above - View of Hwy 3 six miles east of Blenheim (1955) (Photograph courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation)  Above - Grading Hwy 3, about 3 miles east of Palmyra (1956) (Photograph courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation)  Above - Twin Bailey bridges on Hwy 3 at the Catfish Creek Bridge site at Orwell (1962) (Photograph courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation) |
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