| 
| |
|
|
All photographs displayed on this page were taken by the
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, unless specifically noted otherwise. Historical photographs
are arranged in approximate chronological order. 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!
|
|---|
|
Page 1: Historical Highway 400 Photographs (1946 to 1969)
 Left - Steel bridge frame construction at Maple Sideroad (now Major Mackenzie Drive) on the Toronto-Barrie Highway (1949). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - New underpass on the Toronto-Barrie Highway at Hwy 27 (Essa Road) in Barrie (1949). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Toronto-Barrie Highway under construction in 1950, showing the new Hwy 7 overpass near Woodbridge. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Concrete pavement construction on the new Toronto-Barrie Highway near Woodbridge in 1951. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - New Hwy 400 looking north from Finch Avenue in Toronto (1951). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - View of Hwy 400 from the Hwy 7 Overpass, looking north towards Barrie (1951). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Looking north along Hwy 400 approaching Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) in Barrie in 1953. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Zone painting on the new Hwy 400 at the Hwy 7 Cloverleaf, taken shortly after Hwy 400 was officially opened to traffic. Photo taken on July 4, 1952. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Aerial View of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 401 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking southeast. Photo taken on October 1, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2, Box B986, Photo #648-10) This cloverleaf formed the junction of Hwy 400 and Hwy 401 for almost 15 years. The interchange was completely redesigned in the mid-1960s in response to the widening of Hwy 401 and the extension of Hwy 400 south to Jane Street. Compare the 1953 aerial photo above to this 2004 aerial photo which I took of the current semi-directional three-level interchange from the same angle (facing southeast).  Above - Hwy 400 & Hwy 7 Interchange looking northeast towards Maple. Photo taken on October 1, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here. The present-day site of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 407 ETR Interchange is situated in the bottom-right corner of this photo, while Weston Road can be seen approaching its intersection with Hwy 7 at left. Compare the 1953 aerial photo of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 7 Interchange in Vaughan shown above with this 2004 aerial photo, which I took to show the unfortunate urban sprawl that has taken place over the past 25 years in this part of York Region. Nearly all of the vacant land seen in the 1953 photo above has become urbanized. Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2, Box B986, Photo #650-15) 
 Left - Looking north along Hwy 400 from the Wilson Avenue Underpass in Toronto. Photo taken on October 29, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-163, Box B986, Photo #575) Right - Hwy 400 facing north approaching the Hwy 88 Cloverleaf near Bradford (November 5, 1953). Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-163, Box B986, Photo #607)  Above - Hwy 400 facing north approaching the Hwy 27 Interchange in Barrie. Photo taken on November 5, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-163, Box B986, Photo #609)  Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 400 and King Side Road Interchange in 1953. Shortly after this photo was taken, a service centre was constructed within the loop ramp in the foreground. This service centre was removed in the 1970s, and replaced by an MTO carpool parking lot. The King Road Service Centre was actually the second service facility opened along Hwy 400. Ontario's very first highway service centre was opened in 1953 at Hwy 400 and Cookstown Road (today's Hwy 89). The Cookstown Service Centre at the Hwy 400 & Hwy 89 Interchange is still in operation today. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Hwy 400 looking north towards Holland Marsh from the King Township Sideroad 35 Overpass (now Hwy 9) in 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 400 and Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Interchange in Barrie (July 9, 1954). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Hwy 401 approaching the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east. Photo taken on October 7, 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-15, Box B1103, Photo #414)  Above - Postcard view of the Hwy 400 and Hwy 27 (Essa Road) Interchange in Barrie (ca. 1955). Photo courtesy of Alex Wilson Publishing Ltd.   Above - Ontario Coat-of-Arms stamp on the Coulson Road Overpass (West Gwillimbury Line 11) on Hwy 400 south of Cookstown. This artistic embellishment was
incorporated into many of Ontario's early freeway structures built in the 1940s and 1950s. Photo taken on January 13, 1956. See an
Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Ontario Coat-of-Arms stamp on the Bayfield Street Overpass (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) on Hwy 400 in Barrie. Note the unusual median-mounted guide sign at right, reading "Hwy 26 & Hwy 27 Points West". Photo taken on January 24, 1956. See an
Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Eastern side of the Willow Creek Bridge on Hwy 400 between Barrie and Crown Hill. Photo taken on August 21, 1957. See an
Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Willow Creek Bridge on Hwy 400 between Barrie and Crown Hill, facing east (August 21, 1957).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Grading for the Hwy 400 Extension north of Barrie (1959). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 at the Craighurst Canadian Pacific Railway Overhead. When the Hwy 400 Coldwater Extension was completed north of Barrie in
1959, it was constructed as an undivided two-lane highway with provisions that it could be expanded to four lanes in the future. In 1979, a second structure was
built at right to carry the new southbound lanes of the highway, while the original 1959 structure seen here was converted so that it carried northbound traffic only.
No matter how many times I look at this historic photo, I still have trouble believing that this two-lane road is actually Hwy 400 - but it is! The pavement markings showing
the restricted and permissive passing zones just look so strange on a 400-Series Highway. Photo taken in June, 1961. See an
Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Western side of the Craighurst Canadian Pacific Railway Overhead on Hwy 400 north of Barrie. For years, this structure was a single bridge carrying
both northbound and southbound traffic. When this two-lane section of Hwy 400 was twinned in 1979, a new twin structure was built in the foreground to carry the
new southbound lanes of the highway. Photo taken in June, 1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Construction of the Steeles Avenue Overpass on Hwy 400 in Toronto (1961). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Approaching the original northern terminus of the Hwy 400 Extension at the Hwy 12 Junction near Coldwater. The original northern terminus of Hwy 400
shown here was bypassed in the late 1970s, when Hwy 400 was extended to Waubaushene on a new alignment to the west of Fesserton. This section of Old Hwy 400 is now
an unposted 7000-series highway (Hwy 7174) signed as "Lower Big Chute Road". Photo taken in September, 1961. See an
Enlarged Photo Here.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Coldwater River Bridge on the Hwy 400 Extension, located just south of the Hwy 12 Junction near Coldwater (September, 1961).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Hwy 88 Overpass on Hwy 400 near Bradford (May, 1962). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Facing west towards Bond Head across the Hwy 88 Overpass on Hwy 400 (May, 1962). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Facing west across the Cookstown Road (Hwy 89) Overpass in Innisfil Township (May, 1962). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Cookstown Road (Hwy 89) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Innisfil Township, facing northwest (May, 1962). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation The Cookstown Service Centre, with its original British-American (B-A) Station sign, is visible on the far side of the interchange. The Cookstown Service Centre sold B-A gasoline products from its opening in 1953 until 1968, when the station was taken over by Gulf Canada. The station was acquired by Petro-Canada in 1985 and has operated under that company's name ever since. 
 Left - Hwy 400 at the Willow Creek Bridge near Barrie, facing north towards the Hwy 400 Extension Overpass near Crown Hill. Note the overhead "butterfly" style sign in the
background, marking the Hwy 400 and Hwy 11 split at this interchange. See an
Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken on May 30, 1962.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Allandale Canadian National Railway Overhead on Hwy 400 in Barrie (May 30, 1962).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Crossing the Richvale Sideroad Overpass (today's Rutherford Road) on Hwy 400 in Vaughan Township in 1962. When Hwy 400 was first built in the late 1940s
and early 1950s, there was no interchange at Rutherford Road. In fact, this narrow rural road wasn't even paved until construction began on the new Canada's
Wonderland Amusement Park in 1979. A partial interchange was built on Hwy 400 at Rutherford Road to service Canada's Wonderland, which opened its gates to the public
for the first time in May, 1981. In response to growing development in the area, the Rutherford Road Interchange was completely rebuilt in 1992-1993. The original
1950 Rutherford Road Overpass was demolished in 1994. Today, Rutherford Road is a major six-lane urban arterial street, which looks nothing like this vintage
photograph. Photo taken on May 31, 1962.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Richvale Sideroad Overpass (Rutherford Road) on Hwy 400 in Vaughan Township (May 31, 1962).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - King Township Sideroad 35 Overpass on Hwy 400 near Newmarket in 1962. Several years after this photo was taken, this township road was assumed by the province as a new King's Highway. In the late 1960s, this road was incorporated into an extension of Hwy 9 from Schomberg to Newmarket. The Hwy 9 extension to Newmarket was completed and opened to traffic in 1969, along with a new interchange at Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken on May 31, 1962. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Facing east towards Newmarket at the King Township Sideroad 35 Overpass on Hwy 400 in 1962. This road ultimately became Hwy 9 in the late 1960s, when a new King's Highway was built connecting Schomberg and Newmarket. It may seem hard to believe, but this tiny road is now a busy four-lane arterial highway! Compare this 1962 photo to this Present-Day Photo of the same location. See an Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken on May 31, 1962. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Facing south along Hwy 400 from the Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Overpass in Barrie (1963). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Compare the 1963 photo of Hwy 400 shown above with this present day photo, which I took from the Hwy 90 Overpass in 2007. 
 Left - Hwy 400 at the Willow Creek Bridge north of Barrie, facing south towards Duckworth Street (April, 1965).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Willow Creek Bridge on Hwy 400 between Barrie and Crown Hill (April, 1965).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Hwy 400 Extension Overpass near Barrie, facing north towards the Hwy 11 & Hwy 93 Interchange at Crown Hill (May 28, 1965).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Facing north across the Hwy 400 Extension Overpass near Barrie. Note that the right-hand northbound lane was striped off at the time this photo was
taken, since the remainder of Hwy 400 heading north from this interchange from Barrie to Coldwater was an undivided highway with a single lane in each direction.
A second lane was added across this bridge in the 1970s, when Hwy 400 was widened to four lanes north of the Crown Hill Interchange. Photo taken on May 28, 1965.Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Facing north along Hwy 400 across the Hwy 27 (Essa Road) Underpasses in Barrie (August, 1967). When Hwy 400 was widened to six lanes through Barrie in 1972, the highway's grass median was filled in and the Hwy 27 Underpasses were spliced together to form one structure in order to accommodate the extra lanes. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Facing north along Hwy 27 (Essa Road) towards the dual Hwy 400 Underpasses in Barrie (August, 1967). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Southbound Hwy 400 facing north from the Wilson Avenue Underpass in Toronto (October, 1968).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Northbound Hwy 400 at the Wilson Avenue Underpass in Toronto, facing north (October, 1968).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Facing east towards the Wilson Avenue Underpass on Hwy 400 (October, 1968).Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation |
|---|
