Ontario Highway 400 Photographs - Page 10 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Facing north along Essa Road (Hwy 27) towards the underpass at Hwy 400 in Barrie. Compare the present day photo seen above to this 1949 Photo of the Essa Road (Hwy 27) structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Essa Road (Hwy 27) Underpass in Barrie. Structure completed in 1947. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Southbound Hwy 400 from the Essa Road (Hwy 27) Underpass in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View underneath the Northbound Hwy 400 span crossing Essa Road in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The dual 1947 structures over Essa Road on Hwy 400 were spliced together in the 1970s when the highway was widened to six lanes. A narrow new span was constructed in the highway's median between the Northbound and Southbound Hwy 400 structures, as seen in this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along the Northbound Hwy 400 lanes from the Essa Road (Hwy 27) Underpass. A powerful tornado ripped through Barrie in May 1985, crossing Hwy 400 at this exact point. The Barrie Tornado destroyed many buildings on the hill immediately adjacent to the Essa Road Interchange, resulting in widespread damage and numerous casualties. In addition, the storm severely damaged this section of Hwy 400. Sections of the box-beam median barrier, the guide rails and several highway signs that were in the tornado's path were torn off their posts by the high winds. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Hwy 400 ramp terminals at Essa Road in Barrie. Note the oversized "Do Not Enter" and "One Way" signs that were installed recently in an attempt to prevent wrong-way movements on the exit ramp from Northbound Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Northbound Hwy 400 towards the Essa Road (Hwy 27) Underpass. Note the narrow width of the acceleration lane onto Hwy 400 which was required in order to accommodate a six-lane highway across the existing Essa Road structure. Compare this present-day photo of the Essa Road Interchange to this mid-1950s postcard view of the same interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Essa Road (Hwy 27) Underpass on Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Essa Road (Hwy 27) towards the underpass at Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Tiffin Street Underpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Tiffin Street Underpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Single concrete beam railing on the Tiffin Street Underpass. Structure completed in 1950. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Tiffin Street Underpass is a single span concrete rigid frame structure that was poured in place and then back-filled with earth. Note the impressions in the bridge's concrete abutment walls, left by the original timber plank forms from when the bridge was poured. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Barrie Railway Overhead on Hwy 400 near Tiffin Street. Structure completed in 1950. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Barrie Railway Overhead on Hwy 400. Note the space provided below the structure for a future second rail line (at right). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Interchange on Hwy 400 in Barrie, facing north. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie. This interesting two-span steel rigid frame structure was completed in 1955, as part of a much larger project to provide a direct interchange access to Downtown Barrie. Ultimately, this new interchange served as the new route for Hwy 90 approaching Barrie. Up until 1959, Hwy 90 followed Tiffin Street on its route between Barrie and Angus, but the highway was eventually rerouted via Dunlop Street so that it connected directly with Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 from the Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Overpass in Barrie. Compare the present-day photo above with this historical photo taken in 1963, before Hwy 400 was widened to six lanes through Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) towards the overpass across Hwy 400. Several stands of trees were planted within the Dunlop Street Interchange when it was built in the 1950s. As a result, this is one of the more photogenic interchanges along Hwy 400 between Toronto and Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Close-up of the original steel balustrades on the Dunlop Street Overpass. The Dunlop Street Bridge is the oldest structure along Hwy 400 in the Barrie area that still retains its original steel railings. All of the other structures in the area have either been rehabilitated or widened, except for the Anne Street Overpass, which is newer. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) across the overpass at Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 400 from the Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) Overpass in Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The ramps for the Hwy 400 & Hwy 90 Interchange are in a "Parclo B" configuration, meaning that the loop ramps are on the downstream side of the grade separation. This ramp configuration is seldom used on Ontario freeways. However, given the angle at which these two highways cross, this ramp configuration was far more practical than the standard "Parclo A" configuration. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 90 from the Hwy 400 Interchange. One of the biggest drawbacks of a "Parclo B" is that the loop ramps carrying exiting traffic from the freeway merges with the surface street just before the entrance ramp departs the surface street on the same side. As a result, there is a greater risk of wrong-way movements on the exit ramps, since drivers may turn off the surface street too early and inadvertently end up going the wrong way down the freeway. The MTO has recently installed oversized "Do Not Enter" signs at the loop exit ramp terminals, to reduce the likelihood of an inattentive driver from entering the freeway in the wrong direction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Dunlop Street (Hwy 90) across the overpass at Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Overhead diagrammatic guide sign on northbound Hwy 400 approaching the Crown Hill Overpass north of Barrie. At this junction, Hwy 400 actually exits from the apparent through highway, and charts a new course northwesterly towards Parry Sound where it joins Hwy 69 to Sudbury. The through route leads to Hwy 11, which continues northeasterly towards Orillia and North Bay. This is a challenging exit to sign, since the interchange appears at the end of a long curve. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Overhead turn-off guide signs on northbound Hwy 400 at Crown Hill. The route of Hwy 69, which extends from the Parry Sound area to Sudbury, is "trailblazed" via Hwy 400 on both the advance and turn-off overhead guide signs. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the Crown Hill Overpass north of Barrie. At this point, northbound Hwy 400 traffic has already exited from the highway, so traffic continuing north below this bridge is already committed to taking Hwy 11. Although signed as Hwy 11 heading northbound, the short section of the highway between the Crown Hill Overpass and the neighbouring Crown Hill Interchange (Hwy 11 & Hwy 93 Junction) has an unposted designation (Hwy 400A). That route number was logically omitted from all highway signs at both junctions, due to the potential for confusion amongst motorists. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Crown Hill Overpass on Hwy 400. This single span concrete rigid frame girder structure was completed in 1959, as part of the Hwy 400 Extension from Crown Hill to Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Crown Hill Overpass on Hwy 400. The bridge deck had a significant superelevation, to compensate for the relatively small ramp footprint. As a result, the structure's north fascia appears to be much larger than the south fascia. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northbound Hwy 400 ramp approaching the Crown Hill Overpass, facing south towards Barrie. The designers used a very economical design to unite the original route of Hwy 400 and the Hwy 400 Extension to Coldwater. A project began in May 2013 to replace the Crown Hill Overpass and realign the approach ramp. Preliminary grading for the new ramp can be seen in the background. The old 1959 structure was demolished on December 12, 2015, a few weeks after the replacement bridge opened to traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Deck view of the Crown Hill Overpass on Hwy 400, facing north. This point marked the beginning of the so-called "Hwy 400 Extension" to Coldwater. This two-lane undivided highway was completed in 1959. The new route provided a direct connection to the Trans-Canada Highway at Coldwater, and shortened the distance between Toronto and Sudbury by approximately 13 km. The term "Extension" is a bit of a misnomer today. Ever since the completion of the MacTier-Horseshoe Lake Diversion in 2003, the Hwy 400 Extension is now actually longer than the original Toronto-Barrie route of Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south towards Barrie from the Crown Hill Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north from the Crown Hill Overpass on Hwy 400 towards Crown Hill. The adjacent Hwy 11 & Hwy 93 Interchange at Crown Hill can be seen in the background. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400A towards the Crown Hill Overpass near Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Barrie from the Partridge Road Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 19, 2013 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Dual spans of the Craighurst Railway Overhead on Hwy 400 north of Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The northbound Hwy 400 span was completed in 1959. Note the metal steam guard above the railway tracks at right, which protected the structural steel girders from corrosion from the exhaust expelled by older steam-powered railway locomotives. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View underneath the northbound (1959) Hwy 400 span. The original 1959 structure was widened slightly on the eastern side in 1979 when a deceleration lane was built to service the adjacent Horseshoe Valley Road Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The southbound Hwy 400 span was completed in 1979, when Hwy 400 was widened from two to four lanes. The 1979 structure is almost identical in design to its 1959 counterpart. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (1979) on the Craighurst Railway Overhead. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Craighurst Railway Overhead north of Barrie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The most peculiar feature of the Craighurst Overhead is the pier design, which is comprised of a series of pile-driven steel "H" beams positioned at varying angles. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the southbound (1979) span's superstructure and steel "H" beam bents. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The northbound (1959) structure has similar steel "H" beam bents. The bents were angled to provide greater structural rigidity in an area with relatively poor soil conditions. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Profile view of the 1959 pier, showing the angled "H" beam bents. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The Horseshoe Valley Road deceleration lane extension has similar steel "H" beam piers. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - These plywood forms beneath the deck of the 1959 structure are a sign of concrete deterioration. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The northbound (1959) Hwy 400 structure was reconstructed with a new bridge deck in 2007-2008. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Long exit ramp for Lower Big Chute Road on Hwy 400 near Coldwater. This ramp was actually the original route of Hwy 400 until the 1970s, when a new connection was built to Hwy 12 & Hwy 69 at Waubaushene. The ramp now serves as an access road to nearby Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 4, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Abandoned two-lane Hwy 400 alignment at Lower Big Chute Road Exit. This part of Hwy 400 was bypassed in the late 1970s by the current four-lane highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 4, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Lower Big Chute Road ramp is the longest freeway off-ramp in Ontario. The former two-lane Hwy 400 alignment was converted to a one-lane off ramp, which can be seen at left. At this point, the off-ramp joins Lower Big Chute Road (at right), and heads east towards Hwy 12 at Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 4, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching the Lower Big Chute Road Junction on Hwy 12 near Coldwater. Lower Big Chute Road was once part of Hwy 400. In the late 1970s, Hwy 400 was diverted onto a new alignment between Coldwater and Waubaushene. The bypassed section of Hwy 400 became an unposted "7000-series" highway (Hwy 7174). The route is also signed with green-and-white "TO 400" trailblazer signs. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the northern terminus of Hwy 7174 (Lower Big Chute Road) at Hwy 12 near Coldwater. There was a proposal in the late 1950s to extend Hwy 400 northeasterly from Coldwater to Gravenhurst. A route was selected and a Preliminary Route Plan was designated for the proposed route in 1959. Subsequent planning studies done in the 1970s recommended an eventual twinning of the existing Waubaushene-MacTier Highway (Hwy 103, later Hwy 69) rather than the construction of a new highway link to Muskoka. As a result, the route between Coldwater and Gravenhurst was never actually built, and the designated route was legally closed in 1972. Had the Hwy 400 Extension to Gravenhurst been constructed, the highway would have crossed Hwy 12 here and continued straight ahead across the remote eastern tip of Simcoe County and up into Muskoka. The proposed route of Hwy 400 would have tied into Hwy 11 immediately south of Gravenhurst. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 towards Orillia from the Lower Big Chute Road (Hwy 7174) Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - This municipal signpost correctly indicates that both Hwy 12 and Lower Big Chute Road are owned by the Province of Ontario. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 at the Lower Big Chute Road (Hwy 7174) Junction near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green guide sign marking Lower Big Chute Road on eastbound Hwy 12 near Coldwater. As is the case for nearly all routes in Ontario with a 7000-series designation, the four-digit route number is not posted along the highway. Rather, the route is signed with an actual street name (Lower Big Chute Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 7174 (Lower Big Chute Road) from the Hwy 12 Junction. Lower Big Chute Road connects to Hwy 400 about 2 km to the south. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green trailblazer sign marking the route to Hwy 400 via Simcoe County Road 23 (Vasey Road) from Hwy 12. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 14, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 12 (Vasey Road) at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. Following the route renumbering of 2014, the route of Hwy 12 is now clearly signed along Vasey Road from Hwy 400 to Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - "Junction 400 12" sign on eastbound Simcoe Road 23 (Vasey Road) approaching the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. This recently-installed sign assembly makes use of a full "Junction" sign tab, which has been a relatively uncommon signing practice on provincial highways in recent years. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Hwy 12 & Trans-Canada Highway Route Marker at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. When Hwy 12 was downloaded between Coldwater and Waubaushene in 1997, the Trans-Canada Highway signs along the old highway route were removed, leaving a 6 km unsigned gap in the route of the Trans-Canada Highway between Waubaushene and Coldwater. During the route renumbering of 2014, the gap in the Trans-Canada Highway's Georgian Bay Route was finally rectified when it was applied to the new overlapped route of Hwy 400 & Hwy 12 between Coldwater and Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Oversized Hwy 400 & Hwy 12 route markers on eastbound Hwy 12 (Vasey Road) at the Hwy 400 Interchange near Coldwater. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 12, 2014 - © Cameron Bevers)