Ontario Highway 400 Photographs - Page 17 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn from the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near MacTier. This interchange marks the beginning of an entirely new highway alignment for Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake, which was constructed in the early 2000s. Previously, the two-lane Hwy 69 curved easterly towards MacTier just north of this interchange. The proposed four-lane Hwy 69 (today's Hwy 400) connected to existing Hwy 69 via a grade-separated interchange here, before narrowing back to a two-lane highway about 1 km south of this interchange. For several years, Hwy 69 & Hwy 400 was a two-lane undivided highway from a point just south of the Musquash River Bridge to a point north of the Moon River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near MacTier, facing west. The ramps at the Lake Joseph Road Interchange are in a "Trumpet-B" configuration. On the far side of this bridge, the road divides. All westbound traffic from Lake Joseph Road is forced onto southbound Hwy 400 towards Barrie and Toronto. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near MacTier. This two-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0235 and was completed in 2001. This bridge carries traffic from Old Hwy 69 and feeds it into the southbound lanes of Hwy 400. There is also a lightly-used "B" inner loop ramp which carries traffic from southbound Hwy 400 to nearby MacTier via Lake Joseph Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (2001) and structure identification number (Site #42-320) on the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western terminus of Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) at the Hwy 400 Interchange. At right, an outer directional ramp carries traffic to southbound Hwy 400, while at left, the "B" inner loop ramp carries traffic from southbound Hwy 400 to Lake Joseph Road. Trumpet-B interchanges are characterized by having the inner loop ramp exiting from the freeway on the downstream side of the grade separation, whereas in a Trumpet-A configuration, the inner loop ramp enters the freeway upstream of the grade separation. Trumpet-A configurations are generally more desirable in highway design for a variety of technical reasons, but in this case, the "B" configuration offers superior operations for the predominant traffic movement towards Barrie and Toronto. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass, facing east towards MacTier. This bridge was designed with a wide painted flush median rather than a raised traffic island across Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Parry Sound from the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass. The original two-lane Hwy 69 formed the northbound carriageway of the current highway. The section of Hwy 69 through the interchange was "twinned" under Contract #2000-0235, through the construction of a new southbound carriageway. Just north of the interchange, Hwy 69 curved to the east into MacTier, while the new four-lane Hwy 69 was constructed straight ahead. The abandoned remnants of the old connection to Hwy 69 can be seen just above the northbound transport truck. The new four-lane highway was completed and officially opened to traffic as part of a northerly extension of Hwy 400 on October 7, 2003. The completion of Hwy 400 from MacTier to Horseshoe Lake took four full construction seasons and spanned three separate construction contracts. The construction of this highway was a significant undertaking! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - A 110 km/h speed zone begins sign on northbound Hwy 400 near the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange. From this point northerly to the end of the four-lane highway north of Nobel, Hwy 400 has a normal 110 km/h posted speed limit, unless posted otherwise. With few exceptions, the northern section of Hwy 400 between MacTier and Nobel was constructed almost exclusively on a new alignment, and thus has very good geometry. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Distance guide sign on northbound Hwy 400 near the Lake Joseph Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange near MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Tower Road Overpass near MacTier. This two-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0235 and was completed in 2001. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn from the Tower Road Overpass near MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west across the Tower Road Overpass on Hwy 400 near MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (2001) and structure identification number (Site #42-321) on the Tower Road Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Parry Sound from the Tower Road Overpass. Under Contract #2000-0235, a roughly 10 km section of new four-lane highway was constructed from just south of MacTier to the Muskoka-Parry Sound District Boundary near Healey Lake Road. About 1 km of the four-lane highway was built by twinning existing Hwy 69, while 9 km were built on an entirely new alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 2, 2022 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Hwy 400 looking south between Tower Road and Healey Lake Road north of MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An older District of Parry Sound boundary sign on northbound Hwy 400 north of MacTier. This sign likely dates to the original completion of Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake in 2003. Newer district boundary signs have text written in both upper and lower case letters, whereas older signs are in all-capital letters like this example. Coincidentally, this boundary line between the District Municipality of Muskoka and the District of Parry Sound also marked the northern construction limits of Contract #2000-0235. The continuation of the four-lane Hwy 69 (today's Hwy 400) into the Parry Sound District was completed under a different construction project. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Southern side of the Healey Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. This two-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0236 and was completed in 2001. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Healey Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west across the Healey Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 north of MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (2001) and structure identification number (Site #44-377) on the Healey Lake Road Overpass north of MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn from the Healey Lake Road Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Parry Sound from the Healey Lake Road Overpass north of MacTier. Construction of the new four-lane Hwy 69 (today's Hwy 400) from the Muskoka-Parry Sound District Boundary northerly for about 9 km was built under Contract #2000-0236. This contract's northern limits were in the vicinity of Lawson Bay Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Township of Seguin municipal boundary sign facing northbound Hwy 400 traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Payne Lake Snowmobile Trail Overpass (Site #44-378) north of MacTier. This two-span pre-stressed concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0236 and was completed in 2002. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north towards the Conger Township Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Subway on Hwy 400. This structure crosses Hwy 400 about 4 km south of the Hwy 141 Interchange. This structure was built on a diversion of the railway. Once the new bridge was completed in 2002, the CPR was moved slightly to the north and onto the new structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Conger Township CPR Subway (Site #44-379) on Hwy 400. This two-span steel plate girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0236 and was completed in 2002. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the dual underpasses for Lawson Bay Road below Hwy 400. Both bridges are single-span concrete rigid frame structures, built under Contract #2000-0227. The southbound structure seen here was actually completed first in 2002, with the adjacent northbound structure completed a year later, in 2003. These dual underpasses are located about 1 km south of the Hwy 141 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (2002) and structure identification number (Site #44-380S) on the southbound Hwy 400 structure across Lawson Bay Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Eastern side of the dual underpasses for Lawson Bay Road below Hwy 400. Interestingly, Lawson Bay Road was left with a granular (gravel) surface, instead of being surfaced with asphalt. Given the terrain in this area and very limited width of Lawson Bay Road both east and west of the underpasses, it would have been impractical and prohibitively expensive to transport paving equipment and get hot-mix asphalt delivered out to this site. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (2003) and structure identification number (Site #44-380N) on the northbound Hwy 400 structure across Lawson Bay Road. This underpass was one of the final components built along the Hwy 400 Extension from MacTier to Horseshoe Lake before the highway was opened to traffic in the Fall of 2003. Access to this area was made very difficult due to the lack of access points to the construction site. Under Contract #2000-0227, the new four-lane Hwy 69 (today's Hwy 400) was constructed from a point just south of Lawson Bay Road northerly to the north tie-in at existing Hwy 69 near Horseshoe Lake. This contract also included a westerly extension of Hwy 141 from a point south of Hayes Corners out to the new freeway. Since this was the most complex of the three Hwy 69 four-lane projects between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake, it was also the last of the three to be completed. Accordingly, Contract #2000-0227 also included the removal of the temporary Hwy 69 detours and barricades at both ends of Hwy 400, in order for the new freeway to be officially opened to traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Advance freeway exit guide sign for the upcoming Hwy 141 Interchange on Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. The route of Hwy 141 connects the Parry Sound area to the Huntsville area via Humphrey, Rosseau and Utterson. This highway begins at Hwy 400 south of Parry Sound and ends at Hwy 11 south of Huntsville. In a strange coincidence, the interchange exit number for Hwy 141 along both Hwy 400 and Hwy 11 is Exit #207. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Turn-off freeway exit guide sign for the Hwy 141 Interchange on Hwy 400 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green guide sign directing all traffic bound for Hwy 141 to turn right just ahead. Since Hwy 141 comes to an end at this interchange, anyone turning west onto Hwy 141 will be forced to either turn around or take the southbound Hwy 400 on-ramp back towards Port Severn. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Green guide sign for Hwy 141 at the Hwy 400 Interchange. Traffic is also trailblazed to Muskoka Road 169 (Formerly Hwy 169) from this interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the western terminus of Hwy 141 at the Hwy 400 Interchange. The route of Hwy 141 terminates at a cul-de-sac immediately west of the western ramp terminal. The grading at this interchange was done in such a way to not preclude a westerly extension of the road across the adjacent railway line via a grade separation, should the need ever arise in the future. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Green guide sign marking the on-ramp to northbound Hwy 400 at the Hwy 141 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Hwy 400 at the Hwy 141 Interchange, facing south towards Port Severn. The ramps at this interchange are in a "Parclo A-2" configuration on the southbound side of the freeway and in a Diamond configuration on the northbound side. This is the only intermediate interchange along the MacTier-Horseshoe Lake section of Hwy 400, which covers a total distance of 24 km. The next interchange to the south is located near MacTier, 18 km away. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Parry Sound from the Hwy 141 Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Southern side of the Hwy 141 Overpass on Hwy 400 south of Horseshoe Lake. This two-span pre-stressed concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0227 and was completed in 2002. Engineers took full advantage of the rocky topography at this location in order to construct this grade separation. With Hwy 400 being constructed down inside a deep rock cut, the Hwy 141 Overpass was more or less built at the elevation of the original ground line, which eliminated the need to construct approach fills to the structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (2002) and structure identification number (Site #44-382) the Hwy 141 Overpass between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Hwy 141 Overpass on Hwy 400 south of Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Close-up of the guide sign for the entrance ramp to southbound Hwy 400. This sign has an overlay patch with a Hwy 400 route marker crown showing. Before the highway was opened to traffic, this route was originally going to be numbered as Hwy 69. It appears the decision to number the new highway as part of Hwy 400 was made only shortly before the highway opened in 2003. Traces of the original Hwy 69 route marker crown can still be seen under the overlay patch. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Distance guide sign on northbound Hwy 400, located just north of the Hwy 141 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 about 3 km north of the Hwy 141 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Distance guide sign facing southbound traffic on Hwy 400 near the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 near Horseshoe Lake. This two-span pre-stressed concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0227 and was completed in 2002. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn from the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (2002) and structure identification number (Site #44-383) on the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east across the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of Hwy 400, facing north towards Parry Sound from the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass. The Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange can be seen in the background. At that interchange, the new four-lane highway from MacTier tied back into the existing alignment of Hwy 69 just north of Horseshoe Lake. Altogether, a 24 km section of new freeway was completed and opened to traffic in the Fall of 2003 between MacTier and Horseshoe Lake. The new highway bypassed a very congested section of Hwy 69. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Blackstone-Crane Lake Road Overpass on Hwy 400 near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn just south of the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Hwy 400 facing north towards the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange near Horseshoe Lake. This interchange is in a rather unusual ramp configuration, owing to the skew of the intersecting road and the staging requirements needed from when the interchange was initially built in the early 2000s. The ramps on the western side of the interchange are in a Parclo B-2 configuration, whereas the eastern side ramps are in a modified Diamond ramp configuration. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 29, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west across the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass on Hwy 400. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Southern side of the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near Horseshoe Lake. This two-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #2000-0227 and was completed in 2001. This contract had a large number of structures included within it, with a total of eight new bridges required for the new highway. These included the grade separations at Hwy 69, Blackstone-Crane Lake Road, Hwy 141, separate northbound and southbound structures over the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Lawson Bay Road and a structure over the Blackstone River. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards Port Severn from the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (2001) and structure identification number (Site #44-384) on the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Overpass on Hwy 400 near Horseshoe Lake. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Parry Sound from the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange. During this interchange's construction, Hwy 69 traffic was temporarily shifted onto the current northbound on-ramp until the rest of the new highway link to MacTier was completed in the Fall of 2003. Note the difference in elevation between the southbound and northbound lanes at this curve. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Green guide sign marking the on-ramp to Hwy 400 South at the Rankin Lake Road (Old Hwy 69) Interchange. Like other guide signs along this corridor, careful observers will notice that the Hwy 400 route marker crown is actually an overlay patch over a Hwy 69 route marker crown. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Fingerboard guide sign for Rankin Lake Road at the Hwy 400 Interchange. Before this interchange was constructed, Old Hwy 69 followed a section of Rankin Lake Road as it headed north towards Parry Sound. As part of the interchange's construction, Hwy 69's route was changed temporarily several times, due to the complex construction staging. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 3, 2025 - © Cameron Bevers)