Ontario Highway 400 Photographs - Page 3 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Close-up of the superstructure of the Waubaushene Railway Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400). See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on January 23, 1970.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)

Right - Winter view of the Waubaushene CNR Overhead on Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69 & Hwy 400), facing west towards Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on January 23, 1970.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)

Above - Facing north along Hwy 400 from the Willow Creek Bridge towards Hwy 11 and the Crown Hill Overpass north of Barrie in 1973. Note the pre-Metric "60 Begins" speed limit sign (in miles per hour) in the median on the northbound approach to Hwy 11. Although it is pointing in the opposite direction, the sign facing southbound Hwy 400 traffic at left is a "70 Begins" sign, with a "Trucks 60" tab underneath. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in September, 1973.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Willow Creek Bridge on Hwy 400 north of Barrie in September, 1973. The existing 1950s structure was widened in the early 1970s to accommodate four northbound lanes and four southbound lanes on Hwy 400. The old structure was only designed to accommodate a four-lane divided highway.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 400 and Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Interchange in Barrie in 1974. This aerial photo shows the original interchange ramp configuration, with the loop ramp from Hwy 400 North to Hwy 26 & Hwy 27 in the northeast interchange quadrant. This loop ramp was closed to traffic shortly after this photo was taken. In 1981, the diamond ramp in the northwest quadrant was realigned to permit the construction of a new loop ramp from northbound Bayfield Street to Hwy 400 South. The construction of this new loop ramp eliminated left turns at the ramp to Hwy 400 South. This allowed for the removal of the problematic traffic signals at the original west ramp terminal, which were situated only 80 metres from the traffic signals at the east ramp terminal.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Aerial view of Hwy 400, just north of the Hwy 11 Interchange at Crown Hill in 1974. Note the end of the divided four-lane section of Hwy 400 at left. When the Hwy 400 Extension to Coldwater was built in 1959, it was only a two-lane highway from this point to Coldwater. Beginning in 1975, a multi-year reconstruction project began which saw Hwy 400 expanded to four lanes between Crown Hill and Coldwater.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards Barrie at the Innisfil 10th Line (McKay Road) Overpass. This two-span concrete rigid frame structure was one of two similar overpasses built along Hwy 400 between Toronto and Barrie in 1947. The other structure was located about 33 km to the south at Hwy 9. The McKay Road Overpass seen here was demolished on June 25, 2016, as part of bridge replacement project. See an Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken on October 8, 1975.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2016)

Above - Facing north along Hwy 400 approaching the Hwy 26 & Hwy 27 Interchange in Barrie in 1975. The overpass in the foreground is Sunnidale Road. Note the pre-Metric sign for Hwy 26 & Hwy 27 at right, showing the distance to the exit in miles. Ontario's highway signs were converted to Metric measurements in 1977. Photo taken on October 8, 1975.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 between Duckworth Street and St. Vincent Street in Barrie (October, 1976)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Willow Creek Bridge on Hwy 400 north of Barrie (October, 1976)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards the Sheppard Avenue Overpass in Toronto in 1977. This attractive concrete rigid frame structure graced the southern end of Hwy 400 in Toronto from the time of its construction in 1955 until it was demolished in 1993. Photo taken on September 12, 1977.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Facing south along Hwy 400 towards the Sheppard Avenue Overpass in Toronto (September 12, 1977)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

The box-beam median barrier seen in this photo was replaced by a sheet metal IBC median barrier in the early 1980s. An interesting overhead sign warning drivers to "Slow Down on Wet Pavement" with an 80 km/h advisory speed was installed on this bridge in the mid 1970s. The sign remained in place until the Sheppard Avenue Overpass was demolished and replaced with a new wider structure in 1993. The warning sign, however, was never reinstalled. A similar sign existed on the Conlins Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Scarborough, a bridge which was also demolished in the early 1990s.

Left - Hwy 27 (Essa Road) Underpass at Hwy 400 in Barrie (July 19, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 at the Hwy 27 (Essa Road) Interchange in Barrie (July 19, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

What makes this photo particularly interesting is the location from which it was taken. Traffic volumes on Hwy 400 were apparently low enough in 1978 that the photographer was able to cross one side of the freeway relatively safely and stand on the box-beam median to take the photograph. With current traffic volumes nearing 100,000 vehicles per day at Essa Road, it would be virtually impossible to take a photo from this vantage point on Hwy 400 today.

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 towards the Hwy 88 Overpass near Bradford (July 24, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 88 towards Bradford at the Hwy 400 Overpass (July 24, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - View underneath the Hwy 88 Overpass, facing north towards Barrie (July 24, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

When Hwy 400 was widened to six lanes between Toronto and Barrie in 1971-1972, the width of the weaving lane at all of the cloverleaf interchanges on Hwy 400 had to be reduced in order to fit the lane through the overpass alongside the new six-lane freeway. This proved to be a very economical interim solution, since it spared the exorbitant cost of having to rebuild all of the overpasses on Hwy 400 or reconfigure the cloverleaf interchanges. Many of the old cloverleaf interchanges were later reconfigured to diamond interchanges to improve traffic operations. Until recently, the Hwy 88 Cloverleaf was the only surviving interchange of this design left on Hwy 400.

Left - Facing south along the southbound lanes of Hwy 400 towards the Willow Creek Bridge north of Barrie in 1978. Note the extra space provided across the bridge for a future fourth lane (at right), which was barricaded off until the widened on-ramp to Hwy 400 was completed in the 1990s. Photo taken on July 24, 1978.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing south along the northbound lanes of Hwy 400 at the Hwy 11 split between Barrie and Crown Hill. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 2, 1978.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north along Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) from the Hwy 400 Interchange in Barrie (August 3, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie facing north (August 3, 1978)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

When the Bayfield Street Interchange was first built in the early 1950s, there was a loop ramp on the north side of the Bayfield Street structure which carried traffic bound for Hwy 26 West and Hwy 27 North. During the mid-1970s, this loop ramp was closed off and abandoned. Note the old overhead bridge-mounted sign support structure which used to have a sign attached to it directing northbound traffic onto this loop ramp.

Left - Northern side of the Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie in 1979, shortly before the interchange was reconstructed. In 1981, the Bayfield Street Overpass was widened and the ramps in the northwest interchange quadrant were reconfigured. The off ramp from Hwy 400 South to Bayfield Street was relocated further to the north and a new loop ramp was constructed for traffic on Bayfield Street North wishing to access Hwy 400 South. The completion of this new loop ramp eliminated the need for left turns at the west ramp terminal, allowing the traffic signals shown in this photo at the original west ramp terminal to be removed. Photo taken on August 8, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Steel handrail on the Bayfield Street (Hwy 26 & Hwy 27) Overpass on Hwy 400 in Barrie in 1979. The original 1951 Bayfield Street Overpass was widened in 1981 to improve traffic operations at the interchange. During this bridge widening project, the original steel handrails were removed and replaced with concrete parapet walls. Photo taken on August 8, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Boat Channel Bridge over the Trent-Severn Waterway on the Port Severn Bypass (Hwy 69, later known as Hwy 400). Photo taken on October 5, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 69 (later known as Hwy 400) towards Parry Sound at the Severn River Bridge. Photo taken on October 5, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 69 (later known as Hwy 400) at the Matchedash Bay Bridge at Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 5, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)

Right - Western side of the Matchedash Bay Bridge on Hwy 69 (later known as Hwy 400) at Waubaushene. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 5, 1979.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2022)