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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!
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Page 2: Historical Highway 401 Photographs (1953 to 1959)
 Above - Grading operations on a new section of Hwy 401 near Tilbury (1953) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 401 & Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf in Toronto, facing east (1953) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Aerial view of Hwy 401 at Weston Road in 1953, facing southwest. For three years, this interchange marked the end of the Toronto Bypass. The ill-fated Humber River Bridge (seen in this photo at upper-right) was never actually put into service. Shortly before the portion of Hwy 401 from Weston Road to Hwy 27 was scheduled to open, Hurricane Hazel swept across Southern Ontario. The devastating flood which ensued on October 15-16, 1954 washed away a considerable portion of the Hwy 401 bridge over the Humber River. The structure was so badly damaged by the flood that the Department of Highways (DHO) was forced to dynamite the bridge and replace it with a new structure, delaying the completion of the west section of the Toronto Bypass by nearly a full year. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Aerial View of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 401 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking southeast (October 1, 1953) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2, Box B986, Photo #648-10) Right - Hwy 401 approaching the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east (October 7, 1954) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-15, Box B1103, Photo #414) The two photographs above show Hwy 401 in the vicinity of the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf that was completed in 1951. Even though this interchange was built as a full eight-ramp cloverleaf, the ramps that served the south leg of the interchange were never opened to traffic. By the time Hwy 400 was extended south to Jane Street in 1966, the original 1951 cloverleaf had been replaced with a multi-level semi-directional interchange.  Above - Aerial view of Hwy 27 facing south from the Hwy 401 Interchange (July 9, 1954) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2, Photo #550) This great photograph shows the reconstruction of Hwy 27 as a freeway (today's Hwy 427) as it passes through a rural section of Etobicoke before urban sprawl completely devoured the area. The overpasses over Hwy 27 (from foreground to background) are the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401, still under construction), Richview Sideroad (today's Eglinton Avenue), Rathburn Road, Burnhamthorpe Road, and Bloor Street. Today's Pearson Airport is located just off the photo to the right, and the massive Hwy 401 & Hwy 427 interchange is now located just to the right of the centre of this photo. 
 Left - Aerial photo showing the western end of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) at the Hwy 27 Interchange in 1954. Hwy 401 ended here for several years in the mid-1950s, before it was extended westerly towards Hwy 25 in Milton. The Richview Sideroad (today's Eglinton Avenue) passes across the right corner of this photo. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - Ramp to Hwy 401 Westbound, at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 Interchange in Scarborough (1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Overhead sign for the Hwy 401 Toronto Bypass at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 Interchange in Scarborough (1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation This interesting photo shows some of Ontario's earliest overhead freeway junction signs. Although these overhead guide signs may seem relatively simple when compared to our freeway signs today, these early experiments in overhead guide signs ultimately led to the development of the freeway sign standards that are in use today.  Above - Construction of the Wellington Road Overpass on Hwy 401 near London (1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation The concrete rigid frame bridge shown above served as the main access point to London from Hwy 401 until 2008, when the structure was demolished to permit the construction of additional lanes on Hwy 401 through the London area. 
 Left - Concrete pavement on an unopened section of Hwy 401 between Windsor and Tilbury (1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Wilson Road Underpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa (September 12, 1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Facing east along Hwy 401 from the Leslie Street Interchange in Toronto in 1956. The hill in the background of this photo is where the Don Valley Parkway Interchange was built about 10 years after this photo was taken. Note the extremely low traffic volumes on the Toronto Bypass at that time. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Officials from the Department of Highways at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the final section of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) from Bayview Avenue to Hwy 2A on August 24, 1956. From left to right, they are M.A. Elson (Deputy Minister of Highways), W.J. Fulton (Director of Planning and Design) and W.A. Clarke (DHO Chief Engineer). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Aerial view of Hwy 401 in 1956 facing west from the Lansing Cutoff Interchange (today's Port Union Road) in Scarborough. This photo shows the start of the Toronto Bypass in the background and the old bypassed portion of Hwy 2A leading to Kingston Road. Click here to see a 2004 photo of this area. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Aerial view of Hwy 401 at the Leslie Street Interchange in Toronto, facing north (1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Steel frame for the Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (July 1, 1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Construction of the Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (July 1, 1956) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Looking east along Hwy 401 from the Hwy 48 Cloverleaf in Scarborough (November 19, 1956) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-15, Photo #931) Right - Hwy 401 at Woodbine Avenue (Don Valley Parkway) in Toronto facing east (November 19, 1956) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-15, Photo #924) 
 Left - Looking east along Hwy 401 at the Kennedy Road Cloverleaf in Toronto (1957) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - Eastern end of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 East Interchange (1957) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - View of Hwy 401 at the Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf after a winter snowstorm in 1960 Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - 8 a.m. traffic on Hwy 401 at Keele Street, looking west (March 21, 1958) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2-27, Box B983, Photo #296) As this photo suggests, traffic congestion on Hwy 401 in Toronto is not just a recent problem. Gigantic traffic jams such as this one become a daily occurrence on Hwy 401 by the late 1950s. This little four-lane highway built way out on the outskirts of Toronto was quickly overwhelmed by Toronto's phenomenal Post-War economic boom and the corresponding surge in the city's population. Rather than serving as a "Toronto Bypass" as the Department of Highways had originally envisioned, Hwy 401 quickly became another traffic-clogged city artery. While minor capital projects were carried out to improve traffic flow on Hwy 401 across Toronto over the years, it was not until Hwy 401 was completely rebuilt as a 12-lane highway in the 1960s that there was any substantial relief from the daily traffic congestion problems on this vital highway corridor. Note the Department of Highways' Downsview Headquarters, visible beside the highway at right.  Above - Kingston Bypass (Hwy 401) facing east towards the Montreal Street Overpass (1958) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Aerial view of Hwy 401 (Tunnel Route) looking east from Howard Avenue in Windsor (1958) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Official opening of Hwy 401 from Hwy 98 to Hwy 3 and Hwy 3B in Windsor on June 9, 1958. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by (from left to right) William Griesinger (M.P.P. for Windsor-Sandwich), H.J. Lassaline (General Manager of Windsor Chamber of Commerce & Secretary of Essex County Tourist Association), G.U. Howell (Chatham DHO District Engineer), W.J. Fulton (Deputy Minister of Highways), Fred M. Cass (Minister of Highways), and William Murdoch (M.P.P. for Essex South). Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation It is important to take note of the changing attitudes towards highways since this photo was taken. The job titles of the participants at this ribbon-cutting ceremony reflect the fact that new highways were once openly recognized and welcomed as both an economic investment and a boon for tourism. Highways create construction and maintenance jobs, stimulate economic development and generally increase surrounding land values, in addition to the obvious benefit of relieving traffic congestion on other parallel routes. At some point in the last 50 years that message seems to have been lost. It is actually quite disheartening to consider that the long awaited (and badly needed) extension of Hwy 410 to Caledon quietly opened to traffic in November 2009, without even so much as a press release from the provincial government, let alone a ribbon-cutting ceremony. As a society, have we forgotten about the indispensable benefits that highways can bring us? 
 Left - Aerial view of Hwy 401 facing west from the Provincial Road (Hwy 98) Interchange in Windsor (1958) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Junction of Hwy 2 & Hwy 401 (Thousand Islands Parkway) near Brockville, facing west towards Gananoque (August 8, 1958) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-15, Photo #999)   Above - Hwy 401 and Hwy 11 (Yonge Street) Cloverleaf in Toronto, facing north towards Richmond Hill (1958)Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation When the Yonge Street Interchange was first completed on Hwy 401 in 1953, it was a full eight-ramp cloverleaf. This interchange was completely reconfigured when this section of Hwy 401 was widened in 1966-1967. The full cloverleaf interchange seen here was replaced by a partial cloverleaf interchange with a directional ramp to serve the heavy eastbound Hwy 401 to northbound Hwy 11 movement. Note the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus loop situated within the cloverleaf interchange.  Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 401 and Hwy 11 (Yonge Street) Cloverleaf in Toronto, facing south (1959)Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation This aerial photo of the Yonge Street Interchange at rush hour clearly demonstrates the problem with this interchange design when traffic volumes are heavy and the opposing loop ramps are placed too close together. A red traffic signal on Yonge Street north of Hwy 401 has caused northbound traffic to queue right through the cloverleaf interchange and onto the eastbound loop ramp exiting from the freeway. The queue has also blocked access to the opposing loop ramp from northbound Hwy 11 to westbound Hwy 401. When the interchange was rebuilt in 1966-1967, a two-lane directional ramp was constructed to remove the bottleneck caused by the heavy eastbound Hwy 401 to northbound Hwy 11 movement. 
 Left - Aerial view of a traffic jam on Hwy 401 in Toronto, facing west towards the Hwy 27 Interchange (June 17, 1959) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-26, Box B1106, Photo #ES12-712) Right - Aerial view of a traffic jam on Hwy 401, facing northeast from the Hwy 27 Interchange in Toronto (June 17, 1959) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-26, Box B1106, Photo #ES12-711) The bizarre ramp configuration of the Hwy 27 and Hwy 401 Interchange is clearly visible in this photo. The ramp from eastbound Hwy 401 to northbound Hwy 27 was originally a left-hand exit. This ramp also had a direct merge onto northbound Hwy 27 with no acceleration lane, suggesting that this ramp connection was an afterthought conceived very late in the planning phase after the westbound Hwy 401 structure had been built. Beyond the westbound Hwy 401 structure, a direct taper loop ramp exited from northbound Hwy 27 to westbound Hwy 401. This unorthodox interchange existed up until the early 1970s, when the Hwy 27 Interchange was removed in order to accommodate the new freeway connection to Hwy 427.  Above - Traffic jam on Hwy 401 at Keele Street, facing east towards Dufferin Street (June, 1959) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-151-5-26, Box B1106, Photo #ES12-700) Note that in this photo, an additional eastbound lane was added to Hwy 401 through the Keele Street Interchange. The 1958 photo taken from the Keele Street Overpass above only shows two eastbound lanes on Hwy 401 through the interchange. The extra lane was intended to provide a refuge for slow trucks as they ascended the long uphill grade on eastbound Hwy 401 between Hwy 400 and Dufferin Street.  Above - Hwy 401 at the Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - CP Railway Underpass on Hwy 401 between Weston Road and Hwy 400 in Toronto (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Hwy 401 and Hwy 27 Interchange, facing north along Hwy 27 from the Richview Sideroad Overpass (November 12, 1959) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-2-27, Box B983, Photo #1169C) |
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