Ontario Highway 401 Photographs - Page 2 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Earth cut prior to grass seeding on the new London to Woodstock section of Hwy 401 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Four-lane grading work and concrete drainage culvert on the new Windsor to Tilbury section of Hwy 401 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - New highway bridge over Big Creek on the Windsor to Tilbury section of Hwy 401 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Ditching and drainage work on the new Trenton to Belleville section of Hwy 401 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Advance tree clearing work on the proposed route of Hwy 401 east of London near Hwy 73 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Grading operations on a new section of Hwy 401 east of Putnam Side Road, between London and Ingersoll (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

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 taken on October 1, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - Aerial View of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 401 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking southeast in 1953. This interchange was built as a full eight-ramp cloverleaf in 1951, although the ramps that served the south leg of the interchange were never actually 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. Photo taken on October 1, 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-2, Box B986, Photo #648-10)

Left - Culvert construction on the new London to Woodstock section of Hwy 401 (1953)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Grading operations on a new section of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) between Leslie Street and Woodbine Avenue (1954)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Left - Aerial view of Hwy 27 facing south from the Hwy 401 Interchange in 1954. 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. Photo taken on July 9, 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-2, Photo #550)

Right - Hwy 401 approaching the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east in 1954. The low traffic volumes on this section of Hwy 401 may surprise people who are familiar with the highway today. At the time this photo was taken, Hwy 401 ended a short distance away at Weston Road. It was not until 1955 that Hwy 401 was completed out to Hwy 27. Note the ground-mounted guide sign at right, marking the upcoming Hwy 400 Interchange on eastbound Hwy 401. Photo taken on October 7, 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-15, Box B1103, Photo #414)

Left - Workers assembling reinforcing steel for the London & Port Stanley Railway Overhead on Hwy 401 south of London (1954)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Right - Interchange construction at the western end of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) at Hwy 27, facing north from the Richview Sideroad Overpass in 1954. This interesting photo shows the extension of the Toronto Bypass to Hwy 27 in the background and the reconstruction of existing Hwy 27 as a four-lane controlled-access freeway in the foreground. The completion and opening of the Hwy 401 & Hwy 27 Interchange in 1955 allowed long-distance through traffic to travel between Hwy 400 and the Queen Elizabeth Way without passing through a single set of traffic signals. Photo taken on October 7, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

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 - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Right - Mimico Creek arch culvert on the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) at the Hwy 27 Interchange (1954)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Left - Rock cut and grading on the Kingston Bypass (Hwy 401) east of Division Street (1954)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Right - Moira River Bridge construction on the Trenton to Belleville section of Hwy 401. Photo taken on September 30, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - Moira River Bridge nearing completion on Hwy 401 north of Belleville. Photo taken in August, 1956.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Right - Formwork for the new Canadian National Railway (CNR) Overhead on the Belleville Bypass on Hwy 401 (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Hot mix asphalt paving operations on Hwy 401 near the Hwy 74 Interchange east of London (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Right - Completed asphalt surface on the new London to Woodstock section of Hwy 401 east of the Hwy 73 Interchange (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Ramp to Hwy 401 Westbound, at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 Interchange in Scarborough (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Right - Overhead sign for the Hwy 401 Toronto Bypass at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 Interchange in Scarborough in 1956. 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.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Steel frame for the Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (July 1, 1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Construction of the Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (July 1, 1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Above - Construction of the Wellington Road Overpass on Hwy 401 near London in 1956. 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.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Concrete pavement on an unopened section of Hwy 401 between Windsor and Tilbury (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Right - Wilson Road Underpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa (September 12, 1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

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 - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

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 - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

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. Compare this view of the highway in 1956, with this recent aerial photo showing the area as it appears today.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Right - Aerial view of Hwy 401 at the Leslie Street Interchange in Toronto, facing north (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Liberty Street Interchange and Underpass on Hwy 401 in Bowmanville (September 13, 1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2012)

Right - Construction of the Trent River Bridge and Hwy 33 Overpass on Hwy 401 north of Trenton (1956)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Looking east along Hwy 401 from the Hwy 48 Cloverleaf in Scarborough (November 19, 1956)
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-15, Photo #931)

Right - Hwy 401 at Woodbine Avenue (Don Valley Parkway) in Toronto, facing east. Photo taken on November 19, 1956. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © 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 - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Right - Eastern end of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) at the Hwy 2A & Hwy 401 East Interchange (1957)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - Highways Minister James N. Allan and Woodstock Mayor C.M. Tatham shake hands after using an axe to chop down a "Road Closed to Traffic" sign at the Hwy 2 Cloverleaf at the eastern entrance to the London-Woodstock Bypass section of Hwy 401. Official opening ceremonies were held in both Woodstock and London on Friday, May 31, 1957, to mark the completion of a 38-mile section of Hwy 401 between Hwy 2 and Hwy 4. This section of Hwy 401 took 5 years to construct at a cost (in 1957 Dollars) of $19.7 million, the equivalent of roughly $175 million today. Photo taken on May 31, 1957. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - Harry M. Allen, M.P.P. for Middlesex South, cuts a ribbon at the Wellington Road Cloverleaf in London to officially open Hwy 401 to traffic on May 31, 1957. This was the second official opening ceremony for Hwy 401 held that day to mark the completion of the 38-mile section of the highway between London and Woodstock. In the front row from left to right, the other attendees were: C.E. Janes, M.P.P. for Lambton East; F.S. Thomas, M.P.P. for Elgin; James N. Allan, Minister of Highways; and finally, James A. McBain, M.P. for Elgin. Photo taken on May 31, 1957. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - Plan showing the London-Woodstock section of Hwy 401, as it existed on opening day on May 31, 1957. This 38-mile (61 km) section of Hwy 401 was especially noteworthy, in that it was the longest section of Hwy 401 ever opened to traffic on a single day. As can be seen in this image, Hwy 401 was not constructed in a linear fashion from Toronto. Rather, sections of Hwy 401 were built and opened independently of one another, based largely on the urgency of the traffic needs on parallel King's Highways. The London-Woodstock section of Hwy 2 had been overburdened by through traffic for over a decade, as it was the only direct east-west highway running between Southwestern Ontario and the Toronto and Hamilton areas. Construction of the London-Woodstock section of Hwy 401 was thus considered a priority section. The first construction contracts got underway in 1952, and the highway was completed 5 years later. The London-Woodstock section of Hwy 401 was not united with the Toronto section of Hwy 401 until the early 1960s, when the final gap in the highway between Toronto and London was completed and opened to traffic west of Kitchener on November 9, 1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Left - Aerial view of the Hwy 19 Cloverleaf on Hwy 401 near Ingersoll, facing east towards Woodstock (1957)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

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Right - Aerial view of the Hwy 59 Cloverleaf on Hwy 401 near Woodstock, facing west towards London (1957)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - New DHO patrol yard and maintenance garage at the Hwy 401 & Hwy 74 Interchange near Nilestown. The opening of the London-Woodstock section of Hwy 401 in 1957 created additional demand for highway maintenance in London District. Photo taken in 1957.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - Summer students setting up a traffic counting station on the eastbound lanes of the Toronto Bypass (Hwy 401) between Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street in 1957. Traffic counts were conducted using mechanical counting equipment that ran 24 hours a day for an entire week. Combined with roadside "Origin-Destination" traffic surveys conducted at the various highway interchanges, the DHO was able to determine the travel patterns along the highway. Ultimately, traffic studies such as these were used in the development of the Express-Collector Lane System along Hwy 401 across Toronto in the 1960s. The crew, from left to right, are: Gary Smith, Duane Wills, Neal Johnson and Ralph Prentice. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - 8 a.m. traffic on Hwy 401 at Keele Street, looking west in 1958. 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. Photo taken on March 21, 1958.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-2-27, Box B983, Photo #296)

Left - Aerial view of Hwy 401 (Tunnel Route) looking east from Howard Avenue in Windsor (1958)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

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). 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?
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

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 - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Right - Junction of Hwy 2 & Hwy 401 (Thousand Islands Parkway) near Brockville, facing west towards Gananoque. Photo taken on August 8, 1958. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © 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 in 1958. 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.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 401 and Hwy 11 (Yonge Street) Cloverleaf in Toronto, facing south in 1959. 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.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1959)

Left - Aerial view of a traffic jam on Hwy 401 in Toronto, facing west towards the Hwy 27 Interchange. Photo taken on June 17, 1959. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © 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 in 1959. 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. Photo taken on June 17, 1959. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-26, Box B1106, Photo #ES12-711)

Above - Traffic jam on Hwy 401 at Keele Street, facing east towards Dufferin Street in 1959. 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. Photo taken in June, 1959. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-26, Box B1106, Photo #ES12-700)

Above - Hwy 401 and Hwy 27 Interchange, facing north along Hwy 27 from the Richview Sideroad Overpass in 1959. This photo provides an interesting view of the Hwy 27 Freeway as it approaches the Hwy 401 Interchange in Toronto. Due to the complex exit ramp configuration at this interchange, a large overhead sign structure was placed above the highway to guide traffic. At the time this sign structure was installed in 1958, it was the largest of its kind in the province. Photo taken on November 12, 1959. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-2-27, Box B983, Photo #1169C)