Ontario Highway 401 Photographs - Page 3 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - View of the Hwy 401 & Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf in Toronto after a winter snowstorm in 1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

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Right - Traffic on the newly-opened Port Hope Bypass section of Hwy 401 west of the Hwy 28 Interchange in 1960. An interesting feature of the Port Hope Bypass is that the eastbound and westbound lanes of the highway were built at different elevations near the Ganaraska River Bridge. The eastbound lanes at this point are about 20 feet higher in elevation than the westbound lanes. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

Above - Plan from 1960 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between Newcastle and Port Hope. The 18-mile extension of Hwy 401 from the Hwy 35 & Hwy 115 Interchange easterly to the Hwy 28 Interchange was officially opened to traffic on June 30, 1960. The cost of the Hwy 401 extension from Newcastle to Port Hope was about $8.9 million (in 1960 Dollars) including property acquisition, the equivalent of about $87 million in 2022 Dollars. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

Above - Plan from 1960 which illustrates the completion of all four lanes of the Brockville Bypass section of Hwy 401. This section of Hwy 401 between the Hwy 2 Interchange west of Brockville and the Edward Street Interchange in Prescott was initially opened to traffic as a two-lane highway on November 13, 1959. All traffic used the south (eastbound) carriageway until the north (westbound) carriageway was completed about 10 months later. The north carriageway between Brockville and Prescott was officially opened to traffic on September 16, 1960, after which time the existing south carriageway was converted to carry eastbound Hwy 401 traffic only. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

Above - Flush median on the Humber River Bridge in Toronto. This bridge near Weston Road was originally designed to carry two lanes per direction on Hwy 401. During the 1960s, the construction of the Express-Collector Lane System on Hwy 401 through Toronto necessitated the widening of the Humber River Bridge from 4 through lanes to 12 through lanes. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Above - Plan from 1960 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between the Hwy 25 Cloverleaf in Milton and the Hwy 8 Cloverleaf in Preston. This 26-mile extension of Hwy 401 was officially opened to traffic on November 17, 1960. On opening day, the only intermediate interchanges along this section of Hwy 401 were located at Campbellville (Guelph Line), Hwy 6 (to Guelph & Hamilton) and Hwy 24 (to Galt & Hespeler). Since 1960, interchanges have also been built along Hwy 401 at the Hanlon Parkway (Hwy 6 New, to Guelph), as well as Franklin Boulevard, Townline Road, and the Hwy 8 Bypass in the Cambridge area. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 401 approaching the Nassagaweya First Line Overpass located between the Guelph Line Interchange at Campbellville and the Wellington-Halton County Boundary east of the Hwy 6 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

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Right - View of the Nassagaweya First Line Overpass on Hwy 401 west of Campbellville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

Left - Approaching the Guelph Junction Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Overhead on Hwy 401, east of the Hwy 6 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Northern side of the Guelph Junction CPR Overhead on Hwy 401 between Campbellville and the Hwy 6 Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 towards Milton approaching the Guelph Line Interchange at Campbellville. The Guelph Line Overpass was constructed under Contract #1959-32. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

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Right - View of the Guelph Line Overpass on Hwy 401 at Campbellville, facing north towards Rockwood. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 401 towards the Guelph Line Interchange at the Campbellville Road Underpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

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Right - Campbellville Road (today's Campbell Avenue) Underpass on Hwy 401 west of Milton, Contract #1958-635. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 towards Milton at the Halton County Road 8 (Appleby Line) Underpass. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

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Right - Halton County Road 8 Underpass at Appleby Line on Hwy 401 west of Milton. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023)

Left - View of Hwy 401 approaching Tremaine Road in 1961, facing east towards Milton. This interesting photo shows the newly-completed (and virtually empty) highway between Milton and Kitchener, which had only been open to traffic for about 5 months at the time this photo was taken. The section of Hwy 401 from the Hwy 25 Interchange in Milton to the Hwy 8 Interchange between Preston and Kitchener was completed and officially opened to traffic on November 17, 1960. Since Hwy 401 came to an end at Hwy 8, it really didn't attract much through traffic until the Woodstock-Preston section of Hwy 401 was completed in late 1961. During its first year of operation, the section of Hwy 401 west of Milton only carried about 7,500 vehicles per day. By comparison, this same section of Hwy 401 carried 113,000 vehicles per day in 2016. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Facing north across the Tremaine Road Overpass on Hwy 401 west of Milton. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 28, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Left - Facing north across the Hope-Clark Township Boundary Road (East Townline Road) Overpass west of Port Hope in 1961. This structure was originally built in 1958. Although the vertical clearance below this structure exceeded 4.5 metres, the bridge had the misfortune of being struck by overheight vehicles several times during its existence. The bridge suffered a fatal blow on October 7, 2013, when a westbound flatbed cargo truck carrying an overheight load collided with the side of the bridge. The bridge was severely damaged as a result of the collision, and was immediately closed to northbound and southbound traffic. Despite the collision, the structure was already scheduled for replacement. The East Townline Road Overpass was demolished on March 22, 2014. A new structure was completed here in 2015. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 2, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 401 towards Newcastle near the Clarke-Hope Township Boundary Road (East Townline Road) Overpass in 1961. This photo shows a newly-completed section of Hwy 401 between Newcastle and Port Hope, which had opened to traffic less than a year before this photo was taken. Ever since the late 1930s, highway engineers had envisioned building a superhighway from Toronto to the Quebec Boundary. As various sections of Hwy 401 were completed through Eastern Ontario in the early 1960s, that dream quickly moved towards becoming a reality. The dream was realized (at least partially) when the 9-mile section of Hwy 401 was completed and opened to traffic between Lancaster and the Quebec Boundary on November 10, 1964. Although Hwy 401 had been extended to the Quebec Boundary, the highway was by no means complete. Many sections of the highway were still only two lanes with at-grade intersections and railway crossings. In fact, the permanent controlled-access route of Hwy 401 between Gananoque and Brockville was still on engineers' drawing boards in 1964. It wasn't until 1968 that the final four-lane section of Hwy 401 was completed and opened to traffic west of Brockville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 2, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Left - Approaching the Simcoe Street Interchange on Hwy 401 in Oshawa, facing east. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Concrete arch bridge on Hwy 401 over Oshawa Creek, near the Simcoe Street Interchange in Oshawa. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Left - Hwy 401 at the Woodbine Avenue Interchange (now Don Valley Parkway & Hwy 404) in 1961, facing northwest. This great aerial photo shows the layout of the Hwy 401 & Woodbine Avenue Interchange prior to the construction of the northernmost part of the Don Valley Parkway in the late 1960s. In 1966-1967, this small four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange was replaced with the complex interchange that we are familiar with today. During the 1970s, the remainder of Woodbine Avenue from Sheppard Avenue northerly to Steeles Avenue was reconstructed as Hwy 404. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo © of Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-16, Box B1104, Neg. #1344)

Right - Hwy 401 at the McCowan Road Overpass in Scarborough in 1961, facing northwest. Anyone familiar with suburban Scarborough today will undoubtedly be shocked by this rather rural aerial photo from 1961. The photo shows the McCowan Road Overpass at Hwy 401, prior to the construction of the Express-Collector Lane System in the early 1970s. Until 1971, there was no interchange at McCowan Road. Traffic had to use either the Kennedy Road or Hwy 48 (Markham Road) Interchanges to access Hwy 401 from McCowan Road. Note the television station on the northwest corner of the overpass, which is still there today. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-5-17, Box B1104, Neg. #1338)

Left - Facing north across the Harwood Avenue Overpass on Hwy 401 in Ajax in 1961, shortly before being converted to a one-way street. During 1961, the Harwood Avenue structure was twinned in order to provide a new roadway for northbound traffic. The original 1941 structure was converted so that it carried southbound Harwood Avenue traffic only. Note the unusual flat-metal guide rail installation approaching the bridge, which likely dates from the interchange's original construction in the early 1940s and the concrete barrier at left which separates the roadway from the bridge's western sidewalk. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 15, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2012)

Right - Hwy 401 at the Harwood Avenue Interchange between Toronto and Oshawa in 1961. At the time this photo was taken, the twin Harwood Avenue span was still under construction on the eastern side of the existing 1941 structure depicted here. Apart from the addition of an extra lane in each direction on Hwy 401 in the mid-1970s, the Harwood Avenue Interchange remained more or less unmodified until 2003, when the interchange was permanently closed and the old dual overpasses were replaced. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 15, 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2012)

Left - Approaching the Newcastle Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Overhead on Hwy 401, east of the Mill Street Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Northern side of the Newcastle CPR Overhead on Hwy 401. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Left - A southbound train passes below Hwy 401 at the Newcastle CPR Overhead. A handful of at-grade railway crossings existed on Hwy 401 between Toronto and Bowmanville for many years after the highway was first opened to traffic in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most of these at-grade crossings were low-volume railway spurs which didn't carry much rail traffic. However, as the highway became busier, these at-grade railway crossings triggered significant traffic queuing anytime a train passed through. The last at-grade railway crossing on Hwy 401 was finally removed in 1982, when a new railway subway was built west of Liberty Street in Bowmanville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 401 towards Bloor Street from Wilson Road in Oshawa. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in July 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Above - Plan from 1961 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between the Hwy 28 Interchange in Port Hope and the Hwy 30 Interchange near Brighton. This 28-mile extension of Hwy 401 provided a link between the previously-completed Belleville-Trenton section of Hwy 401 and the Toronto-Port Hope section of Hwy 401. The Port Hope-Brighton section of Hwy 401 was officially opened to traffic on July 20, 1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 401 from the Liberty Street Interchange in Bowmanville. Note the at-grade railway crossing in the background and the early MUTCD circular railway crossing warning signs on both sides of the westbound lanes of the highway. Until 1982, a CN Railway spur crossed Hwy 401 just west of the Liberty Street Interchange. When Hwy 401 was widened from four to six lanes in the early 1980s, this at-grade railway crossing was removed and the spur line was relocated onto a new grade-separated crossing closer to Waverly Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in July 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Right - Soper Creek Bridge on Hwy 401, facing west towards the Liberty Street Interchange in Bowmanville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in July 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Left - Facing north across the Mill Street Overpass on Hwy 401 towards Newcastle. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in July 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Right - Approaching the Mill Street Interchange on Hwy 401, facing west towards Oshawa. This photo shows the recently-completed section of Hwy 401 between Newcastle and Port Hope, which opened to traffic about a year earlier, on June 30, 1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in July 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Above - Plan from 1961 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between the Hwy 16 Cloverleaf near Johnstown and Brinston Road near Iroquois. This 10-mile extension of Hwy 401 was officially opened to traffic on September 29, 1961. It complemented earlier sections of Hwy 401 completed between the Iroquois area and Morrisburg area along with the Prescott Bypass, which were completed in 1957 and 1952, respectively. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 8 Cloverleaf and Grand River Bridge on Hwy 401 between Kitchener and Preston in 1961, facing east. This photo shows the temporary western end of the completed Toronto-Preston section of Hwy 401 at the Hwy 8 Cloverleaf. Careful observers will note that the westbound lanes of Hwy 401 are barricaded off at the cloverleaf, with all traffic forced off of the freeway and on to Hwy 8. The westerly extension of Hwy 401 from Preston to Woodstock was opened to traffic about a month after this photo was taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1961.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-21-10 Neg. #2466)

Above - Photo of a scale model of a conceptual pair of Hwy 401 Service Centres from 1961. The decision to construct new Service Centres along Hwy 401 was announced by Highways Minister W.A. Goodfellow on November 23, 1961. By the end of 1970, 19 Service Centres had been completed along the highway between Windsor and the Ontario-Quebec Boundary. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Above - Plan from 1961 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between the Hwy 8 Cloverleaf in Preston and the Hwy 2 Cloverleaf between Woodstock and Eastwood. This nearly 24-mile extension of Hwy 401 was officially opened to traffic on November 9, 1961. The completion of this gap in Hwy 401 linked the London-Woodstock section of Hwy 401 with the Preston-Toronto section of Hwy 401. As noted on the plan, the completion of the Eastwood-Preston section opened up a continuous 240-mile stretch of Hwy 401. Thus, it became possible for the first time for motorists to travel between the London area and the Belleville area on an all-freeway route, via Toronto. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Above - Plan from 1961 which illustrates the new 4 1/2-mile Tilbury Bypass section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic. The Tilbury Bypass allowed through traffic on Hwy 401 to directly access Hwy 2 to Chatham at the eastern entrance to Tilbury, rather than drive along Hwy 2 through the town's centre. The Tilbury Bypass was officially opened to traffic on November 20, 1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Left - Plan from 1961 which illustrates the new 7-mile section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between Kingston and Odessa. Like many sections of the highway in Eastern Ontario, Hwy 401 between Kingston and Odessa was built initially as a two-lane undivided highway, with the south (eastbound) carriageway being used temporarily by both eastbound and westbound traffic. The highway was expanded from two to four lanes at a later date. This two-lane section of Hwy 401 officially opened to traffic on December 5, 1961, and was the last new section of Hwy 401 opened to traffic during the busy 1961 construction season. About 75 miles of the new highway were completed and opened to traffic during 1961. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Right - Concrete paving operations on a new section of Hwy 401 southwest of London in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Left - Construction of the new Wymans Road Overpass on Hwy 401 between Belleville and Marysville in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Right - Grading underway for the new Waverly Road Overpass on Hwy 401 near Bowmanville in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Left - View of Hwy 401 at the Seventh Line (Trafalgar Road) Interchange between Milton and Toronto. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on March 28, 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Right - Facing north across the Seventh Line (Trafalgar Road) Overpass on Hwy 401 east of Milton. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on March 28, 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2017)

Left - East Don River Bridge on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1962. This interesting photo shows the highway crossing the original 1956 East Don River Bridge, prior to the construction of the collector lane system along Hwy 401 across Toronto in the 1960s. Note how rural the area was between Leslie Street and Don Mills Road at that time! See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in March 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Agincourt Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Overhead on Hwy 401 near Kennedy Road in Scarborough. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in March 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Above - Facing west along Hwy 401 towards Toronto at the Liverpool Road Overpass in Pickering Township in 1962. This great photo shows the original 1947 Liverpool Road Overpass and four-lane cross section of Hwy 401 through Ontario County (now part of the Regional Municipality of Durham), as it existed before the highway's expansion to six lanes in the mid-1970s. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on May 11, 1962.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-5-166, Photo #8)

Above - Humber River Bridge on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1962. This photo shows the new Humber River Bridge that was built in 1955 to replace the bridge that was destroyed during Hurricane Hazel in October, 1954. The original Hwy 401 bridge at this site was completed in 1954, but was lost during Hurricane Hazel shortly before the bridge was scheduled to open to traffic. The unprecedented rainfall from the storm caused the normally peaceful Humber River to swell into a violent torrent of water. The rushing water scoured the riverbed, eventually undermining the bridge piers. The damage to the Humber River Bridge was so severe that Department of Highways engineers had little choice but to condemn the unopened bridge. The damaged bridge was demolished in November, 1954 to make way for the replacement bridge seen here. Photo taken in May 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Left - North side of the Humber River Bridge on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1962. The overpass across the highway in the background marks the Weston Road Interchange. When the Toronto Bypass was first built in the early 1950s, the Weston Road Interchange was only a four-ramp partial cloverleaf, with all of the ramps situated on the eastern side of Weston Road. This "A-B Parclo" configuration proved to be an economical design solution for the Weston Road Interchange, since it avoided the cost of building ramp bridges across the adjacent Humber River. During the reconstruction and widening of Hwy 401 during the 1960s, the original 1952 Weston Road Overpass seen here was demolished and the entire interchange was reconfigured into a "Parclo A-4" ramp configuration. Two of the new ramps on the western side of the interchange spanned the Humber River on separate structures, something which the original designers of the Toronto Bypass had obviously tried to avoid, given the initial interchange configuration. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in May 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Bayview Avenue Interchange on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1962. This photo shows the original Bayview Avenue Cloverleaf and Overpass, which were both constructed in 1953. The original cloverleaf interchange at Bayview Avenue was completely replaced in 1968 during the widening of Hwy 401. Compare this 1962 photo of the Bayview Avenue Underpass to this 1968 Photo. Photo taken in May 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Above - Plan from 1962 which illustrates a new section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between Cornwall and Lancaster. This 13-mile section of Hwy 401 was officially opened to traffic as a two-lane highway from the intersection of Tollgate Road and McConnell Avenue in Cornwall to the Hwy 2 & Hwy 34 Interchange in Lancaster on September 11, 1962. In conjunction with Tollgate Road across the northern edge of Cornwall, this new section of Hwy 401 allowed through traffic on Hwy 2 to completely bypass Cornwall's city centre. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1962.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Left - Hwy 401 at Holt Road in Bowmanville, facing east towards Newcastle. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on March 20, 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Right - Facing south across the Holt Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Bowmanville in 1963. The present-day location of the entrance to Ontario Power Generation's Darlington Nuclear Generating Station lies at the point where Holt Road ends in the background of this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on March 20, 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014)

Above - Aerial view of the construction progress at the Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf on Hwy 401 in Toronto, Contract #1962-252. This photo was taken in the Summer of 1963 and shows the nearly-completed replacement Avenue Road Overpass crossing the new 12-lane widened section of Hwy 401. The new structure sits beside the original 1952 structure crossing the old four-lane Toronto Bypass. The old Avenue Road structure was taken out of service and demolished a few months after this photo was taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

Left - A 1963 staff photo of the first Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) Emergency Road Patrol for Hwy 401 across Metropolitan Toronto. This emergency response unit was stationed at DHO Headquarters at Downsview and commenced complimentary emergency services along an 18-mile section of Hwy 401 on June 6, 1963. The unit responded to various freeway traffic incidents, including collisions, vehicle breakdowns, flat tires, First Aid and even minor vehicle repairs. In fact, if a motorist ran out of fuel along Hwy 401 across Toronto in the 1960s, the DHO would even supply up to a gallon of complimentary gasoline in order to ensure that the disabled vehicle could be safely driven off of the freeway for refuelling! The DHO Emergency Road Patrol was an intriguing early example of freeway traffic and incident management by the Department, in recognition of growing traffic volumes along Hwy 401 and the immediate effects these incidents often had on traffic flow. The Emergency Road Patrol was very well-utilized - the unit responded to over 23,000 incidents by the end of the 1963/64 Fiscal Year. The Emergency Road Patrol originally operated along Hwy 401 between Hwy 27 and Kennedy Road only, but services were gradually expanded to other Toronto-area freeways as the years went by. Sadly, the Emergency Road Patrol was discontinued in the 1990s as a cost-cutting measure. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

Right - Henry Street Overpass on Hwy 401 in Whitby in 1963. Note the early freeway exit sign for Brock Street South in the foreground. At the time this photo was taken, freeway exits in Ontario were usually marked using small plywood guide signs such as this one. While larger extruded aluminum signs began to appear for some major interchanges along Hwy 401 by the end of the 1950s, it really wasn't until the early 1970s that large metal signs were regularly used at freeway exits. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in August 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Left - Plan from 1963 which illustrates the new 8 1/2-mile section of Hwy 401 being opened to traffic between Napanee and Marysville. This section of Hwy 401 was built initially as a two-lane undivided highway, with the south (eastbound) carriageway being used temporarily by both eastbound and westbound traffic. The highway was expanded from two to four lanes at a later date. This two-lane section of Hwy 401 officially opened to traffic on November 1, 1963. This new highway section linked the Toronto-Belleville section of Hwy 401 to the previously-completed Napanee to Gananoque section of Hwy 401. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

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Right - Concrete paving operations along Hwy 401 between Napanee and Marysville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

Left - Expansion of the Wilson Avenue Underpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto for the new Express-Collector Lane System, Contract #1963-99. The original four-lane Toronto Bypass structure over Wilson Avenue can be seen in the background. This structure was completed in 1950. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

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Right - Hwy 2 Overpass and Sutherland Creek Bridges nearing completion on Hwy 401 near the Ontario-Quebec Boundary, Contract #1962-82. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

Left - Concrete paving operations along Hwy 401 between Napanee and Marysville, Contract #1962-123. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963)

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Right - Scane Road Overpass under construction on Hwy 401, about 2 miles west of the Hwy 21 Interchange, Contract #1964-106. This was one of many structures built across Hwy 401 in Southwestern Ontario to eliminate at-grade intersections at minor crossing roads. Due to other construction priorities, many sections of Hwy 401 were left with at-grade intersections until the mid-to-late 1960s. Scane Road can be seen intersecting a two-lane section of Hwy 401 on the far side of this structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)

Above - Aerial view of the Spadina Expressway (today's Allen Road) Interchange under construction on Hwy 401 between Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street in Toronto during the Winter of 1963-64. This aerial photo was taken from Dufferin Street facing east. Note the temporary diversion of Hwy 401 around the construction site at right. Such diversions were common during the reconstruction of Hwy 401 across Toronto during the 1960s, in order to keep all four existing lanes of the freeway open during construction. As a point of reference, the present-day location of Yorkdale Mall is situated at the bottom right corner of this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)

Above - Plan from 1964 showing the proposed expansion of Hwy 401 at the Spadina Expressway Interchange in Toronto. Although the Spadina Expressway was a Metropolitan Toronto infrastructure project, the DHO still constructed many of the bridges at the expressway's interchange with Hwy 401. This plan identifies the 13 structures built by the Department, while the remainder were built by the municipality. A 3/4-mile temporary diversion for Hwy 401 was constructed around the interchange site. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Plan dated 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)

Left - Concrete paving operations along the south (eastbound) lanes of Hwy 401 west of the Hwy 4 Cloverleaf southwest of London, Contract #1963-92. Between the Hwy 4 Cloverleaf and Tilbury, Hwy 401 was constructed as a two-lane highway initially. This single carriageway carried both eastbound and westbound Hwy 401 traffic for about two years, before the north (westbound) carriageway was completed. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)

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Right - Grading for the new Jane Street Underpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto, east of the Hwy 400 Interchange, Contract #1963-216. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)

Above - Aerial view of the completed 12-lane widening of Hwy 401 at the Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Interchange in Toronto in 1964, facing east towards the Hogg's Hollow Bridge. As the population of Toronto exploded upwards following World War II, traffic volumes on the newly-built Toronto Bypass also grew dramatically. Toronto's population at the end of World War II was only about 650,000. In the 1940s, the highway's original planners had anticipated that four lanes would be adequate to accommodate traffic along the Toronto Bypass for the foreseeable future. However, within three years of being opened to traffic in 1952, this section of Hwy 401 was already carrying over 30,000 vehicles per day - roughly three times the traffic volumes that the highway's planners had forecast in the 1940s. Traffic volumes had more than doubled again from 1955 levels to reach 64,000 vehicles per day by 1960. In response to these rapidly-growing traffic volumes along the Toronto Bypass, the DHO awarded the first contract for the expansion of Hwy 401 across Metropolitan Toronto on October 17, 1962. The first contract for the widening of a 1 mile section of the Toronto Bypass included a full replacement of the original Avenue Road Cloverleaf seen in this 1959 Aerial Photo and construction of a new Express-Collector Lane System under Contract #1962-252. Ontario road map collectors have likely seen this photo before, as it was prominently featured on the front cover of the 1965 Edition of the Official Ontario Road Map. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in October 1964.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964)