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This page contains historical photos of Ontario's King's Highway 401 dating from 1985 to 1989. 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!

Page 8: Historical King's Highway 401 Photographs (1985 to 1989)


HWY 401 #802             HWY 401 #792

Left - Facing south across the Winston Churchill Boulevard Overpass on Hwy 401 in Mississauga in June, 1985. The structure shown here was demolished and replaced with a new structure in 1987.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - New Airport Basketweave structure on Eastbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga, shortly before being opened to traffic in 1985. The Airport Basketweave was one of the most important features of the Hwy 401 Express-Collector Lane expansion through Mississauga. Today, thousands of eastbound Hwy 401 motorists use the tunnel daily to access Hwy 427 and Toronto's Pearson Airport. Photo taken on June 13, 1985. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #793             HWY 401 #794

Left - Facing east across the new Airport Basketweave structure on Eastbound Hwy 401 in 1985. Note that the structure was designed to accommodate three lanes of traffic during the various construction stages. Once construction was completed, the overpass was restriped to allow two lanes of traffic only. Photo taken on June 13, 1985.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing west across the new Airport Basketweave structure on Eastbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga (June 13, 1985)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #984             HWY 401 #812

Left - Yorkdale Road exit ramp from Eastbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (September, 1985)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Hwy 410 Overpass on Westbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga, facing east (October 9, 1985)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #790             HWY 401 #791

Left - Facing west along the Westbound Hwy 401 Express Lanes at Etobicoke Creek in Mississauga in 1985. Compare the 1985 photo to the 1981 photo shown on the previous page, taken from the eastbound lanes before the highway was widened. Photo taken on October 17, 1985.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Newly-completed Westbound Hwy 401 Collector Lanes, facing west from Etobicoke Creek (October 17, 1985)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #710             HWY 401 #711

Left - Facing west along Hwy 401 at the Basketweave in Toronto (May, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Northern side of the Basketweave Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (May, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #685             HWY 401 #689

Left - Facing west along the westbound lanes of Hwy 401 at the Rouge River Bridge in Toronto (July 15, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Eastern side of the new Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (July 15, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #712             HWY 401 #817

Left - Western side of the new Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (July 15, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing east along Eastbound Hwy 401 from the Hwy 410 Interchange in Mississauga (October 21, 1986)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #818             HWY 401 #819

Left - Reversed speed limit sign on Hwy 401 at Hwy 410. It was common practice up until the 1980s to remove or reverse regulatory speed limit signs in construction zones where advisory speed signs were in use, so that the regulatory speed limit was not visible to traffic. However, in many cases, the regulatory signs were not restored after construction ended, as was the case here. Also note the absence of the Hwy 401 Express Lanes at left, which were not built until the early 1990s. Photo taken on October 21, 1986.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Reversed speed limit sign on Hwy 401 at the Hwy 410 Interchange in Mississauga in 1986. In the background of this photo, the approaches to the old 1950s Kennedy Road Overpass have been removed, in preparation for the structure's demolition. The removal of the Kennedy Road Overpass was required in order to construct the Hwy 401 & Hwy 410 Interchange. Photo taken on October 21, 1986.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #820             HWY 401 #813

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 from the Hwy 410 Interchange in 1986. The sub-collector lanes at right were used to separate traffic exiting from Eastbound Hwy 401 to Dixie Road and traffic entering Eastbound Hwy 401 from Hwy 410 from the through lanes of Eastbound Hwy 401 at left. Photo taken on October 21, 1986.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing west across the Hwy 410 Underpass on Westbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga in 1987. Note that the construction of the flyovers at Hwy 410 had not yet commenced, Compare this photo to the 1989 photo below, showing the Hwy 410 flyovers under construction. Photo taken on July 17, 1987.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #795             HWY 401 #789

Left - Airport Basketweave on Eastbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga in 1987. Note that the roadway across the structure has been re-striped with only two through lanes. The 1985 photos above show the structure with three lanes, which were required temporarily during construction due to the project staging. Photo taken on July 21, 1987.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing east along the Eastbound Hwy 401 Collector Lanes at Etobicoke Creek in Mississauga (July 28, 1987)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #704             HWY 401 #810

Left - Eastern side of the Morningside Avenue Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1987. This handsome 1950s-era structure was demolished in the 1990s to make way for the expanded Hwy 401 Express-Collector Lane system through Scarborough and Pickering. Photo taken on August 25, 1987.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 10 at the Hwy 401 Interchange in Mississauga (June 23, 1988)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #821             HWY 401 #687

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 from the Hwy 410 Interchange in Mississauga (July 6, 1988)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Southern side of the Rouge River Bridge on Hwy 401 in Toronto (September 29, 1988)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #688             HWY 401 #686

Left - Facing east along Eastbound Hwy 401 from the Rouge River Bridge in Toronto (September 29, 1988)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing east along Westbound Hwy 401 towards the Rougemount Drive Overpass in Pickering (September 29, 1988)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #783             HWY 401 #981

Left - Overhead guide signs for Hwy 401 at the northern end of the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto in 1988. Note the use of the phrase "Express Lanes" on the middle sign. When bilingual signs were introduced on Hwy 401 in Toronto in the early 1990s, these signs were changed so that only the word "Express" was indicated. Photo taken in September, 1988.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Oakville Creek Bridge on Hwy 401 west of Milton. This bridge was extended into the median in 1993-1994 when Hwy 401 was widened to six lanes west of Milton. Photo taken on May 24, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 400 #585

Above - View of the Black Creek Bridge on the ramp from southbound Jane Street to northbound Hwy 400 in Toronto in 1988. In the background, an older angled advance exit sign for Hwy 401 can be seen over the northbound lanes of Hwy 400. These angled signs were designed to "point" towards the direction of the upcoming exit ramp or transfer. On complex freeways such as Hwy 401, these signs were very helpful in differentiating left-hand exit ramps and transfer points from those appearing on the right-hand side. At the time Hwy 401 was being widened across Toronto in the 1960s, it was felt that motorists would require extra guidance to navigate this type of highway, as the complex Express-Collector configuration of Hwy 401 was a novel concept in highway design in Ontario. There was even some consideration during the early 1960s of installing internally-illuminated overhead signs along urban sections of Hwy 401. However, by the 1990s, motorists had generally become accustomed to the layout of Hwy 401 across Toronto and so these angled signs were phased out as part of a modernization of freeway signing practices. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 26, 1988.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2024)





HWY 401 #982             HWY 401 #536

Left - Facing west along Hwy 401 towards Guelph Line at the Oakville Creek Bridge in 1989. By the late 1980s, traffic volumes on Hwy 401 between Milton and Cambridge had grown to the point where the original four lane highway was no longer able to accommodate the booming economic and travel demands of the province. In 1993, the first in a series of construction contracts was awarded to widen Hwy 401 from Milton to Cambridge to six lanes. The widening work was more or less completed by the end of 1996. Photo taken on May 24, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Construction of the new Hwy 410 Flyover on Hwy 401 in Mississauga in 1989. This massive construction project took place between 1988 and 1990 and resulted in the completion of new ramps between Hwy 401 West and Hwy 410. In addition, the original 1970s loop ramp from Southbound Hwy 410 to Eastbound Hwy 401 was replaced with a directional flyover. The falsework required to construct these cast-in-place concrete flyovers at Hwy 401 and Hwy 410 was quite astonishing! Photo taken on July 4, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #803             HWY 401 #804

Left - New Winston Churchill Boulevard Overpass on Hwy 401 in Mississauga in 1989. The new interchange at Winston Churchill Boulevard was completed and opened to traffic on December 10, 1987. Photo taken on July 28, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing south across the Winston Churchill Boulevard Overpass on Hwy 401 in Mississauga (July 28, 1989)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #805             HWY 401 #806

Left - Approaching the James Snow Parkway Interchange on Hwy 401 in Milton (July 28, 1989)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Facing north across the James Snow Parkway Overpass on Hwy 401 in Milton in 1989. The deck of the James Snow Parkway Overpass was badly damaged as a result of a collision that took place on Hwy 401 below the structure in March, 1986. The entire superstructure of the bridge was subsequently replaced. Photo taken on July 28, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #796             HWY 401 #714

Left - Facing east towards Toronto from the Airport Basketweave Structure on Eastbound Hwy 401 in Mississauga (August 9, 1989)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)

Right - Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering in 1989. Note that the Collector Lanes have not yet been built. They were constructed as part of a highway widening project in 1996. Photo taken on August 10, 1989.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





HWY 401 #713

Above - Eastern side of the Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (August 10, 1989)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  -  © King's Printer for Ontario, 2011)





Continue on to King's Highway 401 Photos: Historical Photos (1990-1994)


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