Ontario Highway 401 Photographs - Page 9 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Facing west along the westbound lanes of Hwy 401 towards the Rouge River Bridge in Toronto (August 15, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing west along the eastbound lanes of Hwy 401 at the Rouge River Bridge in Toronto (August 15, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

The two photos above show Hwy 401 at the Rouge River Valley in Toronto before the Collector Lanes were constructed in the 1990s. The roadway seen in these two photos now forms the Express Lanes of Hwy 401. The new Collector Lanes were constructed to the north and to the south of the existing Rouge River Bridge under a construction contract that was awarded in 1993.

Left - Southern side of the Rouge River Bridge in Toronto in 1990. The existing 1971 structure shown here was expanded in 1993-1994 to accommodate the new Hwy 401 Collector Lanes. The existing Rouge River Bridge was also rehabilitated at that time. The steel beam guide rail median barrier was replaced with a concrete median barrier. Photo taken on August 15, 1990.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Eastern side of the Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering, facing south (August 15, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing south across the Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (August 15, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Simcoe Street Overpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa (September 11, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Bronze Ontario coat-of-arms plaque on the Simcoe Street Overpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa. These decorative plaques were installed on many Ontario highway bridges built in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Sadly, the plaques were removed when the Simcoe Street Overpass was rehabilitated in 1990-1991 and were not reinstalled. Photo taken on September 11, 1990.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - The steel railings of the Simcoe Street Overpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa remained virtually unmodified from the time the structure was completed in 1941 until the bridge was rehabilitated in 1990-1991. Photo taken on September 11, 1990.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Above - Facing east along Hwy 401 from the Simcoe Street Overpass in Oshawa. This iconic section of Hwy 401 through Oshawa with its three vintage grade separations is arguably the most historic section of freeway in the province. The construction contract to build this section of Hwy 401 was awarded in 1939. The Oshawa section of Hwy 401 was more or less completed by 1941, although the new highway wasn't officially opened until December, 1947. Photo taken on September 11, 1990.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing south across the Simcoe Street Overpass on Hwy 401 in Oshawa (September 11, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing east along the westbound lanes of Hwy 401 at the Duffins Creek Bridge in Ajax (November 1, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing west along the eastbound lanes of Hwy 401 at the Duffins Creek Bridge in Ajax (November 1, 1990)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Approaching the Conlins Road Overpass on eastbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (July, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 towards the Conlins Road Overpass in Toronto (July, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 401 towards the Conlins Road Overpass in Toronto (July, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Drivers who are more familiar with today's 14-lane Hwy 401 in Eastern Toronto may at first glance mistake the three previous photos to be of Hwy 400. With its narrow overpasses and tight median, this 1950s-era section of the Toronto Bypass resembled Hwy 400 in every way. This was the last section of Hwy 401 in Toronto to be fully reconstructed. Apart from the addition of one lane per direction and the box-beam median barrier in 1972, this freeway had changed very little from its original opening day back in 1956. The reconstruction of this section of Hwy 401 in the 1990s transformed this narrow divided highway into a modern freeway facility.

Left - Facing east along Hwy 401 towards the old Meadowvale Road Overpass in Toronto (August 8, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing south across the new Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Note the shared through-left lane marking in the foreground. Even after the new Meadowvale Road Overpass was constructed, the old half-diamond interchange configuration was retained, with on-ramp access to westbound Hwy 401 only. Due to the complicated construction staging, a full-movement interchange wasn't completed at Meadowvale Road until 1994. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north across the old Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Due to the complexity of the construction staging near Meadowvale Road, the old 1956 Meadowvale Road Overpass sat disused for nearly four years before the structure was demolished. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Eastern side of the old 1955 Conlins Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Note that the north bridge approach has been removed. To prepare for the demolition of this structure, the entire route of Hwy 401 was diverted to the north on a temporary detour. Note the interesting overhead sign warning drivers to "Slow Down on Wet Pavement" with an 80 km/h advisory speed. A similar bridge-mounted sign existed on the Sheppard Avenue Overpass on Hwy 400 in Toronto, a bridge which was also demolished in the early 1990s. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north across the old 1955 Conlins Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Unlike the adjacent Meadowvale Road and Morningside Avenue Overpasses, the Conlins Road Overpass was demolished shortly after it was closed to traffic. Since Conlins Road carried relatively little traffic, it was possible to do a full closure of Conlins Road for the duration of the bridge replacement project. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Approaching the new Morningside Avenue Overpass on westbound Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. This photo clearly illustrates the staging of the Hwy 401 widening through Eastern Toronto. The entire widening was taken on the north side of the highway, meaning that the old lanes of Hwy 401 form today's eastbound Express and Collector Lanes. The westbound Express and Collector lanes were built entirely on the north side of the old highway. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north across the old Morningside Avenue Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Due to the sequence of the construction staging in this area, the old 1955 Morningside Avenue Overpass sat disused for several years before the structure was finally demolished. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Western side of the old 1955 Morningside Avenue Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (August 8, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north across the new Morningside Avenue Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (August 8, 1991)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Eastern side of the Port Union Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1991. Unlike the other narrow freeway overpasses in Eastern Toronto, the original 1947 Port Union Road Overpass had been replaced during a highway reconstruction contract in the 1970s. The replacement structure seen here was built in such a way that it could ultimately accommodate an Express-Collector Lane configuration on Hwy 401 through the Port Union Road Interchange. Photo taken on August 8, 1991.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Overhead sign for the Neilson Road Interchange approaching the Express-Collector Lane collapse on eastbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Old 1955 Conlins Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto, shortly before being demolished in 1992. Note that all Hwy 401 traffic was being diverted around the north end of the structure on a temporary detour.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Approaching the temporary detour around the Conlins Road Overpass site on eastbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Approaching the new Conlins Road Overpass site on westbound Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1992. Although it isn't particularly clear in this photo, about 50% of the new bridge's structural steel girders have been hoisted into place.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Completed steel girder superstructure at the new Conlins Road Overpass site in Toronto (1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Once the old Conlins Road Overpass was demolished in 1992, traffic from the Meadowvale Road on-ramp to westbound Hwy 401 was diverted through the new Conlins Road Overpass along the route of the old temporary detour.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Approaching the Morningside Avenue Interchange on westbound Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1992. In this photo, all traffic is still using the original highway alignment. The new westbound Express and Collector Lanes can be seen under construction at right.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing west along Hwy 401 from the Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) Interchange on Hwy 401 in Toronto (1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing west along the eastbound lanes of Hwy 401 towards the Pickering CNR Subway (October 30, 1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Eastern side of the Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 (October 30, 1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - The Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 was completed in 1963. Photo taken on October 30, 1992.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing north across the Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 (October 30, 1992)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - New Meadowvale Road Overpass in Toronto. The old 1956 structure is visible at right. Photo taken on August 19, 1993.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing north across the new Meadowvale Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Toronto (August 19, 1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - New Meadowvale Road Overpass in Toronto. The old 1956 structure is visible behind the new structure. Photo taken on August 19, 1993.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Old and new Morningside Avenue Overpasses on Hwy 401 in Toronto in 1993. Note that only eastbound Hwy 401 traffic is passing below the old Morningside Avenue Overpass. Westbound traffic has been diverted onto the newly-constructed lanes on the north side of the structure. Photo taken on August 19, 1993.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Macdonald-Cartier Freeway sign on Hwy 401 at Liverpool Road in Pickering (1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Overhead sign structure approaching the Whites Road Interchange on westbound Hwy 401 in Pickering (1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Approaching the Rouge River Bridge on westbound Hwy 401 in Pickering (1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Overhead sign structure approaching the Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) Interchange on westbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Damaged energy attenuator at the Meadowvale Road Interchange on westbound Hwy 401 in Toronto (1993)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Applying new pavement markings to the newly-constructed westbound Hwy 401 Express Lanes near Neilson Road (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Temporary TC-64 sign on eastbound Hwy 401 near Neilson Road in Toronto indicating the closure of the Morningside Avenue Interchange (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Traffic jam approaching the Express-Collector Lane collapse on eastbound Hwy 401 near Neilson Road in Toronto in 1994. Between 1972 and 1995, the Express-Collector Lane configuration terminated at the Neilson Road Interchange, resulting in the loss of three eastbound through lanes. By the early 1990s, this sudden drop in eastbound lane capacity at Neilson Road became one of Toronto's worst freeway bottlenecks. The extension of the Express-Collector Lanes into Pickering in the 1990s greatly relieved traffic congestion along Hwy 401 in this area.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Temporary sign on eastbound Hwy 401 indicating the new Collector Lanes approaching Meadowvale Road in Toronto (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - The new Hwy 401 Collector Lanes provided access to Meadowvale Road, Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) and Port Union Road (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Temporary sign for Hwy 2 and Port Union Road on the new eastbound Hwy 401 Collector Lanes approaching Meadowvale Road in Toronto in 1994. Note that the eastbound through traffic on Hwy 401 is using the old westbound lanes of the highway. Westbound traffic is using the newly-completed Collector Lanes on the north side of Hwy 401.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Completed Meadowvale Road Interchange and eastbound Hwy 401 Collector Lanes in 1994. Note that the old 1956 Meadowvale Road Overpass is still in place, despite having been bypassed by a new structure four years earlier. The removal of the old Meadowvale Road Overpass and the completion of the Hwy 401 Express Lanes was one of the last stages of this massive Hwy 401 reconstruction contract.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) towards the Hwy 401 Underpass in Toronto (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) at the Hwy 401 Underpass in Toronto showing the site of the new westbound Collector Lanes (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Construction of the new westbound Hwy 401 Collector Lanes at Hwy 2 (Kingston Road) in Toronto (1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Western side of the Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Western side of the Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing south across the Pickering CNR Subway on Hwy 401 (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing north across the old Rougemount Drive Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Eastern side of the old Rougemount Drive Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Eastern side of the old Rougemount Drive Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - The old Rougemount Drive Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering was a two-span concrete rigid frame structure, similar to other early structures built along the QEW and the first stage of Hwy 401 (Hwy 2A) between Toronto and Oshawa. The Rougemount Drive Overpass was the very first grade separation built on Hwy 401. The structure was completed in 1939, but was demolished as part of the Hwy 401 widening project through Durham Region in 1995. Photo taken on September 20, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Construction of the new Rouge River Bridge for the future Eastbound Collector Lanes on Hwy 401 (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Construction of the new Rouge River Bridge for the future Eastbound Collector Lanes on Hwy 401 (September 20, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Facing east along the eastbound lanes of Hwy 401 at the Duffins Creek Bridge in Pickering (November 5, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Southern side of the Duffins Creek Bridge on Hwy 401 in Pickering (November 5, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - Eastern side of the Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (November 5, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Right - Facing north across the Liverpool Road Overpass on Hwy 401 in Pickering (November 5, 1994)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2010)

Left - View of Hwy 401 at the Hwy 35 & Hwy 115 Interchange, facing east towards Newcastle. This section of Hwy 401 was widened from four to six lanes during a reconstruction project which began in 1997. Note the "Speed Enforced by Photo Radar" sign located on the far side of Hwy 401. This unpopular speed enforcement campaign was rather short-lived during the mid-1990s. The photo radar program was discontinued on provincial highways in 1995. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on November 15, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2021)

Right - Deck view of the Hwy 35 & Hwy 115 Underpass on Hwy 401. Like many underpass structures of this vintage, the centre median across the structure was completely paved. Note the small timber curb placed along the highway's centreline between the eastbound and westbound lanes of the freeway. These timber curbs were placed to protect the bridge's centre construction joint as well as to discourage motorists from making illegal U-turns on the freeway. As part of the reconstruction and widening of Hwy 401 in the Newcastle area in the late 1990s, a concrete median barrier was built across the structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on November 15, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2021)

Left - Deteriorated 1950s-era concrete bar-and-post handrail on the Hwy 35 & Hwy 115 Underpass on Hwy 401. A temporary concrete barrier was placed alongside the old handrail until 1997, when this bridge underwent a full rehabilitation and widening to accommodate six traffic lanes along Hwy 401. The 1990s marked an inflection point for Ontario's Ministry of Transportation, when the general focus turned towards the rehabilitation of existing highway infrastructure with less emphasis on further expansion of the provincial highway network. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on November 15, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2021)

Right - Northern side of the Hwy 35 & Hwy 115 Underpass on Hwy 401. This single-span pre-stressed concrete girder structure was completed in 1958. It was one of a handful of pre-stressed concrete girder bridges built along the King's Highway system in 1957-1958, at a time when the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) was seeking alternatives to using cast-in-place concrete construction methods for new highway bridges. Port Hope District (DHO District #7) experimented with methyl alcohol additives in concrete grout mixes on some precast girder bridges in an effort to ensure proper concrete curing during winter work. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on November 15, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2021)