Ontario Highway 48 Photographs - Page 3 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Facing south along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 from the Beaver River Bridge in Beaverton. Note the long queue of northbound traffic approaching the traffic signals at nearby Durham Road 15. This highway does experience congestion on summer weekends, as it is a popular "cottage country" route which serves the eastern side of Lake Simcoe. This section of the highway is part of the Beaverton Bypass, which was completed and officially opened to traffic between the present day Hwy 48 South Junction and the intersection at Durham Road 23 (Mara Road) on November 4, 1966. Until recently, Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 shared a well-signed, overlapped route along the Beaverton Bypass. All references to Hwy 48 were removed from the highway in 2004, so it is now signed as Hwy 12 only. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Beaver River Bridge on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48, facing south towards Whitby. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western side of the Beaver River Bridge on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 in Beaverton. This three-span post-tensioned concrete bridge was completed in 1965. The introduction of post-tensioned concrete bridges in Ontario during the 1960s allowed designers to make use of very shallow bridge decks, when compared to conventional concrete girder bridges. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Structure identification number and date stamp (1965) on the Beaver River Bridge on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 at the Beaver River Bridge in Beaverton. The signalized intersection with Durham Road 15 can be seen in the background. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Beaver River Bridge was replaced in 2006-2007, in order to accommodate intersection capacity improvements at Durham Road 15. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 towards the Durham Road 15 Intersection in Beaverton. Prior to the intersection's reconstruction, there was a channelized right turn lane with a short acceleration taper from eastbound Durham Road 15 to southbound Hwy 12 & Hwy 48. This right turn channelization was removed as a result of the intersection reconstruction, in an effort to improve traffic operations. Without a full acceleration lane, a right turn channel can actually impede traffic flow on the main highway, as slow traffic entering the highway is forced to quickly merge into the adjacent through lane. As originally designed, this intersection had two northbound and two southbound through lanes. One of the northbound through lanes was later converted to a right turn only lane, which greatly impacted the capacity of this signalized intersection to serve northbound traffic (hence the long northbound queue seen in earlier photos). The reconfigured intersection has separate left and right turn lanes and two through lanes in both directions, which has greatly improved traffic operations at the intersection. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 from the Durham Road 15 Intersection in Beaverton. As part of the intersection improvements, median islands were constructed approaching the intersection. Prior to reconstruction, the secondary traffic signal pole was located on the left-hand side of the highway, as seen in this photo. Median-mounted secondary signal poles are strongly preferred on wide highways with more than four lanes, as the signal heads are placed directly in front of the motorist rather than off to the left side of the highway where they are far less conspicuous. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Older 1960s-era traffic signal pole on southbound Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 at Durham Road 15. The traffic signal head has a 12 inch (30 cm) red display lens and 8 inch (20 cm) amber and green display lenses. During reconstruction of the intersection, new traffic signal heads were installed with 12 inch (30 cm) display lenses for all three signal indications. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 from the White's Creek Bridge between Beaverton and Gamebridge. The "platooning" effect that the traffic signals in Beaverton have on traffic flow along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 is quite evident in this photo. After the traffic signals turn green, dozens of vehicles are discharged from the intersection and suddenly fill an empty void in the highway downstream of the signals. Traffic platooning such as this can be either beneficial or problematic for traffic waiting to enter the highway downstream of the traffic signals. Motorists waiting at side entrances and intersections may have trouble finding adequate gaps to enter the highway if a platoon of vehicles is approaching or passing by. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the White's Creek Bridge on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 north of Beaverton. The White's Creek Bridge was also replaced in 2006-2007. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 4, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Junction sign assembly and fingerboard destination sign for Orillia facing Concession Road 8. This road continues straight ahead towards Beaverton as Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48). Durham Road 23 is part of a signed Emergency Diversion Route (EDR), whereby traffic can follow an alternate route if Hwy 12 is closed due an emergency. Note the opening "Drive Safely" sign in the background, which can be opened by emergency responders to show a route marker which directs traffic back to Hwy 12 downstream of the highway closure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching the Beaverton Bypass Junction on Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48 (Mara Road), facing east. The Beaverton Bypass comes to an end at this junction, where the relocated route of Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 ties back into the original route of the highway. At left, a slight clearing in the trees indicates that another curved diversion once existed here. The pavement was removed from the old curved diversion during construction of the Beaverton Bypass in the 1960s. Today, the old highway's route around the curve is quite overgrown. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48) from the Beaverton Bypass. The old highway route curves south about 1 km ahead as it approaches Beaverton. The curved diversion which used to carry through traffic on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 many years ago connected just ahead at right, at the edge of the woodlot. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Junction of the Beaverton Bypass (Hwy 12 & Hwy 48) at Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48), facing east. During the construction of the Beaverton Bypass in the mid-1960s, the old 1930s curved diversion at these corners was closed and the pavement removed. This was done so that the two highways intersected at a right angle. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Distance guide sign on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48, facing south at Mara Road. It is interesting to note that distance guide signs are still in place on Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 at this former highway junction, even though provincial jurisdiction over the old highway route though Beaverton ceased in 1978. Typically, distance guide signs such as these are only posted downstream of a provincial highway junction or departing from an urbanized area. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along the Beaverton Bypass (Hwy 12 & Hwy 48) at Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48). This intersection marks the northern end of the Beaverton Bypass, which was originally constructed under Contract #1964-139. The old route of Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 tied into the Beaverton Bypass at the end of a curved diversion situated immediately north of this intersection. When the Beaverton Bypass first opened to traffic in 1966, Mara Road was an un-signalized Stop-controlled intersection. Traffic signals were installed at this junction in 2002. For many years, Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 shared a concurrent overlapped route along the bypass east of Beaverton, but the overlapped route was discontinued in 2004. Today, the Beaverton Bypass is signed as Hwy 12 only. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Beaverton Bypass (Hwy 12 & Hwy 48) at Mara Road, facing south towards Whitby. During reconstruction of this intersection under Contract #2002-2006, Hwy 12 was expanded to four lanes offset exclusively on the western side of the highway. When the Beaverton Bypass was originally designed in the 1960s, an extra wide right-of-way was acquired to accommodate the construction of a future four-lane divided highway. The widened route of Hwy 12 seen here was constructed where the future southbound carriageway would have been built, had the bypass been constructed as a divided highway as originally envisioned. Most of the Beaverton Bypass was constructed along the route of an old county road (County Road 13), which was previously under the jurisdiction of the former County of Ontario. In April 1964, the DHO assumed jurisdiction and control over Ontario County Road 13 as part of the proposed route of the Beaverton Bypass. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Junction sign assembly and fingerboard destination signs facing Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48). Up until 2004, the Beaverton Bypass was signed as an overlapped, concurrent route of Hwy 12 & Hwy 48. However, all references to Hwy 48 have since been removed. This change in signing was necessary since Hwy 48 was no longer a provincial highway between Hwy 12 at Gamebridge and Hwy 35 at Coboconk. This northeastern leg of Hwy 48 was one of many King's Highways in Central Ontario lost to provincial service downloading to the municipal tier during the 1990s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 12 & Hwy 48 from Mara Road (Old Hwy 12 & Old Hwy 48). The former curved diversion coming from Beaverton once joined in at left, just beyond the woodlot. The completion of the Beaverton Bypass in 1966 reduced the highway distance between Whitby and Orillia by about 2 1/2 miles (4 km). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 22, 2023 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 48 approaching the Hwy 46 Junction at Bolsover. This intersection was extensively reconfigured in the mid-1970s. Today, it looks nothing like its original configuration. Both Hwy 46 and Hwy 48 were downloaded by the province to the County of Victoria in 1997-1998, so neither route is a King's Highway anymore. Victoria County amalgamated into a single-tier municipality (City of Kawartha Lakes) in 2001. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Approaching Bolsover on Hwy 48, facing west from the Hwy 46 Junction. The arrow-straight alignment seen in this photo was a substantial upgrade from the old, meandering route of Hwy 48 that existed prior to the highway's reconstruction in the 1970s. The section of Hwy 48 between Hwy 12 near Gamebridge and Hwy 46 at Bolsover was a relative newcomer to the King's Highway system, having only been established in 1961. By comparison, the intersecting route of Hwy 46 had been under the jurisdiction of the DHO since 1937. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Facing east along Hwy 48 towards Kirkfield at the relocated Hwy 46 Junction. Up until 1975, Hwy 46 and Hwy 48 actually intersected in two locations only a few hundred feet apart. The unconventional design of the old intersection complex likely led to a lot of confusion amongst motorists. This view of the relocated intersection shows the realignment of Hwy 48 through the junction. Almost 1 km of Hwy 48 was relocated onto a new alignment as a result of the intersection improvement project. The old Hwy 48 approach to the junction has almost entirely disappeared over time. Even the former eastern leg of the Hwy 46 approach is barely discernible today. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Distance guide sign on westbound Hwy 48 at the Hwy 46 Junction at Bolsover. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Facing north along Hwy 46 approaching the Hwy 48 Junction at Bolsover. As originally established in 1937, Hwy 46 continued straight ahead and intersected with the Portage Road just south of the present-day highway junction. At the time, Portage Road from Bolsover westerly was not a provincial highway. At the junction, Hwy 46 then turned right onto the Portage Road and rounded a sharp curve on a steep grade before continuing northeasterly to Kirkfield. In an attempt to improve the intersection sight lines and establish Hwy 46 as the "through highway" at the junction, the DHO built a long curved diversion in 1955 to connect the south leg of Hwy 46 to Woodville with the northeastern leg of Hwy 46 to Kirkfield. The sharp curve on Portage Road (the northeastern approach of Hwy 46) was eliminated and converted to a more conventional T-intersection with the newly-built curved diversion. However, the original 1937 leg of Hwy 46 (the western leg, seen straight ahead in this photo) was also retained and kept open to traffic. This resulted in Hwy 46 branching into two routes at a badly-skewed "Y" junction at this location. Once the Portage Road was also designated as a King's Highway in 1961, this odd intersection design essentially created two different Hwy 46 Junctions along Hwy 48 - one at the original western leg of the highway and another at the newer curved diversion (eastern leg). Careful observers may notice the clearing through the trees at right. This is where the curved diversion of Hwy 46 was built in the mid-1950s. During the highway junction's reconstruction in 1975, the 1955 diversion was abandoned and the old pavement was removed. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Route marker assembly on northbound Hwy 46 approaching the Hwy 48 Junction at Bolsover. When Hwy 46 was first established in 1937, the highway continued northeasterly to Hwy 35 at Coboconk. As a result of the intersection improvements in 1975, Hwy 48 became the through highway at the junction at Bolsover rather than Hwy 46. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC) logically decided to renumber Hwy 46 from Bolsover to Coboconk as an extension of Hwy 48 in 1975. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Facing south along Hwy 46 from the relocated Hwy 48 Junction at Bolsover. Up until 1975, Hwy 46 & Hwy 48 met at a T-intersection beside where the transport truck trailer is parked at left. Hwy 48 also intersected with the relocated Hwy 46 a few hundred feet to the east. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Destination guide signs along northbound Hwy 46 approaching the Hwy 48 Junction. Prior to 1975, the Hwy 46 & Hwy 48 Junction was located a short distance away from where the transport truck trailer is parked at right. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Facing south along Hwy 46 towards Woodville from the original junction at Portage Road (Hwy 48) at Bolsover. The Hwy 46 Diversion that was built in the mid-1950s tied back into the existing alignment of Hwy 46 roughly where the car is located on the road in the background. The curved diversion of Hwy 46 was about 1 km in length. Considering the amount of work that was put into improving this junction in the mid-1950s, the original intersection of Hwy 46 and Portage Road must have been quite dreadful. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Approaching the relocated Hwy 46 & Hwy 48 Junction at Bolsover, facing north. When this intersection was reconfigured in 1975, two channelized right-turn lanes were built to further expedite traffic flow at the highway junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - A short section of pavement was left in place where the former route of Hwy 48 continued east from Hwy 46. The old strip of asphalt now serves as a private driveway. Just beyond the trees in the background, Hwy 48 climbed a steep grade and connected to the Hwy 46 Diversion that was built in 1955. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Approaching the Hwy 46 Junction on Hwy 48, facing west towards Bolsover. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - View of the former location of the Hwy 46 Diversion, as seen from the relocated route Hwy 48. Apart from the curved fence post line, there is little evidence left today that a road ever existed here. Most of the disused pavement at the original junction of Hwy 46 & Hwy 48 junction was removed during the reconstruction in the mid-1970s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - View of the relocated route of Hwy 48 approaching Bolsover. About 1 km of Hwy 48 was relocated onto an improved alignment in 1975. The now-closed Hwy 46 Diversion can be seen curving away at left, while the relocated Hwy 46 & Hwy 48 Junction can be seen at the bottom of the grade at right. As illustrated in this photo, the significant difference in approach grades between Hwy 46 and Portage Road (later Hwy 48) exacerbated the intersection complex's design challenges. The profile of Hwy 48 had to be lowered by several metres in order to provide improved visibility of the approaching highway junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
Photograph taken in September 17, 2017 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Old Hwy 46 alignment approaching the former Mitchell Lake Bridge near Kirkfield. The old one-lane bridge spanning the Trent-Severn Waterway was removed from service once a new two-lane structure was completed a short distance to the north during a highway improvement project carried out along Hwy 46 in 1958.
Photograph taken in October 2002 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - Concrete bridge abutments for the old Mitchell Lake Bridge on Hwy 46. The replacement bridge, which was completed in 1958, can be seen at left.
Photograph taken in October 2002 - © Cameron Bevers

Left - Former Hwy 46 alignment north of Balsam Lake (today's Balsam Lake Drive). In the 1960s, a diversion nearly 7 miles in length was constructed for Hwy 46 on a vastly-improved alignment. The old highway had several winding sections around the lake and narrow 10-foot traffic lanes.
Photograph taken in October 2002 - © Cameron Bevers

Right - A portion of the old alignment of Hwy 46 is now used as an access road within Balsam Lake Provincial Park.
Photograph taken in October 2002 - © Cameron Bevers