Ontario Highway 62 Photographs - Page 4 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Junction of Hwy 28 & Hwy 62 in Bancroft, facing east towards the York River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Junction sign assembly at the Hwy 28 & Hwy 62 Junction in Bancroft. At this junction, Hwy 62 South turns right and heads south towards Madoc and Belleville. Straight ahead, Hwy 28 & Hwy 62 North join together along a short concurrent route via Bridge Street into Downtown Bancroft, where the two highways again part ways. Up until the early 1980s, Hwy 28 ended at this intersection. However, Hwy 28 was extended east to Denbigh along the former route of Hwy 500 in 1982. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Junction sign assembly at the Hwy 28 & Hwy 62 Junction in Bancroft. Downtown Bancroft lies a short distance to the east along Bridge Street (Hwy 28 East & Hwy 62 North). At left, Hwy 28 heads south towards Lakefield and Peterborough. As the signpost indicates, the cardinal directions for Hwy 28 change from north-south to east-west in Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - York River Bridge on Hwy 28 & Hwy 62 in Bancroft. This single span steel beam structure was completed in 1965. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Bridge Street (Hwy 28 & Hwy 62) towards Hastings Street in Downtown Bancroft. After sharing a concurrent route for scarcely 150 metres, Hwy 62 turns left onto Hastings Street and continues north towards Barry's Bay. Hwy 28 continues east beyond the traffic signals via Bridge Street towards Denbigh. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hastings Street (Hwy 62) from the Hwy 28 Junction at Bridge Street in Downtown Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Junction sign assembly at Bridge Street and Hastings Street in Downtown Bancroft. At Hastings Street, Hwy 62 turns left and continues north towards Maynooth and Barry's Bay. Hwy 28 continues straight ahead towards Denbigh, where the route connects with Hwy 41. Until the early 1980s, the route between Bancroft and Denbigh was a Secondary Highway known as Hwy 500. The entire length of Hwy 500 from Bancroft to Denbigh was renumbered as Hwy 28 in 1982. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hastings Street (Hwy 62) towards Bridge Street (Hwy 28) in Downtown Bancroft. At the traffic signals, Hwy 62 turns right and crosses the York River Bridge concurrently with Hwy 28. At the west end of the bridge, Hwy 62 turns left and continues south towards Madoc. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 11, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Bridge Street (Hwy 28 & Hwy 62) from Hastings Street. Immediately after crossing the York River Bridge, Hwy 62 turns left and continues south towards Madoc and Belleville, while Hwy 28 continues straight ahead towards Lakefield and Peterborough. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Junction sign assembly on westbound Hwy 28 approaching Hastings Street (Hwy 62) in Downtown Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 62 (Hastings Street) from Flint Street in Downtown Bancroft. The town's main street is an unusual mixture of modern buildings and older false-fronted stores which date from Bancroft's late 19th-century mining and forestry days. A major uranium mining boom after World War II firmly established Bancroft as the major transportation and commercial centre in this rather sparsely-populated region of Eastern Ontario. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - A "Courtesy Crossing" on Hastings Street (Hwy 62) in Downtown Bancroft. These pedestrian crossings have become a fairly common sight in many small towns in Ontario, but pedestrians should be very cautious when using these facilities. Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, pedestrians do not explicitly have the right-of-way at these types of crossings. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Above - An older King's Highway 62 route marker on Hastings Street. In 1937, Hwy 62 became the first King's Highway established through the northern part of Hastings County. That year, the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) assumed ownership of the Madoc, Bancroft & Barry's Bay Road as a new King's Highway and designated the route as Hwy 62. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching Madawaska Street on Hwy 62 in Bancroft, facing north. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 62 from Bancroft. A steep-sided ridge known as the Eagle's Nest rises above Hwy 62 at right. A lookout on the top of the Eagle's Nest offers visitors spectacular views of the remote highlands surrounding Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Distance guide sign on northbound Hwy 62 in Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - A spectacular autumn view of Hwy 62 from the Eagle's Nest Lookout in Bancroft, facing north towards Maynooth. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 12, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The Eagle's Nest Lookout in Bancroft offers some of the most impressive vistas in Eastern Ontario. It is well worth the short detour off of Hwy 62 to take in the impressive views, especially in fall when the leaves change colour. The lookout is accessible from Eagle's Nest Park Road, which departs from Hwy 62 about 2 km north of Downtown Bancroft. Although the access road leading up to the lookout is very steep and should be driven cautiously, it can be negotiated by any road-worthy vehicle. From the parking lot, it is about a 5 minute walk to the lookout. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 12, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 62 towards Maynooth near Bird's Creek. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An old bridge from the early 1900s can be found on this former Hwy 62 alignment (Parks Road) north of Bird's Creek. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Old Hwy 62 (Parks Road) at the old bridge. In 1952, a new Hwy 62 diversion was built which bypassed this narrow structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Side view of the Bird Creek Bridge on Old Hwy 62 (Parks Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Parks Road (Old Hwy 62) curves off to the left from Musclow-Greenview Road near Bird's Creek. Numerous sections of Hwy 62 such as this one were bypassed during highway improvement projects carried out north of Bancroft in the early 1950s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 62 towards Bancroft at Buck Hill. A substantial relocation of Hwy 62 took place here in 1952, when a new rock cut was constructed through Buck Hill. About one mile of the old route of Hwy 62 (Buck Hill Road) was bypassed by the new highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north through the Buck Hill Rock Cut on Hwy 62, located 8 km north of Bancroft. The new highway alignment across Buck Hill was much straighter than the original 1937 route of Hwy 62, which wound its way around the base of the hill. The new Hwy 62 diversion across Buck Hill eliminated several dangerous curves on the old highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching Buck Hill on Hwy 62, facing south towards Bancroft. The old route of Hwy 62 (Buck Hill Road) can be seen running behind the gas station at left. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Buck Hill Road (Old Hwy 62), facing south towards Bancroft. The relocated Hwy 62 can be seen curving off to the right through the Buck Hill Rock Cut. Jurisdiction over the former Hwy 62 alignment seen here was transferred from the DHO to the Township of Monteagle in 1954, soon after the new highway across Buck Hill was completed. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 30, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching Maynooth on Hwy 62, facing north towards the Hwy 127 Junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - An older green guide sign marking the Hwy 127 Junction on northbound Hwy 62 in Maynooth. At some point, the left-turn arrows on this sign were covered over with straight through arrows, presumably to prevent confusion with the adjacent Peterson Road intersection. Peterson Road turns left from Hwy 62 immediately south of the signpost location. If the straight through arrows were not in place, some motorists might mistakenly turn down Peterson Road while seeking Hwy 127. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An older green guide sign marking the turn-off to Hwy 127 from Hwy 62 in Maynooth. Algonquin Provincial Park is marked on the guide sign as a destination along Hwy 127. Although this is a very logical "control city" to use for northbound Hwy 127, it is very unusual to see a location other than a community, international bridge or out-of-province destination identified on an MTO destination guide sign. Typically, provincial parks are signed using blue-and-white Tourism-Oriented Destination Signs (TODS) or a separate provincial park route marker. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching the Hwy 127 Junction on Hwy 62, facing north. In 1951, the Maynooth Diversion was completed which eliminated a turn in the route of Hwy 62 at the hamlet's main intersection. Ever since, Hwy 62 has been the through route at this highway junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 62 towards Bancroft from the Hwy 127 Junction in Maynooth. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Junction sign assembly at the Hwy 62 & Hwy 127 Junction in Maynooth. At this junction, provincial ownership of Hwy 62 comes to an end. From this point northerly to Barry's Bay, Hwy 62 is a municipal road. The entire north section of Hwy 62 was transferred to municipalities during the mass highway downloading spree of 1997-1998. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 127 towards Whitney from the Hwy 62 Junction in Maynooth. In 1955, Hwy 127 was established as a new King's Highway along the eastern side of Algonquin Provincial Park. The new highway connected Hwy 62 in Maynooth to Hwy 60 in Whitney. Although Hwy 127 encroaches close to the Algonquin Provincial Park boundary in some areas, the highway does not actually pass through the park. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - King's Highway route markers at the Hwy 62 & Hwy 127 Junction in Maynooth. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 62 towards the Hwy 127 Junction in Maynooth. When Hwy 62 was first assumed as a King's Highway in 1937, the highway's route turned left at the main intersection onto Old Hastings Road. The route was revised in 1951, so that Hwy 62 continued straight ahead along the Maynooth Diversion. The highway then followed a long curve to the left where it joined back up to the Hastings Road on its route south towards Bancroft. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Old Hwy 62 (Old Hastings Road) approaching the Hwy 62 & Hwy 127 Junction in Maynooth. As originally established in 1937, Hwy 62 turned right at this intersection on its route north towards Barry's Bay. However, the turn proved to be problematic for large trucks. The Maynooth Diversion bypassed this section of Hwy 62, allowing through traffic to negotiate the junction more easily. Ownership of the former Hwy 62 alignment through Maynooth was transferred from the DHO to the Townships of Monteagle and Herschel in 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2012 - © Cameron Bevers)