Ontario Highway 69 Photographs - Page 4 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Bypassed Hwy 69 alignment at Six Mile Lake, approaching the White's Falls Road turn-off to Big Chute. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 10, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - A former section of Hwy 69 emerges beside Hwy 400 near Six Mile Lake. Most sections of Hwy 69 south of MacTier were simply twinned in the 1990s to create the new Hwy 400, but some parts of the old highway were bypassed altogether and now serve as access roads. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 10, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Bypassed section of former Hwy 69 at Muskoka Road 34 (White's Falls Road). This section of Hwy 69 was bypassed in 1995 by the new four-lane Hwy 69 (now Hwy 400). See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 10, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of a bypassed Hwy 69 alignment (Lake Road) near Baxter Lake. This section of highway was severed from the rest of the former Hwy 69 alignment near Six Mile Lake when the new four-lane highway was built in the 1990s. Note the fully-paved shoulders, which were characteristic of the original Hwy 69 in this area. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 10, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - End of Hwy 69 near Musquash River in June 2004, facing north towards MacTier. Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 continue northerly towards Parry Sound from this point as a two-lane highway. The two-lane portion of Hwy 69 from the Musquash River to the Moon River will be widened to four lanes by 2008. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Same view in June 2007, showing conversion of Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 to a four-lane highway. Note the completed Musquash River Bridge at left, which will eventually carry southbound traffic only. A new bridge is now under construction for the northbound lanes. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 10, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 towards Port Severn from Twelve Mile Bay Road. Note the advance tree and shrub clearing for the future four-lane highway taking place at right. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 towards Moon River Bridge from Twelve Mile Bay Road. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - In the mid-1950s, the Department of Highways embarked on an ambitious project to link Hwy 103 at Port Severn to MacTier. The route of Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69) was diverted around the proposed site of a bridge across the Moon River. The soil conditions at the bridge site were not adequately tested during the highway's design phase, reportedly as a result of an engineering oversight. Contracts were tendered and construction of the new highway began. When the results of the soil tests became available, engineers learned that the proposed bridge would have to be moved due to unfavourable soil conditions at the initial bridge site. As a result, a considerable portion of the planned highway was rendered useless. This aborted Hwy 103 alignment south of Moon River is now a Jeep trail.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The construction of Hwy 103 progressed to the point that culverts had been constructed underneath the proposed highway. Had the soil tests been carried out early in the design phase, construction would not have proceeded. An abandoned concrete culvert (centre of photo) is visible from the current highway.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Another view of the aborted alignment south of the cancelled Moon River Bridge on Hwy 103. Note the disused concrete culvert to the right of the hydro pole.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Several rock cuts were blasted, and the grading was practically completed before the oversight was discovered. This is a small rock cut on the aborted Hwy 103 alignment north of Moon River.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - A large rock cut on the aborted Hwy 103 alignment. Note the height of the truck for scale. The soil conditions at the Moon River Bridge site resulted in the relocation of almost 2 km of the proposed highway.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Grading was halted after the proposed bridge at Moon River was cancelled due to unfavourable soil conditions. What makes this situation so unique is that the highway approaches were almost complete when engineers decided to relocate the bridge site. While the exact sequence of these events will never be known for sure, it can be said with great certainty that the Department of Highways would not have allowed construction to proceed if the soil tests were in fact carried out properly. By the time the results of the soil condition tests were known, it was too late to salvage the planned highway. This unfortunate oversight likely cost the Department of Highways millions of dollars to rectify.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of aborted Hwy 103 alignment immediately north of the proposed Moon River Bridge
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - North end of aborted Hwy 103 alignment at Moon River. The actual Hwy 103 (later known as Hwy 69) is seen in the background.
(Photograph taken in September, 2002 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 at Moon River Bridge south of MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 across Moon River Bridge. Structure completed in 1959. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south towards Moon River Bridge along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69. When Hwy 69 was twinned in 2006-2007, the steel truss bridge across the Moon River was replaced with two new structures. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 towards Port Severn north of the Moon River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 400 & Hwy 69 towards MacTier north of the Moon River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Hwy 69 realignment near the Hwy 400 Interchange south of MacTier. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Close-up of abandoned Hwy 69 alignment near the Hwy 400 Interchange. This short section of Hwy 69 was bypassed entirely when the new Hwy 400 Extension was completed and opened to traffic in October, 2003. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on June 5, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Old 1930s alignment of Hwy 69 in MacTier (at left), facing south towards Bala. See an Enlarged Photo here.
(Photograph taken on September 20, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)