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This page contains historical photos of Ontario's King's Highway 7 dating from 1950 to 1969. 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!
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Page 2: Historical King's Highway 7 Photographs (1950-1969)
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Above - Junction of Hwy 7 and Hwy 41 at Kaladar (ca. 1950) (Photo courtesy of Canadian Postcard Company) ![]()
Above - Circa 1950 view of the western approach to the Hwy 19 South Junction on Hwy 7 & Hwy 8 in Shakespeare, facing east towards Kitchener. Up until the
early 1960s, Hwy 7, Hwy 8 & Hwy 19 all shared a concurrent overlapped route between Stratford and Shakespeare. As part of a highway renumbering plan carried out
in this area in 1962, the route of Hwy 19 between Shakespeare and Woodstock was renumbered as Hwy 59. The overlapped route of Hwy 19 along Hwy 7 & Hwy 8 between
Stratford and Shakespeare was also discontinued in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken
circa 1950. (Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown) ![]()
Above - Department of Highways' Roadside Park on Hwy 15 (today's Hwy 7) at Innisville in 1950. This small roadside park was established in 1947 for the
convenience of motorists traveling to and from Ottawa. The park was built between the original highway alignment which ran behind the park to the left and the
relocated highway at right. Although the stone fireplaces were removed many years ago, this roadside park and picnic area is still in operation today on Hwy 7 north
of Innisville. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 22, 1950. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950) ![]() ![]()
Left - Toronto-Barrie Highway under construction in 1950, showing the new Hwy 7 overpass near Woodbridge. Photo taken on August 8, 1950. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950) Right - View of Hwy 400 from the Hwy 7 Overpass, looking north towards Barrie. Photo taken on October 11, 1951. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951) ![]() ![]()
Left - New asphalt pavement on Hwy 7, 5 miles east of Marmora. Photo taken on October 10, 1951. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951) Right - Preparation for rock blasting on a diversion of Hwy 7 built by Theirien Construction Company, 9 1/2 miles west of Kaladar. Photo taken on June 14, 1952. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952) ![]() ![]()
Above Photos - "Before and after" views of the intersection of Hwy 7 & Jane Street in Vaughan Township, located north of Toronto in 1952. Over a five
month period, this intersection had been the scene of 7 motor vehicle collisions, resulting in 4 injuries and 2 fatalities. Improvements were made to the intersection
to improve visibility, including vegetation removal and shoulder widening along Hwy 7. In the five month period following the completion of these improvements, no
collisions were reported at the intersection. Photos taken in 1952. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952) ![]()
Above - Zone painting on the new Hwy 400 at the Hwy 7 Cloverleaf, taken shortly after Hwy 400 was officially opened to traffic. Photo taken on July 4, 1952.
See an Enlarged Photo Here. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952) ![]()
Above - DHO maintenance staff doing grass cutting along Hwy 7 & Hwy 12 south of Blackwater in 1952. At that time, many of Ontario's King's Highways did not
have gravel shoulders. The ground was merely graded on a slope away from the pavement and then grassed over. An obvious drawback of this design practice was that the
grass needed frequent cutting. Also, in the event that a motorist needed to pull off of the pavement during an emergency, hidden debris and erosion channels under the
grass presented concealed hazards. As Ontario's Highways were gradually reconstructed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the gravel shoulder became the preferred
roadside treatment. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 24, 1952. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952) ![]() ![]()
Left - New Nith River Bridge (Rau Bridge) on a partially-completed diversion of Hwy 7 & Hwy 8 at New Hamburg in 1952. This diversion initially only
carried local traffic to a Waterloo County Road (Bleams Road). However, the Rau Bridge was ultimately incorporated into the New Hamburg Bypass, which was completed
in its entirety and opened to traffic in 1957. Photo taken on July 31, 1952. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952) Right - Paved section of Hwy 7 through a widened rock cut, 5 miles east of the Hwy 37 Junction near Actinolite. Photo taken in 1953. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953) ![]()
Above - Hwy 400 & Hwy 7 Interchange looking northeast towards Maple. Photo taken on October 1, 1953. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. The present-day site of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 407 ETR Interchange is
situated in the bottom-right corner of this photo, while Weston Road can be seen approaching its intersection with Hwy 7 at left. Compare the 1953 aerial photo of the
Hwy 400 & Hwy 7 Interchange in Vaughan shown above with this 2004 aerial photo, which I
took to show the unfortunate urban sprawl that has taken place over the past 25 years in this part of York Region. Nearly all of the vacant land seen in the 1953
photo above has become urbanized. (Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-2, Box B986, Photo #650-15) ![]() ![]()
Left - New asphalt surface on Hwy 7, 4 miles east of the Hwy 37 Junction near Actinolite. Photo taken on November 18, 1953. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953) Right - Rock fill widening along Hwy 7 at Silver Lake, 18 miles west of Perth. Photo taken on July 30, 1954. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954) ![]()
Above - New channelized right turn ramps at the reconstructed Hwy 7 & Hwy 79 Junction, facing west towards Sarnia. Photo taken on August 12, 1954. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954) ![]() ![]()
Left - Facing north along Wyndham Street (Hwy 6, Hwy 7 & Hwy 24) from Carden Street in Guelph in 1955. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. (Photo courtesy of L. F. Charter) Right - Circa 1955 postcard view of Hwy 8 & Hwy 19 (Ontario Street) in Downtown Stratford, facing east towards the Hwy 7 Junction (Erie Street). See an Enlarged Photo Here. (Photo courtesy of Royal Specialty Sales, Toronto) ![]()
Above - Facing east along Hwy 402 towards the Hwy 7 & Hwy 40 Junction from the Bluewater Bridge Entrance in Point Edward. Even when this photo was taken in
the 1950s, it would have been unusual to see three King's Highway shields mounted below a single "JUNCTION" tab such as this. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1955. (Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown) ![]()
Above - Close-up view of the "JUNCTION" Hwy 402, Hwy 7 & Hwy 40 signs. Small-sized 400-Series Highway markers such as this example for Hwy 402 were
actually rarely seen in the 1950s. Even at that time, the 400-Series Highways were typically signed with the oversized highway markers, which were designed for use on
high-speed highways. Although it isn't very clear in this photo due to the limited resolution, note the example of an early Ontario diagrammatical junction sign in
the background. These simple diagrammatical junction signs used thick black lines with arrowheads to show the layout of highway routes departing from a junction.
The King's Highway route numbers were shown beside the various arrowheads so motorists knew in advance which fork to take at the approaching junction. These
diagrammatical signs began to appear at Ontario's highway junctions in the late 1930s and were used up until the mid-1950s when new types of guide signs were
introduced. Interestingly, this sign directs Hwy 7 traffic to follow Hwy 402, rather than use the actual route of Hwy 7 through Downtown Sarnia. Photo taken circa
1955. (Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown) ![]()
Above - Newly-completed Department of Highways of Ontario Stratford District Office (DHO District #3) in 1957. This building stood at 581 Huron Street in
Stratford for nearly 60 years, before being demolished to make way for a new shopping centre in 2013. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1957. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1957) ![]()
Above - Completed grading on a section of the Lindsay Bypass (Hwy 7 & Hwy 35) in September 1957. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1957) ![]()
Above - Bells Corners Subway on Hwy 15 (later known as Hwy 7 & Hwy 15) west of Ottawa. Photo taken in 1958. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958) ![]()
Above - Completed Scugog River Bridge on the Lindsay Bypass (Hwy 7 & Hwy 35) in 1959, facing west. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959) ![]()
Above - Circa 1960 postcard view of the western terminus of Hwy 402 at the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia. This aerial photo shows the western terminus of Hwy 402
before it was rebuilt as a fully controlled-access freeway through Sarnia and Point Edward. The concrete highway approaching from the left is Hwy 7 & Hwy 40 from
Downtown Sarnia. These two routes joined into Hwy 402 at an at-grade intersection just before the Bluewater Bridge Customs Building in the background. This road
configuration remained virtually unchanged for three decades following the completion of the Bluewater Bridge Approach (Hwy 402) through Sarnia in the late 1940s. In
1981, a new interchange was completed at Front Street and the at-grade intersection shown here was subsequently closed off. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1960. (Photograph courtesy of Bert Knechtel) ![]()
Above - Grading operations underway on the Peterborough Bypass (today's Hwy 7 & Hwy 115) in 1960. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960) ![]()
Above - New Otonabee River Bridge on the Peterborough Bypass (today's Hwy 7 & Hwy 115) in 1961. This structure now carries the eastbound lanes of Hwy 7
& Hwy 115 only. A twin structure was built on the north side of the existing structure in 1982-1983 to carry the westbound lanes of the highway. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962) ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962) ![]()
Above - Junction of Hwy 402 and Modeland Road (Lucasville Road) east of Sarnia in 1962. This aerial photo of Hwy 402 shows the junction of Modeland Road and the
adjacent Hwy 7 junction, just east of Sarnia (facing east). Modeland Road was later incorporated into the Sarnia Bypass and was designated as Hwy 40 in the mid-1960s.
The at-grade intersection at Hwy 402 was eventually eliminated through the construction of a proper interchange at Hwy 40. In the 1970s, Hwy 402 was extended easterly
from Sarnia towards London and was realigned through the area in the bottom left corner of the photo. The Hwy 402 connection to Hwy 7 seen here was subsequently
removed and is now the site of a shopping plaza. Sarnia's present day "Golden Mile" can be seen along Hwy 7 in the top left corner of this photo. See
an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on November 28, 1962. (Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-151-7-16, Photo #3851) ![]()
Above - Sign marking the entrance to the DHO District #3 (Stratford) Office. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1963. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963) ![]()
Above - Postcard view of the Hwy 7 & Hwy 10 Junction in Downtown Brampton in 1963, facing north. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. (Photo courtesy of R. Gordon Robinson) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1963) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964) ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1964) ![]() ![]()
Left - Facing east towards the Silver Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 between Georgetown and Norval. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in August 1966. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) Right - Silver Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 west of Norval. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in August 1966. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023) ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1966) ![]() ![]()
Left - Detour on Hwy 8 (King Street) at the site of the future Kitchener-Waterloo Expressway (Conestoga Parkway), facing south at Dixon Street in 1966. Traffic
on Hwy 8 was temporarily diverted through the Kitchener Interchange in between the Hwy 8 and First Avenue grade separations on the proposed Kitchener-Waterloo
Expressway. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) Right - View of the grading work taking place in 1966 for the new four-lane Hwy 8, Contract #1965-311. This view is facing west along Hwy 8 from Third Avenue. The new interchange and overpass at the Kitchener-Waterloo Expressway (Hwy 7 New) can be seen under construction in the background. At the time this photo was taken, all traffic was still using King Street (Old Hwy 8) at right. While the depressed section of Hwy 8 was being constructed at Franklin Street, traffic had to be temporarily staged between Kingsway Drive, King Street and various temporary diversions through the construction site. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) ![]() ![]()
Left - Kitchener-Waterloo Expressway Overpass construction at Hwy 8 and Hwy 7 (New) in 1966. The bridge piers were only just being poured when this photo was
taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) Right - Facing west along the new four-lane route of Hwy 8 towards Franklin Street from Third Avenue in Kitchener in 1966. This photo shows the excavation of the future Hwy 8 grade separation at Franklin Street. Through traffic was still using Old Hwy 8 (King Street) at left. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) ![]() ![]()
Left - Construction of the East Avenue (Weber Street) Underpass on the proposed Kitchener-Waterloo Expressway (Hwy 7 New), facing north near Ross Avenue. See
an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) Right - Facing east along Hwy 8 (King Street) towards the site of the future Kitchener-Waterloo Expressway (Hwy 7 New) from Doon Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in June 1966. (Photo courtesy of Transportation Planning, City of Kitchener) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023) ![]()
Above - Aerial view of the Hwy 7 & Hwy 50 Junction at Sunset Corners in 1967, facing southeast towards Toronto. This great photo shows the pre-construction
conditions at this major highway junction between Woodbridge and Brampton. Shortly after this photo was taken, Hwy 7 was expanded to four lanes and the intersection
was rebuilt with right-turn channels on all approaches. Most notable here are the four service stations on each corner. A Fina station occupied the northwest corner,
a British-American (B-A) station occupied the northeast corner, an Esso station occupied the southeast corner and a Texaco station occupied the southwest corner. Out
of these four brands of gasoline retailers, only Esso is still in operation in 2016. All four service stations at the highway junction were demolished to make way for
the widened Hwy 7 in 1971. The only surviving landmarks in this photo are the historic buildings of Sunny Maple Farms in the background, whose barn with the rooftop
sign still remains in place to this day. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1967. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2016) ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() ![]() ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1967) ![]() ![]()
Left - New West Duffins Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 between Markham and Greenwood, facing east towards Brooklin. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in April 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) Right - New West Duffins Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 east of Markham, Contract #1967-135. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in April 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) ![]() ![]()
Left - Facing east across the new Little Rouge Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 at Locust Hill east of Markham. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in April 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) Right - New Little Rouge Creek Bridge on Hwy 7 east of Markham, Contract #1967-100. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in April 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 2014) ![]()
Above - Moodie Drive Interchange under construction on Hwy 7 & Hwy 17 New (now Hwy 417) west of Ottawa, Contract #1969-16. See an
Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1969. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1969)
Continue on to King's Highway 7 Photos: Historical Photos: 1970 to 1979
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Back to Hwy 7 - Historical Photos (1920-1949)
Hwy 7 Photo Index
On to Hwy 7 - Historical Photos (1970-1979)
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