Ontario Highway 9 Photographs - Page 3 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - An older MTO distance guide sign from the 1980s still stands on Broadway (Hwy 9) departing from Orangeville. Historically, provincial jurisdiction over Hwy 9 came to an end at the western limits of the Town of Orangeville, located just east of here at the intersection of Blind Line. The balance of Hwy 9 through Orangeville was designated as a Municipal Connecting Link. As the municipal limits of Orangeville were expanded in the 1980s, provincial jurisdiction over Hwy 9 was truncated even further west at the intersection of Dufferin County Road 16. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Downtown Orangeville from the Dufferin County Road 16 Junction. In 1998, jurisdiction over the provincially-owned section of Hwy 9 from Orangeville to Harriston was transferred over to the Counties of Dufferin and Wellington. This section of Hwy 9 is officially known as County Road 109 today. At the time of Hwy 9's transfer to municipalities in 1998, provincial jurisdiction over Hwy 9 came to an end at the intersection of Dufferin County Road 16. Motorists entering Orangeville on Hwy 9 who wish to access Hwy 10 North can turn left here and use Dufferin County Road 16 to bypass the town. This bypass route over to Hwy 10 is quite heavily-utilized. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 9 approaching Orangeville near 2nd Line. This sprawling town has tripled in size in terms of population from under 10,000 residents in the 1970s to more than 30,000 residents as of the 2021 Census. Orangeville's rapid growth is at least partly attributable to its convenient access to the Greater Toronto Area via Hwy 10. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View of Hwy 9 approaching the Dufferin County Road 11 Junction, facing west towards Arthur. West of Orangeville, Hwy 9 crosses a high ridge which offers some impressive views to both the east and west. To take advantage of these steep grades, engineers designed a separate passing lane for each direction of traffic on Hwy 9 across this ridge to allow faster traffic to overtake slower vehicles without any opposing traffic conflicts. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 9 from the Dufferin County Road 11 Junction, located about 2 km west of Orangeville. West of this intersection, the terrain flattens out rather noticeably. Throughout the 1930s, the province extended Hwy 9 easterly from its original eastern terminus in Arthur. The Department of Public Highways of Ontario (DPHO) acquired jurisdiction over the Arthur-Orangeville Road as an extension of Hwy 9, effective March 12, 1930. Ultimately, Hwy 9 was extended easterly from Orangeville to Schomberg in 1937. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View of Hwy 9 about 4 km west of Orangeville, facing east. The sign at right advises eastbound motorists that they are approaching a passing lane. As originally assumed in 1930, Hwy 9 was a gravel-surfaced highway between Arthur and Orangeville. A concrete pavement was constructed for a distance of 8 1/2 miles between Orangeville and the Grand Valley turn-off under Contract #1931-11. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 9 about 7 km west of Orangeville. Apart from the high ridge visible in the far distance, the terrain west of Orangeville is rather low-lying and swampy. This section of Hwy 9 was especially prone to spring flooding in decades past, before the highway's grade was raised and improved drainage features were constructed to facilitate runoff. Driving Hwy 9 in late winter and early spring was a particular aggravation for motorists in the 1940s, when Ontario experienced several winters of very heavy snowfall at a time when the Highway Department's snow-removal equipment was in quite limited supply. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Distance guide sign on eastbound Hwy 9, located just east of the Hwy 25 South Junction at Waldemar. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching the Hwy 25 South Junction on Hwy 9 at Waldemar, facing west towards Arthur. Prior to the downloading of both highways over to municipal control in the late 1990s, Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 began a short overlapped route at this intersection. The two routes parted ways about 3 km to the west, where Hwy 25 turned right and headed north into Grand Valley, while Hwy 9 continued west towards Arthur. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Orangeville from the Hwy 25 South Junction at Waldemar. As indicated by the municipal route marker at right, this section of Hwy 9 is now officially known as Dufferin County Road 109. This route ceased to be a provincially-owned King's Highway in 1998. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 25 from the Hwy 9 Junction at Waldemar. Like Hwy 9, Hwy 25 was transferred over to municipal control in the late 1990s and is now officially known as Dufferin County Road 24. Prior to the highway's downloading in the 1990s, this section of Hwy 25 was a comparatively new King's Highway in the provincial highway system. The province designated the Brisbane-Waldemar Road via Hillsburgh as a new King's Highway, effective May 22, 1974. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Junction of Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 at Waldemar, facing north. Historically, Hwy 25 turned left at this junction and followed a concurrent overlapped route with Hwy 9 for about 3 km. At a turn-off south of Grand Valley, Hwy 25 resumed its route north via Grand Valley to the Hwy 89 Junction west of Shelburne. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of the Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 South Junction at Waldemar, facing east towards Orangeville. Prior to the mass highway downloading spree of the late 1990s, motorists could turn right at this junction and follow Hwy 25 south to Acton, Milton and Oakville. While this journey can still be accomplished today, the roads which form this route are now a collection of municipal roads rather than a continuous provincially-owned King's Highway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing west along Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 from the Hwy 25 South Junction at Waldemar. Immediately west of this highway junction, Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 cross a bridge over the Grand River. Historically, this was a narrow one-lane through truss bridge, but it was replaced by the current two-lane structure in 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Waldemar Bridge over the Grand River on Hwy 9 & Hwy 25. This impressive three-span concrete rigid frame structure was constructed under Contract #1953-23 and was completed in 1954. Prior to the construction of the new Grand River Bridge in the 1950s, motorists using Hwy 9 had to squeeze through a narrow single-lane through truss bridge in only one direction at a time. Southern Ontario's King's Highways had numerous single-lane bridges up until the 1950s, when an ambitious bridge replacement program was undertaken to widen narrow bridges so that both directions of highway traffic could be accommodated simultaneously. These investments in highway infrastructure by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) proved to be very prudent - given how busy Hwy 9 has become in recent decades, it is unthinkable that this was once a single-lane bridge! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing east across the Grand River Bridge towards Orangeville on Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 at Waldemar. The previous through truss bridge at Waldemar was built exactly on-alignment with its approaches. These site conditions created a constructibility and design problem for DHO's engineers. In order to maintain the existing alignment of Hwy 9 for the new replacement bridge, the reconstruction of Hwy 9 at the bridge site had to be carried out during a long-term full closure of the highway. All Hwy 9 traffic was temporarily detoured around the construction site for a distance of about 4 miles between September 1953 and July 1954. This full closure of Hwy 9 allowed the old bridge to be demolished and the new bridge constructed in-place without the need of a permanent diversion of the highway's alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Waldemar Bridge (Site #4-115) on Hwy 9 & Hwy 25. At first glance, it may appear that all three of the bridge's spans are equal in length. However, the centre span is actually 50 feet in length, while the two outer spans are 40 feet in length. While this structure is indeed impressive when viewed from the riverbank below due to its height above the Grand River, it isn't the longest bridge along Hwy 9. The longest structure on Hwy 9 is the Black Horse Railway Overhead, located south of Tottenham. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View underneath the Waldemar Bridge over the Grand River on Hwy 9 & Hwy 25. Note the impressions of the timber planks used for falsework for this bridge during the original concrete pour. Bridges of this design use cast-in-place concrete, with formwork required to support the wet concrete until it has properly cured and is self-supporting. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 approaching the Grand River Bridge at Waldemar. The route of Hwy 25 South was renamed as Dufferin County Road 24 following the mass highway downloading spree of the late 1990s. Dufferin County Road 24 is also known as Trafalgar Road - yes, this is the same Trafalgar Road which passes through Georgetown and Oakville located a considerable distance to the south. Trafalgar Road is a very long road indeed! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Scenic view of Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 at Waldemar, facing east towards the Grand River Bridge and the Hwy 25 South Junction. A short westbound passing lane appears along Hwy 9 immediately west of the Waldemar Bridge. For motorists stuck beyond a slow-moving truck, this passing lane is a welcome relief! As part of the construction of the Waldemar Bridge in 1953-1954, the approach grades along Hwy 9 were flattened out. The earth cut on the western side of the bridge was deepened and the earth fill built up on the eastern side of the bridge. Prior to the highway's reconstruction in the 1950s, the approach grades to the Waldemar Bridge were much steeper than they are today. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 from the Hwy 25 North Junction to Grand Valley. The routes of Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 were overlapped for about 3 km between this junction and the Hwy 25 South Junction at Waldemar. After these two King's Highways were downloaded to the County of Dufferin in the late 1990s, each leg of Hwy 25 was assigned a different county road number. The Grand Valley leg (Hwy 25 North) became Dufferin County Road 25, while the Waldemar leg (Hwy 25 South) became Dufferin County Road 24. There is no longer any overlapped route between Grand Valley and Waldemar, with Former Hwy 9 being signed as Dufferin County Road 109 only. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Close-up of the distance guide sign on eastbound Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 located just east of the Hwy 25 North Junction to Grand Valley. Although this is a replacement sign installed in recent years by the County of Dufferin, it is interesting to note that Acton is still listed as a control city on this sign. This is a vestige of the past, when MTO owned both Hwy 9 and Hwy 25 and Acton was the signed control city for Hwy 25 South. Until the downloading of the late 1990s, the other destinations (Orangeville & Newmarket) were both accessible via Hwy 9. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west towards the Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 North Junction near Grand Valley. Up until the highway's downloading through Dufferin County in 1997, Hwy 25 turned right at this junction and resumed its route north towards Grand Valley and the Hwy 89 Junction. Historically, the highway from this point northerly into Grand Valley was known as Hwy 104, but it was renumbered as part of the Hwy 25 Extension during 1974. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Former southern terminus of Hwy 104 (later known as Hwy 25) at the Hwy 9 Junction south of Grand Valley. After the Hwy 104 designation was retired in 1974 and replaced by the Hwy 25 designation, the route of Hwy 25 was overlapped with Hwy 9 from this highway junction easterly to Waldemar. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Dufferin County Road 109 route marker and destination guide signs at the Hwy 9 & Hwy 25 Junction south of Grand Valley. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Facing north along Hwy 25 towards Grand Valley from the Hwy 9 Junction. Before this highway was renumbered as part of the Hwy 25 Extension in 1974, Hwy 104 was among the shortest King's Highway routes in the provincial highway system with a total length of only 1.8 miles (2.9 km). The route of Hwy 104 reached its northern terminus in Downtown Grand Valley at the intersection of Main Street and Amaranth Street. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Orangeville approaching the Hwy 25 North Junction to Grand Valley. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - Green guide sign on eastbound Hwy 9 marking the upcoming Dufferin Road 25 (Former Hwy 25) Junction south of Grand Valley. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 9 towards Arthur from the Hwy 25 North Junction to Grand Valley. The section of Hwy 9 from the Grand Valley turn-off westerly was the final section of Hwy 9 paved between Arthur and Orangeville. Concrete pavement was constructed along Hwy 9 for a distance of about 6 miles from the Grand Valley turn-off westerly during 1934, which completed a paved highway link between Arthur and Orangeville. Within only 4 years of the Arthur-Orangeville Road's assumption as an easterly extension of Hwy 9 in 1930, the route was transformed from a narrow rural gravel road into a modern concrete-surfaced traffic artery. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 10, 2024 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Conestogo River Bridge (Site #35-134) on Hwy 9, located about 3 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. This single-span concrete rigid frame structure was constructed under Contract #1934-48 and was completed in 1934. Surprisingly, the Conestogo River crosses Hwy 9 no fewer than 5 times in the Arthur area. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Conestogo River Bridge on Hwy 9, located about 3 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. This was the last of 6 structures built by the DHO along Hwy 9 in the Arthur area during the first half of the 1930s. Five of the six structures crossed the Conestogo River. The DHO tendered a contract for "Arthur Bridge #10" in April 1934, with construction of the new bridge being completed later that year under Contract #1934-48. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Orangeville at the Conestogo River Bridge, located about 3 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. Concrete pavement was constructed along Hwy 9 from Arthur easterly for about 7 miles during 1933, under Contract #1932-47. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 9 towards Arthur at the Conestogo River Bridge, located about 3 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

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Right - View of the pedestrian sidewalk along the northern side of the Conestogo River Bridge on Hwy 9. It was typical practice at the time of this bridge's construction in the mid-1930s for the DHO to make provisions for a pedestrian sidewalk on at least one side of the structure, even in rural areas. Today, rural bridges are typically designed with wider shoulders instead of a pedestrian sidewalk, as these bridge designs better accommodate all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and oversized farm equipment. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Conestogo River Bridge (Site #35-133) on Hwy 9, located about 2 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. This single-span concrete rigid frame structure was constructed under Contract #1930-91 and was completed in 1931. In September 1930, a provincial construction contract was tendered to replace three bridges over the Conestogo River on the newly-assumed route of Hwy 9 immediately east of Arthur. This contract was awarded in the Fall of 1930, with all three bridges being completed during 1931. This bridge, originally known as "Arthur Bridge #4", was among the earliest concrete rigid frame bridges ever built in Ontario. The concrete rigid frame design is still widely used in Ontario today. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Orangeville at the Conestogo River Bridge, located about 2 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 9 towards Arthur at the Conestogo River Bridge, located about 2 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Hwy 9 bridge over the Conestogo River, located about 2 km east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. According to DHO records, this structure cost $7,728.00 to construct in 1931, the equivalent of about $150,000 in 2025 Dollars. Labour and construction material costs collapsed in the early 1930s as the economic effects of the Great Depression ravaged the world. Governments who made prudent investments in infrastructure at the time were able to get critical infrastructure projects such as this built at rock-bottom prices, with the added benefit of employing masses of people who became jobless due to the economic downturn. Even factoring for inflation, this structure originally cost roughly 5% of what it would cost to build this same structure today - a stark reminder of just how devastating the economic collapse and corresponding deflation spiral of the early 1930s actually was. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The Conestogo River crosses Hwy 9 once again about 650 metres east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. This beautiful closed-spandrel concrete arch bridge is one of the most attractive highway bridges in Southern Ontario. Like the neighbouring bridges on either side, the Conestogo River Arch Bridge (Arthur Bridge #5) was constructed under Contract #1930-91 and was completed in 1931. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the northern side of the Conestogo River Arch Bridge (Site #35-132) on Hwy 9 in Arthur. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Careful observers will note that faint traces of old black-and-white warning stripes are still visible on the ends of the bridge handrail of the Conestoga River Arch Bridge. Historically, the DHO would paint the exposed ends of bridge handrails such as this to make these roadside obstructions more apparent to approaching motorists. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Another view of the Conestogo River Arch Bridge's southern side, facing east towards Orangeville. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along Hwy 9 across the Conestogo River Arch Bridge, located about 650 metres east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east towards Orangeville along Hwy 9 at the Conestogo River Arch Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 24, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Another view of the Conestogo River Arch Bridge (Arthur Bridge #5) on Hwy 9. Closed-spandrel concrete arch bridges such as this one are relatively uncommon on the provincial highway system, with only a small number of them ever being built by the DHO. Most examples of this bridge design were constructed during the 1930s and 1940s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 18, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along Hwy 9 towards Orangeville at the Conestogo River Bridge, located immediately east of the Hwy 6 Junction in Arthur. Originally known as "Arthur Bridge #6", this single-span concrete rigid frame structure was constructed under Contract #1930-91 and was completed in 1931. This bridge featured a roadway deck width of 30 feet, and also included a pedestrian sidewalk along the northern side of the highway. During 1930, a 30-foot minimum curb-to-curb roadway width was adopted as a new standard for all provincial highway bridges. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 22, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Conestogo River Bridge on Hwy 9 in Arthur (Site #35-131). Like the nearby Conestogo River Bridge located about 1 km to the east, this bridge was also among the earliest concrete rigid frame bridges ever built in Ontario. This new bridge design was first introduced in 1931 and saw prolific use by the DHO in the ensuing decades due to its attractive design, economical construction costs and ease of supporting future highway widening/expansion. The fact that this bridge is still standing out on the highway 94 years after it was built (as of the time of writing in 2025) is ample proof of how durable these bridges really are! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 22, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern side of the Conestogo River Bridge on Hwy 9 in Arthur, located just east of the Hwy 6 Junction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 22, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)