Queen Elizabeth Way Photographs - Page 17 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - View of the Queen Elizabeth Way approaching the Burlington Street Interchange (today's Nikola Tesla Boulevard) in 2007, facing northwest from the Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange in Hamilton. As part of the construction of the Red Hill Valley Parkway, a Niagara-bound sub-collector lane was built due to the close proximity of these two major interchanges. This sub-collector lane was still under construction when this photo was taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Diagrammatic overhead freeway guide sign approaching the northern terminus of the Red Hill Valley Parkway, shortly before opening in 2007. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Newly-constructed ramp from the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way to the southbound Red Hill Valley Parkway in Hamilton. Due to construction sequencing of the adjacent Burlington Street Interchange, this ramp was opened after the completion of the rest of the Red Hill Valley Parkway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along the Red Hill Valley Parkway at the merge of the exit ramps from Toronto-bound and Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards the Burlington Street Interchange from the Red Hill Valley Parkway Overpass in 2007. At the time this photo was taken, construction was still underway on the adjacent Burlington Street Interchange. The old 1950s-era overpass (Site #36-63) which carried Burlington Street across the Queen Elizabeth Way was still in place. This concrete box girder structure was built at part of the southern approach to the Burlington Beach Skyway under Contract #1957-18. When it was originally completed and opened to traffic in 1958, the structure carried the route of the first Hwy 55 (Beach Road) across the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Red Hill Valley Parkway Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way facing south, shortly before the parkway was opened to traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north across the Red Hill Valley Parkway Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Hamilton. Although the Red Hill Valley Parkway was a municipal freeway project, the parkway's interchange with the Queen Elizabeth Way was constructed by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) under Contract #2005-2008. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Overhead freeway guide signs for the new ramps to the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Red Hill Valley Parkway's northern terminus. This exit was designed with two lanes departing from the gore for each direction, with the approaching centre lane being an "either-or" lane. This type of ramp configuration generally has smoother traffic operations than those which have forced or dedicated lanes for each exit. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along the Red Hill Valley Parkway from the Queen Elizabeth Way Interchange in Hamilton. It isn't every day that one can photograph a brand new freeway from the top of the centre median barrier, so I took the opportunity to get this shot only a few days before the Red Hill Valley Parkway was scheduled to open to traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Red Hill Creek Bridge on the Red Hill Valley Parkway, facing south towards the Barton Street Interchange. The Red Hill Valley Parkway was constructed by the City of Hamilton from this structure southerly to the Lincoln Alexander Parkway. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in Hamilton from the Red Hill Valley Parkway Overpass. The exit ramp to Centennial Parkway at lower-left passes below the Red Hill Valley Parkway's on-ramp to the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 13, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Green guide sign for Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) at the Queen Elizabeth Way Interchange in Hamilton. Although the sign indicates that Hwy 20 goes north from here, the highway does actually end at this interchange. Up until the mid-1960s, however, Hwy 20 extended north all the way into Downtown Burlington. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the Queen Elizabeth Way from the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Overpass in Hamilton. When this photo was taken in May 2005, construction had just commenced on the new Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Northern terminus of Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) at the Queen Elizabeth Way Interchange in Hamilton. Historically, Hwy 20 continued north into Downtown Burlington across the "Beach Strip". With the completion of the Burlington Skyway in 1958, traffic had an alternate route to using Hwy 20 across the Beach Strip between Hamilton and Burlington. Provincial jurisdiction over Hwy 20 north of the Queen Elizabeth Way Interchange ceased in the 1960s, when about 6 miles of Hwy 20 via Van Wagner's Beach Road, Beach Boulevard and Lakeshore Road was transferred over to municipal control. The grade separation for the new flyover ramp to the Red Hill Valley Parkway had not been built yet when this photo was taken in 2005. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Site of the new flyover ramp from the Toronto-bound Queen Elizabeth Way to the Red Hill Valley Parkway in May 2005, during the initial stages of construction under Contract #2005-2008. This view is facing west from the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in Hamilton. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the northern interchange ramps for Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) in May 2005 at the start of construction. This view shows preparatory work required to relocate the north interchange ramps to permit construction of the new flyover ramp to the Red Hill Valley Parkway. The beleaguered Centennial Parkway Interchange has been reconfigured twice since it was first built in the mid-1970s, due to the design challenges of accommodating the proposed Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange's ramps. Today, the exit ramp to Centennial Parkway curves around the near-side of the hydro tower. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Oversized route marker sign marking the entrance ramp to the Queen Elizabeth Way at Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) in Hamilton. This is a "positive" version of the sign, where the sign's "QEW" lettering and crown outline are superimposed on the gold background. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 6, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Conversely, this "negative" version of the Queen Elizabeth Way route marker at the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange shows the "QEW" lettering cut out from within a solid blue crown. Both versions are in use along the highway, with the "negative" versions being more commonly seen today. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 6, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Grimsby from the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Overpass in 2005. As part of the Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange's construction, the Queen Elizabeth Way was expanded from six to eight lanes at Hwy 20. The highway was expanded from four to six lanes previously in 1992, under Contract #1992-46. Unlike Ontario's other freeways, the Queen Elizabeth Way was unique in that it was originally built in the 1930s as a four-lane divided highway without any access controls in place. Consequently, adjacent property owners could construct driveways out onto the new highway without any permits. Within a few years of the highway's completion, enterprising property owners established roadside businesses, fruit stands, motels, gas stations and other amenities for motorists using the new highway between Hamilton and Niagara Falls. Eventually, the Queen Elizabeth Way became proliferated with private entrances. Motorists using the highway had to constantly watch out for traffic slowing to turn into these entrances, or worse - slow traffic suddenly entering the highway from the entrances. By the 1960s, this situation became intolerable and the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) took action. The Queen Elizabeth Way was steadily converted into a true freeway with full access control between Hamilton and St. Catharines during the 1960s and early 1970s, when parallel service roads were built along with grade-separated crossings at all major roads. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on May 8, 2005 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Aerial view of the Queen Elizabeth Way and Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in 2006, facing west. At the time this photo was taken, the new flyover ramps to the Red Hill Valley Parkway were really beginning to take form. It may see hard to believe, but the Hwy 20 Interchange was originally built in the 1970s as a "Parclo A-4" configuration with sub-collector lanes. Due to design changes with the proposed Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange in the ensuing years, the old interchange design at Hwy 20 wasn't compatible. The interchange had to be retrofitted to the configuration which is in place today. The first changes to the Hwy 20 Interchange were made in 1992, when the North Service Road was linked directly to Hwy 20 and the north interchange ramps were converted from a "Parclo A-4" configuration to a "buttonhook" configuration. These ramps had to be relocated again in 2005-2006 in order to make way for the Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange, as seen in this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 3, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Aerial view of the Queen Elizabeth Way and Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in 2006, facing northwest towards the Beach Strip. From this vantage point, it is easy to see why the Beach Strip has formed such a strategic cut-off route for highways over the past century. The Department of Public Highways of Ontario assumed jurisdiction and control over the highway across the Beach Strip in May 1923. Known originally as Hwy 8A, this cut-off route was later renumbered as Hwy 20. The cut-off route across the Beach Strip was about 7 miles shorter and considerably faster than the route offered via Hwy 2, Hwy 6 and Hwy 8 through Downtown Hamilton. The Beach Strip was also earmarked for a high-level canal crossing as early as 1937, but competing construction priorities and shortages of structural steel caused by World War II delayed construction of the Burlington Skyway until the 1950s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 3, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) towards the Queen Elizabeth Way in Hamilton in 2006. This aerial photo shows the site of the infamous Stoney Creek Traffic Circle - a large 1930s-era rotary junction that was built at the intersection of the Queen Elizabeth Way and Hwy 20. The Stoney Creek Traffic Circle was replaced with a grade-separated interchange in the mid-1970s under Contract #1974-110. Click here to see a Historical 1970 Aerial Photo of the old Stoney Creek Traffic Circle shortly before it was replaced. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 3, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Burlington from the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in Hamilton in 2006. The partially-completed Red Hill Valley Parkway Interchange can be seen in the distance. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 6, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Queen Elizabeth Way facing east towards Grimsby from the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in Hamilton in 2006. The new entrance ramp from the Red Hill Valley Parkway to the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way was completed at the time this photo was taken, but it was in a staged configuration. Only traffic originating from Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) was using this on-ramp at the time. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on October 6, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in Hamilton from the Gray's Road Overpass. As part of the conversion of the Queen Elizabeth Way to a fully controlled-access freeway in the late 1960s, new service roads were built on either side of the divided highway in order to provide local access to properties whose driveways were severed from the highway. Prior to reconstruction of this section of the Queen Elizabeth Way in 1968-1969, the highway was absolutely littered with private driveways and other commercial entrances. In the early days of the Queen Elizabeth Way, these private entrances were not too troublesome as traffic volumes on the highway were low. However, as traffic volumes surged after World War II, these entrances and all of the cross-traffic which resulted from these various access points became quite hazardous. Given how busy the Queen Elizabeth Way has become today, it is almost unthinkable that there ever were any private driveways fronting onto this highway - but there were at one time, and many of them! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way, facing north. Up until 1969, Gray's Side Road (Wentworth County Road 45) crossed the Queen Elizabeth Way via an at-grade intersection. This was the location of one of many at-grade crossroads along the Queen Elizabeth Way between Hamilton and St. Catharines. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Grimsby from the Gray's Road Overpass. The overpass spans not only the Queen Elizabeth Way, but also the North and South Service Roads. A pair of connector roads link Gray's Road to the two service roads. Interestingly, the North and South Service Roads became one-way roadways west of the Gray's Road Connectors in the mid-1970s when they were linked through to the new Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange. The North Service Road carried Toronto-bound traffic only west of Gray's Road, while South Service Road carried Niagara-bound traffic only. Both service roads have since been converted to carry two-way traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (1969) and structure identification number (Site #36-203) on the Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south across the Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Hamilton. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This four-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #1968-50 and was completed in 1969. This was one of eight new grade separations built along the Queen Elizabeth Way between Stoney Creek and Grimsby in the late 1960s to remove at-grade intersections along the highway. The new service roads paralleling the highway were built to efficiently distribute local traffic onto the area's road network from three new highway interchanges located at Fruitland Road, Fifty Road and Ofield Road (today's Casablanca Boulevard). When the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange was built in 1974-1975, the North and South Service Roads effectively operated as a Collector Lane System. At one point, a transfer roadway existed here. The transfer allowed traffic on the South Service Road which originated from Hwy 20 to merge onto the through or "express" lanes of the Queen Elizabeth Way. Conversely, Toronto-bound traffic had to transfer onto the North Service Road in order to access Hwy 20. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Hamilton. For a number of years, Gray's Side Road and adjacent Lake Avenue were the most westerly (and final) at-grade intersections located along the Queen Elizabeth Way before reaching Toronto. All other at-grade intersections along the Queen Elizabeth Way between Stoney Creek and Toronto had been removed by 1960. Even the infamous Stoney Creek Traffic Circle (which was a rotary junction, rather than a crossroad intersection) was removed by the mid-1970s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Overhead bridge-mounted guide sign for Centennial Parkway and Red Hill Valley Parkway on the Gray's Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An older Freeway Traffic Management System (FTMS) sign on the Queen Elizabeth Way east of the Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway) Interchange in 2010, shortly before being removed from service. This FTMS sign was originally installed in the 1980s on the Toronto-bound Queen Elizabeth Way just north of the Beach Boulevard Interchange in Hamilton under Contract #1987-72. The sign was removed and relocated from Beach Boulevard to the Millen Road area under Contract #2002-2028. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on November 10, 2010 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The FTMS sign had a display matrix with space for 40 characters and could also display simple graphics. When this sign wasn't displaying various road safety messages, the FTMS sign served as a pre-advance exit guide sign for Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway). This sign was removed from service and replaced with a newer-generation "COMPASS" sign in 2011. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on March 1, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Decommissioned "flip-disc" FTMS sign from the 1980s at the MTO Winona Yard, after being removed from the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 12, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Close-up of the flip-disc mechanisms within the FTMS sign's housing. Although it is now an obsolete technology, these signs were actually quite clever. Each character space was comprised of a series of small plastic discs which could be mechanically flipped to an "on" position where it would display the fluorescent yellow side of the disc to form one pixel of a letter or character, or flipped to an "off" position where the darker side of the disc was displayed. With improvements in Light-Emitting Diode (LED) display technology, these flip-disc signs from the 1980s were superseded by newer-generation "COMPASS" electronic signs in recent decades. These new signs have a much sharper, high-resolution display and are visible in a variety of ambient light conditions. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 12, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Overhead exit guide sign for Fruitland Road on the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way. The former Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth used a three-digit route number for many of its regional roads, with the first number indicating the location of the road within the region. After the region was amalgamated as the "New" City of Hamilton in 2001, all of the former regional roads became city streets. The City of Hamilton now only signs a select number of roads (most of which are former King's Highways) in order to assist longer-distance motorists in way-finding. Other Hamilton-Wentworth regional road route numbers such as the one displayed here for Fruitland Road, are now obsolete. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on April 7, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Ground-mounted guide sign for Fruitland Road on the exit ramp from the Queen Elizabeth Way. Note that on this sign, the "4" prefix was dropped and thus Fruitland Road is shown as Regional Road 55 rather than Regional Road 455. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of the Fruitland Road Interchange on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Stoney Creek, facing west. Completed in 1969, this was the only full interchange built along the Queen Elizabeth Way under Contract #1968-50. This major highway reconstruction contract saw the Queen Elizabeth Way converted into to a fully controlled-access freeway from the Stoney Creek Traffic Circle's eastern approach to a point just east of Glover Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Fruitland Road Interchange was carefully landscaped, which was in keeping with the original vision for the Queen Elizabeth Way as a scenic parkway when it was first built in the 1930s. Instead of facing the daunting task of finding gaps in high-speed traffic at the old crossroad intersections, motorists could instead enter and exit the highway via new ramps with smooth, curved geometry and seamless merges. What a relief these new interchanges must have been to Queen Elizabeth Way motorists in the 1960s! See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of the on-ramps to the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way from the Fruitland Road Overpass. Note that the ramps are physically separated from the mainline through lanes of the highway until well beyond the interchange area. It seems that the DHO envisioned a localized Express-Collector Lane System through the interchanges between Stoney Creek and Grimsby, where the North and South Service Road would ultimately be fed through the underpasses rather than around them as they do today. The service roads would thus act as a short Collector Lane System through the interchange, with access to and from the freeway with transfer lanes on either side of the interchanges. Out of the four interchanges built between Stoney Creek and Grimsby (Hwy 20, Fruitland Road, Fifty Road and Ofield Road (today's Casablanca Boulevard), only the Hwy 20 Interchange was ever implemented with this ultimate ramp configuration. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Grimsby from the Fruitland Road Overpass. In response to growing traffic volumes and international trade with the United States, this section of the Queen Elizabeth Way through Stoney Creek from Gray's Road to Fruitland Road was expanded from four to six lanes in the early 1990s, under Contract #1993-85. As part of the highway's reconstruction, a new composite pavement structure consisting of a concrete base and a hot-mix asphalt top course was built. Prior to reconstruction, the highway's old concrete surface which was laid back in 1940 was simply topped up with asphalt over the years. It was never originally designed as a composite pavement structure. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north across the Fruitland Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This 1960s-era structure was rehabilitated under Contract #2012-2036. The old DHO "double rail" parapet walls were replaced with solid concrete barrier walls after this photo was taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Fruitland Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This four-span concrete girder structure was completed in 1969. Like the overpass structures at Hwy 20 (Centennial Parkway), Fifty Road and Casablanca Boulevard Interchanges, the Fruitland Road structure was designed to accommodate a future Express-Collector Lane System. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south across the Fruitland Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. When this interchange was first built in 1968-1969, Fruitland Road came to an end at the South Service Road. The road did not continue south to connect with Hwy 8 until several years later. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Winona Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way east of Stoney Creek. This four-span concrete girder structure was built under Contract #1968-136 and was completed in 1969. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (1969) and structure identification number (Site #36-207) on the Winona Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north across the Winona Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. Prior to the completion of this grade separation in 1969, Winona Road crossed the Queen Elizabeth Way at a signalized at-grade intersection. Traffic signals were installed at this intersection back in 1940, along with another set of traffic signals at Stoney Creek Road (Lake Avenue). Interestingly, the Lake Avenue traffic signals were eventually removed, which left Winona Road as the only signalized intersection along the Queen Elizabeth Way between Grimsby and Stoney Creek. This is somewhat counterintuitive, as a freeway interchange was never built at Winona Road. Rather, traffic from Winona Road had to utilize the adjacent Fruitland Road or Fifty Road Interchanges in order to access the Queen Elizabeth Way. This was done to optimize interchange spacing. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the South Service Road and Queen Elizabeth Way from the Winona Road Overpass. On the left side of the Queen Elizabeth Way, the small Winona Truck Scale can be seen. This was one of several truck scales built along the Queen Elizabeth Way during the 1940s. Sadly, the original Winona Truck Scale House from 1940 was demolished shortly before I photographed this area. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Queen Elizabeth Way at Winona Road, facing west towards Hamilton. This section of the Queen Elizabeth Way from just east of Glover Road to the western approach to Grimsby was reconstructed as a fully controlled-access freeway under Contract #1968-136. Under that contract, new service roads were built along both sides of the Queen Elizabeth Way, along with two new interchanges at Fifty Road and Ofield Road (today's Casablanca Boulevard). Grade separations were also built at Oakes Road and Winona Road as part of this reconstruction contract. The arrow-straight alignment of the Queen Elizabeth Way down the Niagara Peninsula is not a coincidence. Although many possible routes for the Queen Elizabeth Way were explored by DHO during the 1930s, the route ultimately selected offered the shortest possible route between Hamilton and St. Catharines. Not only did this shortened route economize on construction costs, but it also ensured that the new motorway would be well-utilized. Prior to the completion of the Queen Elizabeth Way, Hwy 8 between Hamilton and St. Catharines was among Ontario's most congested King's Highways. Not only did Hwy 8 pass though several town centres, it was also plagued by poor geometry, steep grades and very limited passing opportunities. By constructing the new motorway more or less parallel to Hwy 8, the DHO ensured that long-distance through traffic would be attracted to use the new four-lane highway rather than use Hwy 8. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Bridge-mounted overhead exit guide sign for the Fifty Road Interchange on the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way. An auxiliary lane exists between the Winona Truck Scale and the Fifty Road exit, so this sign accurately depicts the upcoming ramp to Fifty Road as a "force-off" exit lane. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Grimsby from the Winona Road Overpass. This view has changed a lot in recent years. The area around the Fifty Road Interchange has become quite urbanized since I took this photo in 2011. A shopping centre now stands on the site of the truck stop along the southern side of the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south across the Winona Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. The Niagara Escarpment in the background is a prominent natural landmark in the Grimsby area. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Eastern side of the Winona Road Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. Like the nearby overpasses at Fruitland Road and Gray's Road, this 1960s-era overpass was rehabilitated under Contract #2012-2036. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An older Queen Elizabeth Way guide sign at the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange in Grimsby. Most signs along the freeway today now feature the "QEW" abbreviation for Queen Elizabeth Way enclosed in a white crown, similar to the crown used on other 400-Series Highways. Guide signs which mark the freeway as "QEW" in lettering only are now becoming very uncommon. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south across the Casablanca Boulevard Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This was one of several new interchanges built along the Queen Elizabeth Way between Hamilton and St. Catharines during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Casablanca Boulevard was originally known as Ofield Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Casablanca Boulevard (Ofield Road) Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This four-span concrete beam structure was built under Contract #1968-136 and was completed in 1969. Previously, Ofield Road crossed the Queen Elizabeth Way at an at-grade intersection a short distance east of the current overpass location. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Hamilton from the Casablanca Boulevard Overpass. The Queen Elizabeth Way was originally constructed through this area in the late 1930s as a four-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections. In the late 1960s, the Queen Elizabeth Way was reconstructed as a fully controlled-access freeway with interchanges and grade separations at major crossing roads between Hamilton and Grimsby. This section of the Queen Elizabeth Way from a point just east of Fruitland Road to just west of Casablanca Boulevard was expanded from four to six lanes in the mid-1990s, under Contract #1995-45. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north across the Casablanca Boulevard Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This 1960s-era structure was rehabilitated under Contract #2013-2040. The old DHO "double rail" parapet walls were replaced with solid concrete barrier walls after this photo was taken. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Another vintage Queen Elizabeth Way guide sign at the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The entrance ramps at the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange connect prior to merging with the Queen Elizabeth Way. This is the typical layout of all interchanges along the Queen Elizabeth Way west of Grimsby. This view is facing west towards Hamilton along the Toronto-bound entrance ramps. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - General view of the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange on the Queen Elizabeth Way, facing northwest from the Niagara-bound entrance ramp. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards St. Catharines from the Casablanca Boulevard Overpass. Grading contracts for the construction of the proposed dual highway between Hamilton and Niagara Falls were tendered in the Spring of 1937. The first 10 miles of the new divided highway from the Hwy 20 Junction near Stoney Creek to Grimsby were constructed under Contract #1937-66. About 70% of the grading was completed by the end of 1937. The highway was opened to traffic between Hwy 20 near Stoney Creek and Jordan Harbour in 1938, but the highway was only gravel-surfaced at first. Concrete pavement was completed for a distance of 5 miles along the Queen Elizabeth Way from east of the Stoney Creek Traffic Circle easterly to the Winona area and for an additional 5 miles on the approaches to Grimsby during the Summer of 1940 under Contracts #1940-84 and #1940-85, respectively. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (1969) and structure identification number (Site #18-196) on the Casablanca Boulevard Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - An older Queen Elizabeth Way guide sign at the Niagara-bound ramp entrance at the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange. This interchange had no shortage of older signs at the time I photographed the interchange in 2011, but all were replaced with updated signs during subsequent reconstruction projects. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Emergency ramp closure gate on the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Casablanca Boulevard Interchange. Note the old advisory "Ramp Speed 40" sign in the background. Signs such as this one have been superseded with newer advisory speed signs with the numerical speed only and no additional text. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north across the Christie Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This is one of three overpass structures at the "Grimsby Diamond" - an elongated diamond-configuration interchange which provides access between the Queen Elizabeth Way and three of Grimsby's surface streets. The interchange replaced a complex series of on-and-off-ramps through Grimsby which dated back to the Queen Elizabeth Way's initial construction in the late 1930s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Date stamp (1973) and structure identification number (Site #18-12) on the Christie Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This structure replaced the Patton Street Overpass, which was an overhead crossing of the Queen Elizabeth Way that once stood at his location. The Patton Street Overpass was constructed at the same time as the new motorway through the Grimsby area. Completed in 1938, it was one of four grade separations built to carry local streets over the Queen Elizabeth Way through Grimsby and nearby Grimsby Beach. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way from the Christie Street Overpass. Immediately east of Christie Street, the Queen Elizabeth Way crosses 40 Mile Creek. This creek passes through the Grimsby Diamond between Christie Street and Ontario Street. Compare this view of the Queen Elizabeth Way to in 2011 to this view of the Historical 1941 Photo of the Queen Elizabeth Way taken from the same location 70 years earlier. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Christie Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way, facing south towards Downtown Grimsby. The Christie Street Overpass crosses the Queen Elizabeth Way almost perpendicularly, whereas the former Patton Street Overpass crossed the highway at a considerable skew. The alignment of the old Patton Street Overpass greatly complicated construction of the Grimsby Diamond during the 1970s, as Patton Street had to be fully closed to traffic during the construction of the new Christie Street Overpass. The new bridge at Christie Street could not be built until the old Patton Street Overpass was demolished. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Another vintage Queen Elizabeth Way guide sign on Christie Street at the Grimsby Diamond Interchange. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Toronto-bound Queen Elizabeth Way entrance ramp at the Grimsby Diamond, facing west from Christie Street. This two-lane entrance ramp narrows down to a single lane before merging with the Queen Elizabeth Way. The Grimsby Diamond is a unique interchange design on the provincial highway system. It was constructed under Contract #1972-117 and was completed in the Fall of 1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way exit ramp at the Grimsby Diamond, facing west from Christie Street. This ramp diverges from the Queen Elizabeth Way as a single-lane ramp but then widens out to two lanes before the ramp terminal. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching Christie Street on the Niagara-bound exit ramp from the Queen Elizabeth Way. Out of the six intersections which comprise the Grimsby Diamond, the south ramp terminal at Christie Street is the only signalized intersection. The other five intersections are under Stop-control, with the Stop signs facing ramp traffic. Traffic heading for Ontario Street and Maple Avenue can continue straight ahead beyond Christie Street via the one-way ramp through the Grimsby Diamond. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Hamilton from the Christie Street Overpass in Grimsby. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Eastern side of the Christie Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. This two-span post-tensioned concrete structure was constructed under Contract #1972-117 and was completed in 1973. This structure was rehabilitated under Contract #2013-2040, which included the removal of the old DHO "double rail" parapet walls. Solid concrete barrier walls were installed on the bridge during reconstruction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Southern side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way approaching Ontario Street. During the highway's reconstruction through Grimsby in the early 1970s, traffic on the Queen Elizabeth Way was temporarily diverted onto the Grimsby Diamond ramps, which at least partly explains why the diamond has two continuous traffic lanes in each direction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Queen Elizabeth Way from the Ontario Street Overpass, facing west towards the 40 Mile Creek Bridge and the Christie Street Overpass. Careful observers will note that the Niagara-bound lanes of the highway are slightly curved. This was the end result of the traffic staging required to replace the original 40 Mile Creek Bridges when the highway was expanded from four to six lanes in the mid-1990s. Traffic was diverted on the Niagara-bound side of the highway temporarily while the original 40 Mile Creek Bridges from 1938 were being replaced. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western side of the Ontario Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way (Site #18-14). All three street crossings at the Grimsby Diamond (Christie Street, Ontario Street & Maple Avenue) are two-span post-tensioned concrete structures which were all completed in 1973. However, due to construction sequencing, the Ontario Street structure was the last of the three overpasses at Grimsby to be replaced. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing west on the southern side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Christie Street from Ontario Street. Although it isn't visible in this photo, the south diamond ramp passes over 40 Mile Creek near Christie Street via a large concrete barrel arch culvert. Up until the 1970s, traffic could either enter of exit the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way at this location from a pair of ramps which once existed at Elizabeth Street. However, these ramps were closed and removed as part of the construction of the Grimsby Diamond in 1972-1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north across the Ontario Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. The sequence of construction activities at the Grimsby Diamond was actually very complicated. Since traffic on the Queen Elizabeth Way had to be temporarily staged through the Grimsby Diamond ramps, the ramps were always operated as one-way roads. In order to maintain traffic to the northern part of Grimsby, the old Ontario Street structure had to remain open until fairly late in the reconstruction contract. Accordingly, this was the last of the old Queen Elizabeth Way overpasses at Grimsby to be replaced in 1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Grimsby Diamond, facing east from the Ontario Street Overpass. The structure carrying the final crossing road at the Grimsby Diamond (Maple Avenue) can be seen in the background. This Historical 1939 Photo shows the Queen Elizabeth Way through Grimsby, facing east along the Niagara-bound lanes approaching Patton Street. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south towards Downtown Grimsby at the Ontario Street Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. The overpass was rehabilitated under Contract #2013-2011. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching Maple Avenue on the southern side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way. The old 1930s-era traffic interchange at Grimsby which existed here previously was quite odd. Elizabeth Street once connected to both the Toronto-bound and Niagara-bound sides of the highway between Patton Street and Ontario Street, which permitted "all moves" access to Grimsby. Robinson Street connected to the Niagara-bound side of the highway only between Ontario Street and Maple Avenue. In addition, there was a "diamond" configuration ramp which existed to the northwest of the Ontario Street Overpass, which linked to the Toronto-bound ramps at Elizabeth Street. Ontario Street also had a very compact "Parclo A-2" interchange configuration in the northeast quadrant, which allowed "all moves" access to the Toronto-bound side of the highway. However, motorists on the Niagara-bound side of the Queen Elizabeth Way had to use the ramps at either Elizabeth Street or Robinson Street in order to reach Ontario Street or Maple Avenue. To simplify signing, the exits via Elizabeth Street and Robinson Street were simply signed as "Grimsby" in the early days of the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south across the Maple Avenue Overpass (Site #18-15) on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This dual post-tensioned concrete structure was originally constructed as two separate parts, with the southbound side of the bridge (Site #18-15/2) at right being constructed first. The northbound side of the structure (Site #18-15/1) at left couldn't be constructed until the old 1938 Maple Avenue Overpass was demolished. The two other overpasses at the Grimsby Diamond (Christie Street and Ontario Street) were built as single structures, as they were constructed at a time when the crossing streets were fully closed to traffic. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards St. Catharines from the Maple Avenue Overpass in Grimsby. Up until the early 1970s, another historical 1930s-era overpass existed at nearby Park Road at Grimsby Beach. However, the Park Road Interchange was permanently closed to traffic when a new adjacent interchange was built at Bartlett Avenue. The old Park Road structure was partially demolished in 1973, with the remnants merely backfilled underneath the current route of the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - On-ramp to the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way at the Grimsby Diamond, facing east towards St. Catharines. Although the right-hand lane of the diamond ramp ends prior to the merge, these were both continuous lanes at one point. Due to construction sequencing, all Queen Elizabeth Way traffic was forced off of the highway via the Grimsby Diamond ramps during some stages of the highway's reconstruction in the early 1970s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north across the Maple Avenue Overpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This structure was rehabilitated under Contract #2013-2040. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing west along the southern side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Ontario Street from Maple Avenue. At one time, traffic could either enter of exit the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way at this location from a pair of ramps which once existed at Robinson Street. However, these ramps were closed and removed as part of the construction of the Grimsby Diamond in 1972-1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Oversized route marker sign directing traffic to the Niagara-bound Queen Elizabeth Way at Maple Avenue in Grimsby. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - View of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way, facing west towards Hamilton from the Maple Avenue Overpass. The other two structures at Ontario Street and Christie Street can be seen in the background. There is no trace today of the former entrance and exit ramps that once existed at Robinson Street, which carried traffic into and out of Grimsby between the late 1930s and early 1970s. The partial cloverleaf on the northern side of the highway was also obliterated during the construction of the Grimsby Diamond in 1972-1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Approaching Ontario Street along the northern side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way. Up until the 1970s, a three-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange existed at Ontario Street on the Toronto-bound side of the highway. The ramps in the northeast quadrant of the Ontario Street Interchange were in a "Parclo A-2" configuration, while the single northwest quadrant ramp was in a diamond configuration. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Grimsby Diamond, facing west at Maple Avenue. The two Stop-controlled ramp terminal intersections at Maple Avenue and Ontario Street can be seen in this photo. In order to reach Christie Street, traffic must continue straight ahead and cross through both of these intersections. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing east along the Toronto-bound (north) side of the Grimsby Diamond on the Queen Elizabeth Way. With its vintage 1970s-era truss luminaires still in place, the Grimsby Diamond is certainly a throwback to an earlier era of Ontario freeway design. Interestingly, the entire length of the Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to Niagara Falls was illuminated in the early 1940s, but the illumination system was soon turned off as an energy conservation measure during the darkest days of World War II. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Above - A newer Queen Elizabeth Way route marker on the ramp at the Grimsby Diamond. This sign is positioned along the north diamond ramp between the intersections of Maple Avenue and Ontario Street. While the location of this sign on a ramp may seem puzzling to observers at first, it's quite probable that the sign was installed as a mainline reassurance marker when traffic was staged through the ramps of the Grimsby Diamond during the reconstruction of the various interchanges through Grimsby in 1972-1973 and wasn't removed following construction. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Approaching Ontario Street on the north ramp at the Grimsby Diamond. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Bartlett Avenue towards the dual underpass structures at the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. The Bartlett Avenue Interchange was constructed in the early 1970s under Contract #1972-164, in order to replace the outdated Grimsby Beach Interchange at Park Road. The old Park Road Interchange was built in 1938, as part of the initial construction of the Queen Elizabeth Way. This Historical 1939 Photo shows the original Grimsby Beach Road Interchange on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Northern side of the Bartlett Avenue Underpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby. This two-span concrete girder structure was completed in 1973. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View below the twin underpass structures carrying the Toronto-bound and Niagara-bound lanes of the Queen Elizabeth Way at Bartlett Avenue. Note the newer portions of the structures adjacent to the highway median, which were constructed in the 1990s when the Queen Elizabeth Way was expanded from four to six lanes under Contract #1996-0000. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Date stamp (1973) and structure identification number (Site #18-211) on the Bartlett Avenue Underpass on the Queen Elizabeth Way. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Bartlett Avenue towards the dual underpass structures carrying the Queen Elizabeth Way. As originally constructed in the 1970s. the south ramp terminal at the Bartlett Avenue Interchange was in a diamond configuration. The ramps were reconfigured to a pair of "buttonhook" ramps from the South Service Road under a municipal reconstruction project which took place in 2008. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on June 30, 2011 - © Cameron Bevers)