Ontario Highway 17 Photographs - Page 19 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Overhead guide signs approaching the junction of Hwy 17, Hwy 17B and Hwy 550 in Sault Ste. Marie. Between this highway junction and the Hwy 11 Junction in Nipigon, Hwy 17 is signed by MTO as a north-south route. This overhead sign was installed by the City of Sault Ste. Marie and refers to Hwy 17 North, with "West" in brackets. This was done to provide additional guidance to motorists, since it may not be obvious to drivers that they actually have to turn north on Hwy 17 at Sault Ste. Marie in order to proceed west. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 17 towards the Root River Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 15, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 17 towards Sault Ste. Marie at the Root River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 15, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Western side of the Root River Bridge on Hwy 17. Structure completed in 1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 15, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Root River Bridge on Hwy 17 in Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 15, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The handrails of the Root River Bridge were originally painted green. However, the green paint has worn off over the years in some places. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on July 15, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Former alignment of Hwy 17 (MacIntyre Road) between Sault Ste. Marie and Heyden. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Root River Culvert on Old Hwy 17 (MacIntyre Road) near Heyden. Structure completed in 1944. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Close-up of the 1944 date stamp on the Root River Culvert on Old Hwy 17 (MacIntyre Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Eastern side of the Root River Culvert on Old Hwy 17 (MacIntyre Road) near Heyden. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 17 between Heyden and Goulais River, north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 17 at the Goulais River Bridge, north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Goulais River Bridge on Hwy 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie. Structure completed in 1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Bridge manufacturer's plaque on the Goulais River Bridge on Hwy 17. To my knowledge, this is the only steel truss bridge manufactured by Ardelt Industries Ltd. on a King's Highway. The Goulais River Bridge was part of a major highway realignment project, which saw about 12 km of Hwy 17 relocated north of Heyden. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 17 towards Sault Ste. Marie at the Goulais River Bridge. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 17 through the Goulais River Bridge. Since this steel through truss bridge was completed relatively recently, there is no height restriction at the bridge entrance. As trucks were allowed to travel with progressively higher loads on Ontario's highways, low bridge clearances became a collision hazard which doomed many of Ontario's earlier through truss bridges. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western side of the Goulais River Bridge on Hwy 17, north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Stokely Creek Bridge on Old Hwy 17 (Havilland Shores Road). This section of Hwy 17 was bypassed during a highway relocation project about 50 years ago. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Old Hwy 17 (Havilland Shores Road) at the Stokely Creek Bridge north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - The Stokely Creek Bridge was built in the mid-1930s by the Department of Northern Development, just before the road between Sault Ste. Marie and Batchawana Bay was taken over by the Department of Highways and designated as Hwy 17. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Considering its age, the Stokely Creek Bridge on Old Hwy 17 (Havilland Shores Road) has preserved remarkably well. This simple bridge design was used extensively during the construction of Northern Development Trunk Roads in the 1930s. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 17 towards Harmony Beach at the Havilland Bay Causeway. This newer diversion bypassed the original 1930s alignment of Hwy 17, which hugged the shoreline at the base of the cliff off to the right of this photo. The new causeway eliminated several sharp curves on the original highway's route. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Dusk over the Havilland Bay Causeway, north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on August 30, 2003 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Havilland Bay Causeway on Hwy 17, facing north towards Harmony Beach. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south along Hwy 17 across the Havilland Bay Causeway, north of Sault Ste. Marie. Traces of the original 1930s alignment of Hwy 17 can be seen departing to the right from the curve in the current highway. Originally, the highway followed the shoreline, but a new route for Hwy 17 was later blasted through the rocky outcrop beside Havilland Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Hwy 17 from the top of the Havilland Bay Rock Cut, facing south towards Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Looking north along Hwy 17 through the rock cut at Havilland Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Looking south along Hwy 17 through the rock cut Havilland Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - The old 1930s route of Hwy 17 re-emerges from the woods on the north side of the Havilland Bay Rock Cut. The old alignment of Hwy 17 is now a private road, which serves a number of homes that were built along the original highway out on the point. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Hwy 17 from the top of the Havilland Bay Rock Cut, facing north towards Harmony Beach. The notably mountainous terrain along the Lake Superior shoreline north of Sault Ste. Marie surprises many first-time visitors to the area, who are more accustomed to seeing the comparatively subdued shoreline terrain of Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 17 between Havilland Bay and Harmony Beach. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - View of Havilland Bay from Hwy 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 17 between Havilland Bay and Harmony Beach, north of Sault Ste. Marie. The spectacular shoreline highway from Sault Ste. Marie to Nipigon has many scenic vistas to offer. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 5, 2006 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 17 at the Harmony River Bridge. Structure completed in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Western side of the Harmony River Bridge on Hwy 17. This structure carries a diversion of Hwy 17 around the community of Harmony Beach. The former alignment of Hwy 17 runs directly through the small beach community. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing south along Hwy 17 at the Harmony River Bridge. The Harmony Beach Diversion was constructed in the early 1960s to allow high-speed through traffic to bypass the winding route of Hwy 17 through Harmony Beach. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Eastern side of the Harmony River Bridge on Hwy 17. Structure completed in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 1, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Harmony River Bridge on Old Hwy 17 (Harmony Beach Road). This timber trestle structure was completed in 1950. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Left - Facing south across the Harmony River Bridge on Old Hwy 17 (Harmony Beach Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)

Right - Facing north across the Harmony River Bridge on Old Hwy 17 (Harmony Beach Road). See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photograph taken on September 6, 2004 - © Cameron Bevers)