Ontario Highway 103
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Location | |||||||
Country | Canada | ||||||
Province | Ontario | ||||||
Divisions | Simcoe County, Muskoka District | ||||||
Highway system | |||||||
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King's Highway 103, commonly referred to as Highway 103, was a
Route description
Highway 103 followed much of the route that Highway 400 now takes between Highway 12 at Coldwater and the former Highway 69 junction (Exit 189) south of
History
Highway 103 was first designated during World War II as a stub route of Highway 12 from Waubaushene to Port Severn. The 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi) highway was assumed on July 19, 1944.[2] The original routing until the late 1950s followed what is now Pine Street, Coldwater Road and Duck Bay Road through Waubaushene. After crossing Matchedash Bay, the route turned onto Quarry Road, then turned north and followed what is now the northbound lanes of Highway 400 straight into Port Severn. It turned west along Port Severn Road across the Trent–Severn Waterway and ended at Lone Pine Road. The entire route was gravel surfaced.[6][7] Beginning in 1956,
When Ontario signed the Trans-Canada Highway Agreement on April 25, 1950, it had already chosen a Central Ontario routing via Waubaushene and Parry Sound;[9] Highway 17 through the Ottawa Valley was announced as a provincially-funded secondary route of the TCH the following day.[10] The route of Highway 103 was chosen as a jump-off point to connect the two places. Tenders for building the approximately 40-kilometre (25 mi) extension from Port Severn to Highway 69 at Foot's Bay were called on September 25, 1953, and included bypasses of Waubaushene and Port Severn.[11] Construction was underway by the following year.[12] The new paved Highway 103 was open by September 1958,[13] although the complex three-bridge Port Severn Bypass did not open until the following spring.[14] The old portions of the route through Waubaushene and Port Severn were transferred to Tay Township on January 29, 1959.[15]
In order to provide better route continuity for motorists travelling from Toronto to Sudbury, several highways were renumbered in the Muskoka area on May 15, 1976. The section of Highway 69 between Foot's Bay and its southern terminus of Highway 12 at
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 103, as noted by the
Division | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orillia | Beginning of Highway 12 concurrency between 1965 and 1968[1] | ||||
Waubaushene | 8.9 | 5.5 | Highway 12 north – Midland | End of Highway 12 concurrency, 1965 to 1968[1] | |
Port Severn | 14.8 | 9.2 | Port Severn Cutoff | ||
Muskoka | 17.2 | 10.7 | Highway 501 (Honey Harbour Road) | Now District Road 5[5] | |
Highway 660 | |||||
56.6 | 35.2 | Highway 612 | |||
Foot's Bay | 58.3 | 36.2 | Highway 69 – Gravenhurst, Parry Sound | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b c d e A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969. Ontario Department of Highways. 1970. pp. 107–108.
- ^ a b "Appendix No. 3 – Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections of the King's Highway System for the Fiscal Year". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1945. p. 61. Retrieved April 12, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Public and Safety Information Branch (April 14, 1976). "Toronto–Sudbury Highways to be Renumbered" (Press release). Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
- ^ a b Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Cartography Section. Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 1974. § F–G22.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
- ^ Hunting Survey Corporation Limited (1954). "1954 Air Photos of Southern Ontario – 447.793". University of Toronto Map and Data Library. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by J.W. Whitelaw. Ontario Department of Public Highways. 1946. § N32. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
- ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by C.P. Robins. Ontario Department of Highways. 1956. § Q33.
- ProQuest 1291203460.
- ProQuest 1291386930.
- ProQuest 1287220734.
- ProQuest 1289529660.
- ^ "May Hike Limits". The Ottawa Citizen. September 6, 1958. p. 28. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1959. p. 106.
Paving was completed on Highway 103 from Waubaushene to Footes Bay except for one mile in the vicinity of Port Severn where three bridges are being constructed under contract 57-85. It is expected that this Port Severn By-pass will be opened early in the summer of 1959.
- ^ "Appendix No. 3B - Schedule of Reversions of Sections of the King's Highway and Secondary Road Systems for the Fiscal Year". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1959. p. 240. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
External links
- Approximate former route of Highway 103 on Google Maps. Note that this routing is not exact; in several locations, the highway followed roads which are now residential or local in nature and cannot be directly accessed from the current Highway 400 route.