Ontario Highway 103
{{good article}}
{{short description|Former Ontario provincial highway}}
{{Infobox road
|province = ON
|type = Hwy
|route = 103
|maint = the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
|map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Ontario Highway 103}}}}
|map_custom = yes
|map_notes = {{legend0|#FF0000|Highway{{nbsp}}103}} {{legend0|#AAAA00|1944–1958 route}} {{legend0|#00007F|Highway{{nbsp}}12 concurrency (1965-1973)}}
|map_alt = Map of Ontario Highway 103 as well as surrounding roads and places
|alternate_name =
|length_km = 58.3
|established = July{{nbsp}}11, 1944
|decommissioned = May{{nbsp}}15, 1976
|direction_a = South
|terminus_a = {{jcon|Hwy|69}} in Foot's Bay
|direction_b = North
|terminus_b = {{jcon|Hwy|12}} in Waubaushene
|junction =
|divisions = Simcoe County, Muskoka District
|previous_type = ON
|previous_route = 102
|next_type = ON
|next_route = 105
|browse = {{ON former|next=104}}
}}
King's Highway 103, commonly referred to as Highway 103, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the District Municipality of Muskoka and Simcoe County, the highway extended from Highway 12 at Waubaushene to Highway 69 at Foot's Bay. Established in 1944, it was originally a short gravel highway connecting Waubaushene to Port Severn. In 1950 it was chosen as the future route of the Trans-Canada Highway and extended to Foot's Bay. It existed until 1976, when a series of renumberings eliminated the designation, replacing it with Highway{{nbsp}}69; Highway 400 has since been built over the majority of the former route.
Route description
Highway{{nbsp}}103 followed much of the route that Highway{{nbsp}}400 now takes between Highway{{nbsp}}12 at Coldwater and the former Highway{{nbsp}}69 junction (Exit 189) south of Mactier. From there it followed what is now the east-west section of Lake Joseph Road to Foot's Bay, where it ended what was Highway 69, later Highway 169, and is presently Muskoka District Road{{nbsp}}169 and the north-south section of Lake Joseph Road. Between Highway 400 and Foot's Bay, it is now designated as both Lake Joseph Road and Muskoka District Road 169.{{cite map
| title = Ontario Back Road Atlas
| year = 2010
| publisher = Peter Heiler
| cartography = MapArt
| pages = 41, 57
| section = T29–Y30, K15
| isbn = 978-1-55198-226-7}}
Between Coldwater and Waubaushene, the route was concurrent with Highway{{nbsp}}12 for a brief period in the mid-1960s. From there, it crossed over Matchedash Bay and circled around the south and eastern shoreline of Sturgeon Bay to Port Severn. North of Port Severn, the route travelled through wilderness within the District of Muskoka for {{convert|38|km|mi|0}}. At Foot's Bay, it encountered Highway{{nbsp}}69, which continued east to Highway 11 in Gravenhurst and north to Parry Sound and Sudbury.{{cite map
| title = Ontario Road Map
| cartography = Cartography Section
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
| year = 1974
| section = F–G22}}
History
Highway{{nbsp}}103 was first designated during {{nowrap|World War II}} as a stub route of Highway{{nbsp}}12 from Waubaushene to Port Severn. The {{convert|10.3|km}} highway was assumed on July{{nbsp}}19, 1944.{{cite report
| title = Annual Report
| publisher = Department of Highways
| date = March 31, 1945
| section = Appendix No. 3 – Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections of the King's Highway System for the Fiscal Year
| page = 61
| url = https://archive.org/details/n04ontariosession78ontauoft/page/n761/mode/2up
| access-date = April 12, 2021
| via = Internet Archive}}
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{{nbsp}}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.{{cite web
| title = 1954 Air Photos of Southern Ontario – 447.793
| author = Hunting Survey Corporation Limited
| website = University of Toronto Map and Data Library
| year = 1954
| url = https://mdl.library.utoronto.ca/collections/air-photos/1954-air-photos-southern-ontario/index
| access-date = April 12, 2021}}{{cite map
| title = Ontario Road Map
| cartography = J.W. Whitelaw
| publisher = Ontario Department of Public Highways
| year = 1946
| section = N32
| url = http://ao.minisisinc.com/SCRIPTS/MWIMAIN.DLL/118023113/IMAGES_WEB_ADD/IREFCODE/RG~2014-100-0-0-22?JUMP
| access-date = January 31, 2021
| via = Archives of Ontario}}
Beginning in 1956, Highway 501 continued west to Honey Harbour.{{cite map
| title = Ontario Road Map
| cartography = C.P. Robins
| publisher = Ontario Department of Highways
| year = 1956
| section = Q33}}
When Ontario signed the Trans-Canada Highway Agreement on April{{nbsp}}25, 1950, it had already chosen a Central Ontario routing via Waubaushene and Parry Sound;{{cite news
| title = Six Sign Road Pact After Ontario Given Concession
| first = Warren | last = Baldwin
| publisher = The Globe and Mail
| date = April 25, 1950
| page = 1
| id = {{ProQuest|1291203460}}}}
Highway 17 through the Ottawa Valley was announced as a provincially-funded secondary route of the {{abbr|TCH|Trans-Canada Highway}} the following day.{{cite news
| title = Highway No. 17 Secondary Link Of Trans-Canada
| publisher = The Globe and Mail
| date = April 26, 1950
| page = 7
| id = {{ProQuest|1291386930}}}}
The route of Highway{{nbsp}}103 was chosen as a jump-off point to connect the two places. Tenders for building the approximately {{convert|40|km|adj=on}} extension from Port Severn to Highway{{nbsp}}69 at Foot's Bay were called on September{{nbsp}}25, 1953, and included bypasses of Waubaushene and Port Severn.{{cite news
| title = Link to Eliminate Troublesome Kink
| publisher = The Globe and Mail
| date = September 26, 1953
| page = 2
| id = {{ProQuest|1287220734}}}}
Construction was underway by the following year.{{cite news
| title = Barrie to Footes Bay: Plan Road to Vacation Area
| publisher = The Globe and Mail
| date = September 2, 1954
| page = 1
| id = {{ProQuest|1289529660}}}}
The new paved Highway{{nbsp}}103 was open by September 1958,{{cite news
| title = May Hike Limits
| work = The Ottawa Citizen
| date = September 6, 1958
| page = 28
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75659343/may-hike-limits/
| access-date = April 13, 2021
| via = Newspapers.com}}
although the complex three-bridge Port Severn Bypass did not open until the following spring.{{cite report
| title = Annual Report
| publisher = Department of Highways
| date = March 31, 1959
| page = 106
| quote = 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.}}
The old portions of the route through Waubaushene and Port Severn were transferred to Tay Township on January{{nbsp}}29, 1959.{{cite report
| title = Annual Report
| publisher = Department of Highways
| date = March 31, 1959
| section = Appendix No. 3B - Schedule of Reversions of Sections of the King's Highway and Secondary Road Systems for the Fiscal Year
| page = 240
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UXxOAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Jan+.+29+%2F+59+Jan+.+29+%2F+59+11+88%22
| access-date = April 13, 2021}}
In order to provide better route continuity for motorists travelling from Toronto to Sudbury, several highways were renumbered in the Muskoka area on May{{nbsp}}15, 1976. The section of Highway{{nbsp}}69 between Foot's Bay and its southern terminus of Highway{{nbsp}}12 at Brechin was redesignated as Highway 169, while the entirety of Highway{{nbsp}}103 was renumbered to form the new southern portion of Highway{{nbsp}}69.{{cite press release
| title = Toronto–Sudbury Highways to be Renumbered
| author = Public and Safety Information Branch
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation and Communications
| date = April 14, 1976}}
The entirety of the former route (with the exception of the east-west section of Lake Joseph Road/Muskoka Road 169 west of Foot's Bay) has now been superseded by Highway{{nbsp}}400.
Major intersections
{{ONinttop|maint=Ontario Department of Highways|former=yes|length_ref={{cite book
| title = A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969
| publisher = Ontario Department of Highways
| year = 1970
| pages = 107–108}}|append=The route is documented as it existed in 1968.}}
{{ONint
| division = Simcoe
| dspan = 3
| location = Coldwater
| km = 0.0
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|12|dir=south|city=Orillia}}
| notes = Beginning of Highway 12 concurrency between 1965 and 1968
}}
{{ONint
| location = Waubaushene
| km = 8.9
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|12|dir=north|town=Midland}}
| notes = End of Highway 12 concurrency, 1965 to 1968
}}
{{ONint
| location = Port Severn
| lspan = 2
| km = 14.8
| road = Port Severn Cutoff
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| division = Muskoka
| dspan = 4
| km = 17.2
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|501|Honey Harbour Road}}
}}
{{ONint
| location = Georgian Bay
| lspan = 2
| km = 39.9
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|660}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 56.6
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|612}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Foot's Bay
| km = 58.3
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|69|town=Gravenhurst|town2=Parry Sound}}
| notes =
}}
{{jctbtm}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{attached KML|display=title, inline}}
- [https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/45.12991,-79.74228/44.747957,-79.703218/@44.9511931,-79.9722287,68732m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!4m4!1m1!4e1!1m1!4e1?hl=en 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.
{{Ontario King's Highways}}