Ontario Highway 103

King's Highway 103, commonly referred to as Highway 103, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Muskoka District, the highway extended from Highway 12 at Waubaushene to Highway 69 at Foot's Bay. Opened in 1944, the highway existed until 1976, when a series of renumberings eliminated the designation, replacing it with Highway 69; Highway 400 has since been built over the majority of this former route.

Highway 103
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length58.3 km[1] (36.2 mi)
Existed1944–May 15, 1976[2]
Major junctions
South end Highway 69 in Foot's Bay
North end Highway 12 in Waubaushene
Location
DivisionsSimcoe, Muskoka
Highway system
← Highway 102Highway 105 →
Former provincial highways
  Highway 104  →

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 Mactier. From there it followed what is now Lake Joseph Road to Foot's Bay, where it met what became Highway 169, now known as Muskoka District Road 169.[3][4]

Between Coldwater and Waubaushene, the route was concurrent with Highway 12 for a brief period in the mid-1960s.[1] From there, it crossed over Matchedash Bay and circled around the south and eastern shoreline of Sturgeon Bay to Port Severn. From there, the route travelled through was then a barren wilderness for 38 kilometres (24 mi) within the District of Muskoka. At Foot's Bay, the route encountered Highway 69, which continued east to Highway 11 in Gravenhurst and north to Sudbury.[3]

History

Highway 103 was first designated during the Second World War, providing access from Highway 12 at Waubaushene to Port Severn. The highway was 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi) in length for its first decade of existence. During the mid-1950s, the highway was extended north to Foot's Bay to connect with Highway 69. This 36.0-kilometre (22.4 mi) extension was open by May 1958,[5] and the entirety of the route was designated as Highway 69 on May 15, 1976, concurrently with Highway 69's earlier routing from Foot's Bay to Brechin being redesignated as Highway 169.[2] The entirety of the former route has now been superseded by the northward extension of Highway 400.[4]

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 103, as noted by the Ontario Department of Highways.[1] The route is documented as it existed in 1968. 

DivisionLocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
SimcoeColdwater0.00.0 Highway 12 south – OrilliaBeginning of Highway 12 concurrency between 1965 and 1968[1]
Waubaushene8.95.5 Highway 12 north – MidlandEnd of Highway 12 concurrency, 1965 to 1968[1]
Port Severn14.89.2Port Severn Cutoff
Muskoka17.210.7 Highway 501 (Honey Harbour Road)Now District Road 5[4]
Georgian Bay39.924.8Highway 660
56.635.2 Highway 612
Foot's Bay58.336.2 Highway 69 – Gravenhurst, Parry Sound
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. A.A.D.T. Traffic Volumes 1955–1969 And Traffic Collision Data 1967–1969. Ontario Department of Highways. 1970. pp. 107–108.
  2. Public and Safety Information Branch (April 14, 1976). "Toronto–Sudbury Highways to be Renumbered" (Press release). Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
  3. Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by Cartography Section. Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 1974. § F–G22.
  4. Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. pp. 41, 57. § T29–Y30, K15. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
  5. Shragge, John; Bagnato, Sharon (1984). From Footpaths to Freeways. Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Historical Committee. p. 85. ISBN 0-7743-9388-2.
  • 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.
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