Jonathan Silverman has been spotting odd details along Ontario’s roads since childhood road trips with his family. Now, the first-year civil engineering student at the University of Waterloo has turned that lifelong curiosity into a crowdsourced digital map showcasing some of the province’s most unusual highway features.
Abandoned bridges, incorrect or outdated signs, abrupt highway endings and even submerged roads all appear on Silverman’s map, which explores the hidden history of Ontario’s transportation network. Growing up in Thornhill, Silverman says he was always drawn to moments when something on the road “looked a little out of place.”
“I’ve always been interested in transportation, especially roads,” he said. “I would notice things from the car, or while looking through maps, and start wondering how they came to be.”
The map, hosted on Silverman’s website Jonathan’s Junction, highlights locations such as the flooded stretch of Highway 2 south of Ottawa, submerged after construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway; abandoned sections of Highway 6 between Fergus and Durham; and the abrupt end of Highway 125 near Red Lake, close to the Manitoba border. Historic infrastructure, including the West Montrose Covered Bridge built in 1881, is also featured.
Contributions from across the province have helped expand the project. A highway enthusiast from Sudbury provided several insights along Highway 69 and Highway 6, including unused bridges near Key River. Silverman says community input has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the project.
“It’s a great thing that people are so enthusiastic about contributing,” he said.
The map has resonated with road trip lovers like Bradley Nazar of Pickering, who enjoys searching for unusual roadside features while travelling through northern Ontario with his family.
“Whenever I see something out of the ordinary, an old bridge or a strange highway alignment, I always wonder what the story is,” Nazar said. “His map helps answer a lot of those questions.”
Since launching the project, Silverman has seen more than 25,000 views. In response, he recently added a new feature called “On the Way Oddities,” allowing users to enter a destination and receive a list of unusual landmarks to watch for along their route.
Silverman also shared the map on Reddit, where discussions with local contributors helped uncover lesser-known details about their regions. For him, the project is as much about storytelling as it is about transportation.
“People drive past these places every day without realizing there’s a story there,” he said. “I wanted to make everyday commutes and road trips a little more interesting.”
Read the full story on CBC here: Ontario map highlights highway oddities from submerged roads to abandoned bridges
Listen to Jonathan on The Morning Edition – K-W here: Take a trip down the Ontario Oddities highway map | CBC.ca