List of British Columbia provincial highways (original) (raw)

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British Columbia provincial highway system
Standard highway markers for British Columbia
Highway names
Provincial Highways	British Columbia Highway XX (Hwy XX)
System links
British Columbia provincial highways

The Canadian province of British Columbia has a system of numbered highways that travel between various cities and regions with onward connections to neighboring provinces and U.S. states. The numbering scheme, announced in March 1940,[1] includes route numbers that reflect United States Numbered Highways that continue south of the Canada–United States border.[2] Highway 1 is numbered in accordance with other routes on the Trans-Canada Highway system.[3]

• The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) runs from Victoria to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Then, after a ferry ride to the mainland, it continues from Horseshoe Bay, through the Vancouver area, Abbotsford, Hope, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Revelstoke to Kicking Horse Pass on the BC/Alberta border. This is the major east–west route in the province.
• The Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) runs from Hope, then through Osoyoos, Castlegar, Cranbrook, right to Crowsnest Pass on the BC/Alberta border. This is a southern alternate route to the Trans-Canada, and runs very close to the Canada–US border.
• The Yellowhead/Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 16) starts on Haida Gwaii. After a ferry ride to the mainland, it runs from Prince Rupert through Smithers and Prince George, and then meets the Alberta border at Yellowhead Pass.
• The Lougheed Highway (Highway 7) is a major alternate route that runs from Vancouver to Hope, north of the Fraser River.
• The Okanagan Connector (Highway 97C) is a short but major route that connects the Okanagan Valley to the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) at Merritt. 97C branches off Highway 97 at Peachland, about midway between Penticton and Kelowna.
• The Island Highway (Highway 19) is an extension of Highway 1 on Vancouver Island. It runs from Nanaimo and provides access to all points northbound on Vancouver Island, including Parksville, Courtenay, Comox, Campbell River, and Port Hardy.
• The Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17) starts in Victoria and heads northward through Saanich to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Recently, there was a gap between the segments of Highway 17 (now filled in with the SFPR), as the Mainland portion was designated as Highway 17A. The new South Fraser Perimeter Road has been named as Highway 17, and presently is open in Delta and Surrey between Highway 17a and Highway 15.
• Highway 99 starts as an extension of Interstate 5 at the Canada–US border in Surrey as a freeway until entering the city of Vancouver. There it becomes a series of various heavily signalized major city core thoroughfares, notably Granville Street and Georgia Street. After crossing the Lions Gate Bridge, the highway - now known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway, is a two-to-four lane route that accesses Squamish and Whistler, before veering east and meeting with Highway 97 north of Cache Creek.
• The Coquihalla/Southern Yellowhead Highway (Highway 5) is a freeway that bypasses the slower Fraser Canyon portion of the Trans Canada Highway, connecting the cities of Hope, Merritt, and Kamloops. The segment between Hope and Merritt was a toll highway until 2008. North of Kamloops, the route is known as the Southern Yellowhead Highway, and meets up with the main route of the Yellowhead Highway near the Alberta border.
• Highway 97 is the longest highway in the province. The highway starts at the Canada–US border near Osoyoos. The highway, here known as the Okanagan Highway, passes through the major Okanagan Valley cities of Penticton, West Kelowna, Kelowna, and Vernon, before ending in Kamloops. From Kamloops, it is known as the Cariboo Highway, and passes through Cache Creek, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and ends in Prince George. North from there, it is known as the John Hart Highway, and ends in Dawson Creek. From there, the highway then is known as the famed Alaska Highway, and travels northwest through the province until it reaches the Yukon border.

List is current as of May 2017, according to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation.[4][5] All routes are signed with the standard "BC Primary Highway Marker" shield, except where stated as "Unsigned", signed under a street name, signed with the Trans-Canada, Yellowhead, Crowsnest, or Nisga'a route marker, or cosigned with any combination of the above, in the "Notes" column.

Route	Length (km)	Length (mi)	Southern or western terminus	Northern or eastern terminus	Local name(s)	Opened	Removed	Notes
Highway 1 (TCH)	116	72	Victoria	Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo	Trans-Canada Highway (Vancouver Island section), Douglas Street, Island Highway, Esplanade, Nicol Street, Terminal Avenue, Stewart Avenue	1941	Current	Vancouver Island section; signed with the TCH marker.
Highway 1 (TCH)	993	617	Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver	Highway 1 (TCH) at Alberta border at Kicking Horse Pass	Trans-Canada Highway (Mainland section), Upper-Levels Highway, "The Number 1", Highway of Heroes, "The Fraser Canyon"	1941	Current	Mainland section; signed with the TCH marker. Passes through Greater Vancouver and Kamloops.
Highway 1	122	76	Nanaimo	Kelsey Bay	Island Highway	1941	1953	Passed through Courtenay and Campbell River. Section replaced by Highway 19 in 1953.
Highway 1A	17	11	Highway 1 (TCH) in North Cowichan	Highway 1 (TCH) south of Ladysmith	Chemainus Road, Mt. Sicker Road	1950	Current	Route is unsigned. Old alignment of Highway 1 north of Mt. Sicker Road.
Highway 1A	16	10	Highway 1 in Victoria	Highway 1 near Langford	Gorge Road, Admirals Road, Old Island Highway, Goldstream Avenue	1956	c. 1990s	Former Highway 1 in Victoria
Highway 1A	16	10	Former Highway 1 in Parksville	Port Alberni	Alberni Highway	1942	1953	Replaced by Highway 4.
Highway 1A	4	2	Highway 1 in West Vancouver	Highway 99 in Vancouver	Taylor Way, Marine Drive, Stanley Park Causeway, Georgia Street	1972	2016	Old alignment of Highway 1 through West Vancouver, Stanley Park, and Downtown Vancouver via Lions Gate Bridge.
Highway 1A	28	17	Highway 99 in Vancouver	Highway 1 in Abbotsford	Kingsway, 10th Avenue, McBride Boulevard, King George Boulevard, Fraser Highway	1972	Current	Old alignment of Highway 1 through Downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey (via Pattullo Bridge), and Abbotsford.
Highway 1A	18	11	Highway 1 in Chilliwack	Highway 9 near Popkum	Vedder Road, Old Yale Road	1972	c. 1990s	Old alignment of Highway 1 through Chilliwack.
Highway 1B	94	58	Highway 95 in Radium Hot Springs	Alberta border at Vermilion Pass	Banff–Windermere Parkway	1941	1959	Replaced by Highway 93
Highway 1C	18	11	Hwy 1A in New Westminster	Main Street, Vancouver	Canada Way, Grandview Highway, Grandview-Douglas Highway	—	1968	Alternate route to Hwy 1.Disestablished and renamed Canada Way after Hwy 401 was completed.Sections of Grandview Highway were dismantled to make way for the First Ave - Hwy 1 connector.[6][7]
Highway 2	42	26	Highway 97 in Dawson Creek	Highway 43 at Alberta border near Tupper	Alaska Avenue, 8 Street, Dawson Creek–Tupper Highway, 50th Street, 50th Avenue	1941	Current	—
Highway 2	845	525	Highway 1 in Cache Creek	Dawson Creek	Cariboo Highway, John Hart Highway	1941	1962	Passed through Prince George. Cosigned with Highway 97 from 1953 to 1962 before the Highway 2 was removed.
Highway 3	838	521	Highway 1 (TCH) near Hope	Highway 3 at Alberta border at Crowsnest Pass	Crowsnest Highway, Hope–Princeton Highway	1941	Current	Signed with the "Crowsnest" marker.
Highway 3	108	67	Cascade City	Castlegar	Southern Interprovincial Highway, Santa Rosa Road	1941	c. 1962	Cascade City – Rossland section decommissioned; Rossland – Castlegar section replaced by Highway 22.
Highway 3A	32	20	Highway 3 in Keremeos	Highway 97 near Kaleden	—	1965	Current	Old alignment of Highway 3; 34 km (21 mi) concurrency with Highway 97 between Kaleden and Osoyoos was dropped in the 2000s.
Highway 3A	154	96	Highway 3 in Castlegar	Highway 3 in Creston	Vernon Street, Ward Street, Front Street, Anderson Street, Nelson Avenue	1964	Current	Old alignment of Highway 3; passes through Nelson and Kootenay Lake Ferry.
Highway 3A	81	50	Former Highway 3 in Trail	Highway 6 / former Highway 3 in Nelson	—	c. 1953	c. 1964	Cosigned with Highway 6 between Salmo and Nelson; replaced by sections of Highway 3B and Highway 3.
Highway 3A	46	29	Highway 3 in Keremeos	Highway 97 in Osoyoos	Richter Pass Highway	1965	c. 1967	Replaced by rerouting of Highway 3
Highway 3B	68	42	Highway 3 near Nancy Greene Provincial Park	Highway 3 near Erie	Victoria Street, Bailey Street, 10th Avenue, Kootenay Avenue, Main Street	1967	Current	Old alignment of Highway 3 and Highway 3A; passes through Rossland and Trail.
Highway 4	162	101	Tofino	Highway 19 near Qualicum Beach	First Street, Campbell Street, Pacific Rim Highway, River Road, Johnston Road, Alberni Highway, Surf Highway	1953	Current	Passes through Port Alberni.
Highway 4	263	163	Highway 3 in Cranbrook	Highway 1 in Golden	—	1941	c. 1952	Replaced by Highway 95.
Highway 4A	10	6	Highway 4 near Coombs	Highway 19 near Parksville	Old Alberni Highway	1996	Current	Old alignment of Highway 4.
Highway 4A	6	4	Highway 4 near Coombs	Highway 19 in Qualicum Beach	—	1968	1996	Replaced by Highway 4.
Highway 5	543	337	Highway 1 (TCH) near Hope	Highway 16 (TCH) near Tête Jaune Cache	Southern Yellowhead Highway, Coquihalla Highway (Kamloops–Hope)	1953	Current	Passes through Merritt and Kamloops; signed with the "Yellowhead" marker.
Highway 5	184	114	Highway 3 (now Highway 3A) at Kaleden	Highway 1 near Salmon Arm	—	1941	1953	Replaced by Highway 97 and Highway 97A.
Highway 5A	182	113	Highway 3 in Princeton	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 5 / Highway 97 in Kamloops	Tapton Avenue, Princeton-Kamloops Highway, Okanagan Connector, Nicola Avenue, Voght Street	1986	Current	Old alignment of Highway 5.
Highway 6	406	252	SR 31 at U.S. border near Nelway	Highway 97 in Vernon	Nelson Nelway Highway, Railway Avenue, Ymir Road, Lake Avenue, Union Street, Kootenay Street, 6th Avenue, Broadway Street, Vernon Street, 25 Avenue	1941	Current	—
Highway 6	81	50	Highway 5 (now Highway 97) near Vernon	Highway 1 at Monte Creek	—	1941	1953	Passed through Falkland; replaced by Highway 97.[8]
Highway 7	150	93	Highway 99 in Vancouver	Highway 1 (TCH) near Hope	Broadway, Lougheed Highway, Haney Bypass, Railway Avenue/1st Avenue	1941	Current	—
Highway 7A	26	16	Highway 99 near Vancouver	Highway 7 in Coquitlam	West Pender Street, Burrard Street, Hastings Street, Inlet Drive, Saint Johns Street, Barnet Highway/Barnet Road	1953	1999	Old alignment of Highway 7.
Highway 7B	7	4	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 7 in Coquitlam	Highway 7 in Coquitlam	Mary Hill Bypass	1996	Current	—
Highway 8	69	43	Highway 1 (TCH) in Spences Bridge	Highway 5 / Highway 5A / Highway 97C in Merritt	Nicola Highway	1953	Current	—
Highway 9	16	10	Highway 1 (TCH) at Bridal Falls	Harrison Hot Springs	Agassiz–Rosedale Highway, Hot Springs Road	1953	Current	Old alignment of Highway 7 north of Agassiz
Highway 10	27	17	Highway 91 in Delta	Highway 1 (TCH) in Langley	58 Ave, 56 Ave, Langley Bypass, Glover Road, Springbrook Road	1953	Current	12 km (7 mi) section between Highway 91 and Highway 17A decommissioned in 2003.
Highway 11	17	11	SR 9 at U.S. border in Abbotsford	Highway 7 in Mission	Abbotsford–Mission Highway, Sumas Way	1958	Current	—
Highway 12	150	93	Highway 1 (TCH) in Lytton	Highway 99 in Lillooet	Lytton–Lillooet Highway	1953	Current	75 km (47 mi) section between Lillooet and Highway 97 became part Highway 99 in 1992.
Highway 13	12	7	SR 539 at U.S. border in Langley	Highway 1 (TCH) in Langley	264th Street	1958	Current	—
Highway 14	103	64	Highway 1 (TCH) in Langford	Port Renfrew	Veterans Memorial Parkway, Sooke Road, Juan de Fuca Highway, West Coast Road	1953	Current	—
Highway 15	20	12	SR 543 at U.S. border in Surrey	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 17 in Surrey	Pacific Highway, 176th Street	1958	Current	Formerly numbered as Highway 99A
Highway 16 (TCH)	101	63	Masset	Skidegate Ferry Terminal	Yellowhead Highway (Haida Gwaii section), Trans-Canada Highway (Haida Gwaii section)	1984	Current	Signed with Trans-Canada and Yellowhead markers.
Highway 16 (TCH)	1,072	666	Prince Rupert ferry terminal	Highway 16 (TCH) at Alberta border at Yellowhead Pass	Yellowhead Highway (Mainland section), Trans-Canada Highway (Mainland section), Highway of Tears	1953	Current	Passes through Prince George. Signed with Trans-Canada and Yellowhead markers.
Highway 17	33	21	Victoria	Swartz Bay ferry terminal	Belleville Street, Blanshard Street/Vernon Avenue, Patricia Bay Highway	1960	Current	—
Highway 17	44	27	Tsawwassen ferry terminal	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 15 in Surrey	Tsawassen Highway, South Fraser Perimeter Road	1960	Current	—
Highway 17A	6	4	Highway 17 in Delta	Highway 99 in Delta	Tsawassen Highway	2012	Current	Old alignment of Highway 17.
Highway 17A	5	3	Highway 17 in Saanich	Highway 7 in North Saanich	West Saanich Road, Wain Road	1962	2002	—
Highway 18	26	16	Lake Cowichan	Highway 1 (TCH) in Duncan	Cowichan Valley Highway	1953	Current	—
Highway 19	377	234	Duke Point ferry terminal near Nanaimo	Bear Cove ferry terminal near Port Hardy	Duke Point Highway, Nanaimo Parkway, Inland Island Highway, Ginger Goodwin Way, Tamarac Street/Willow Street, Island Highway, Bear Cove Highway	1953	Current	—
Highway 19A	12	7	Highway 1 (TCH) in Nanaimo	Highway 19 in Nanaimo	Terminal Avenue, (Old) Island Highway	1996	Current	Old alignment of Highway 19 through Nanaimo (business route).
Highway 19A	123	76	Highway 19 near Parksville.	Highway 19 / Highway 28 in Campbell River.	(Old) Island Highway, Oceanside Route, Cliffe Avenue	1996	Current	Old alignment of Highway 19.
Highway 20	457	284	Bella Coola	Highway 97 in Williams Lake	Chilcotin Highway, Alexander MacKenzie Highway	1953	Current	—
Highway 21	14	9	SH-1 at U.S. border at Rykerts	Highway 3 near Creston	Creston–Rykerts Highway	1964	Current	—
Highway 22	46	29	SR 25 at U.S. border at Paterson	Highway 3 near Castlegar	Schofield Highway	1964	Current	Old alignment of Highway 3 between Rossland and Castlegar.
Highway 22A	11	7	U.S. border at Waneta	Highway 3B near Montrose	Waneta Highway	1967	Current	—
Highway 23	248	154	Highway 6 near Nakusp	Mica Dam	Canyon Road N, 6 Ave NW	1964	Current	Old alignment of Highway 1 north of Revelstoke.
Highway 24	97	60	Highway 97 near 93 Mile House	Highway 5 at Little Fort	Interlakes Highway	1967	Current	—
Highway 25	59	37	Kitimat	Highway 16 near Terrace	—	1967	1986	Replaced by Highway 37.
Highway 26	82	51	Highway 97 in Quesnel	Barkerville	Barkerville Highway, Main Street	1967	Current	—
Highway 27	53	33	Highway 16 (TCH) in Vanderhoof	Fort St. James	Stuart Lake Highway	1967	Current	—
Highway 28	89	55	Gold River	Highway 19 / Highway 19A in Campbell River	Gold River Highway	1970	Current	—
Highway 29	236	147	Highway 52 in Tumbler Ridge	Highway 97 near Charlie Lake	Don Phillips Way	1967	Current	—
Highway 30	30	19	Port Alice	Highway 19 between Port Hardy and Port McNeill	Port Alice Road	—	—	—
Highway 31	175	109	Highway 3A in Balfour	Highway 23 near Galena Bay	Balfour-Kaslo-Galena Bay Highway	1973	Current	—
Highway 31A	47	29	Highway 6 in New Denver	Highway 31 in Kaslo	6 Avenue, Victoria Street, Washington Street, A Avenue	1973	Current	—
Highway 33	129	80	Highway 3 in Rock Creek	Highway 97 in Kelowna	Kelowna-Rock Creek Highway	1970	Current	—
Highway 35	23	14	Francois Lake	Highway 16 (TCH) at Burns Lake	North Francois Highway	1973	Current	—
Highway 37	879	546	Kitimat	Highway 37 at Yukon border near Upper Liard, YK	Stewart–Cassiar Highway, Stikine Highway, Dease Lake Highway	1975	Current	Old alignment of Highway 25 south of Terrace. Ends at the Alaska Highway, 3.2 km (2.0 mi) north of the BC / Yukon border.
Highway 37A	65	40	U.S. Border at Stewart and Hyder, Alaska	Highway 37 at Meziadin Junction	Stewart Highway, Glacier Highway	1984	Current	—
Highway 39	29	18	Highway 97 near of McLeod Lake	Mackenzie	Mackenzie Boulevard	1975	Current	—
Highway 41	1.3	0.8	SR 21 at U.S. border at Carson	Highway 3 near Grand Forks	Danville Highway	1968	Current	Shortest officially numbered highway in BC.
Highway 43	35	22	Highway 3 in Sparwood	Elkford	Elk Valley Highway	1983	Current	—
Highway 49	16	10	Highway 2 in Dawson Creek	Highway 49 at Alberta border near Dawson Creek	Spirit River Highway, Northern Woods and Water Route	1975	Current	—
Highway 52	243	151	Highway 97 at Arras	Highway 2 at Tupper	Heritage Highway	1988	Current	—
Highway 77	138	86	Highway 97 near of Fort Nelson	Highway 7 at NWT border near Fort Liard, NWT	Liard Highway	1986	Current	—
Highway 91	23	14	Highway 99 in Delta	Highway 99 in Richmond	Annacis Highway, Richmond Freeway, East-West Connector	1986	Current	Connects with Alex Fraser Bridge.
Highway 91A	3.5	2.2	Highway 91 in Richmond	Marine Way in New Westminster	Queensborough Connector	1986	Current	—
Highway 93	321	199	US 93 at U.S. border at Roosville	Highway 93 at Alberta border at Vermilion Pass	Banff–Windermere Highway, Kootenay Highway	1958	Current	—
Highway 95	329	204	US 95 at U.S. border at Kingsgate	Highway 1 (TCH) in Golden	Kootenay–Columbia Highway	1957	Current	—
Highway 95A	55	34	Highway 3 / Highway 95 in Cranbrook	Highway 93 / Highway 95 near Wasa	Kimberley Highway	1968	Current	Old alignment of Highway 95 through Kimberley.
Highway 97	2,081	1,293	US 97 at U.S. border near Osoyoos	Highway 1 at Yukon border near Lower Post	Okanagan Highway, Cariboo Highway, John Hart Highway, Alaska Highway	1953	Current	Passes through Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, Dawson Creek, and Fort St. John. Most of the highway north of Fort St. John is managed by Public Works Canada. Longest officially numbered highway in BC.
Highway 97A	65	40	Highway 97 near Vernon	Highway 1 (TCH) in Sicamous	Vernon-Sicamous Highway, Young Street	1962	Current	—
Highway 97A	47	29	Highway 97 near Vernon	Highway 1 in Salmon Arm	—	1953	1957	Old alignment of Highway 5, replaced by Highway 97E.
Highway 97A	10	6	Highway 97 near Prince George	Highway 16 near Prince George	Old Cariboo Highway	1963	c. 2000s	Old alignment of Highway 97.
Highway 97A	3	2	Highway 16 in downtown Prince George	Highway 97 near Prince George	—	—	c. 1990s	Old alignment of Highway 97.
Highway 97B	14	9	Highway 97A near Grindrod	Highway 1 (TCH) in Salmon Arm	Grindrod-Salmon Arm Highway	1962	Current	—
Highway 97C	224	139	Highway 97 near Peachland	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 97 in Cache Creek	Okanagan Connector, Coquihalla Connector, Harvey Avenue	1990	Current	Passes through Merritt.
Highway 97D	28	17	Highway 97C near Logan Lake	Highway 5 near Lac le Jeune	Meadow Creek Road	2005	Current	—
Highway 97E	132	82	Highway 97 / Highway 97W near Vernon	Highway 1 / Highway 97 / Highway 97W at Monte Creek	—	1957	1962	Passed through Armstrong and Salmon Arm; cosigned with Highway 1 between Salmon Arm and Monte Creek. Old alignment of Highway 5, replaced by Highway 97A and Highway 97B.
Highway 97W	81	50	Highway 97 / Highway 97E near Vernon	Highway 1 / Highway 97 / Highway 97E at Monte Creek	—	1957	1962	Passed through Falkland; replaced by Highway 97.
Highway 99	377	234	I-5 at U.S. border at Douglas	Highway 97 near Cache Creek	Vancouver-Blaine Highway, Fraser Delta Thruway, Oak Street, 41st Avenue/70th Avenue, Granville Street, Howe Street/Seymour Street, Georgia Street, Stanley Park Causeway, Lions Gate Bridge Road, Marine Drive, Taylor Way, Upper-Levels Highway, Sea to Sky Highway, Squamish Highway, Whistler Highway, Pemberton Portage Road, Lillooet Lake Road, Duffey Lake Road	1942	Current	Passes through Greater Vancouver and Whistler.
Highway 99A	15	9	U.S. border in Surrey	Former Highway 99 (King George Highway) in Surrey	Pacific Highway	1942	1958	Portion cosigned with Highway 1; replaced by Highway 15.
Highway 99A	18	11	Former Highway 99 (Main Street) in Vancouver	Former Highway 1 / Highway 99 in New Westminster	Grandview Highway	1942	1962
Highway 99A	50	31	Highway 99 in Surrey	Highway 99 in Vancouver	King George Highway, Kingsway	1973	2006	Old alignment of Highway 99.
Highway 99B	30	19	Highway 10 in Delta	Highway 1 / Highway 99 in Vancouver	Deas (Island) Throughway	1959	1962	Replace by Highway 499 (now Highway 99).
Highway 101	152	94	Langdale Ferry Terminal	Lund	Sunshine Coast Highway, Pan-American Highway	1962	Current	—
Highway 113	169	105	Highway 16 (TCH) near Terrace	Ging̱olx	Nisga'a Highway	2006	Current	Signed with the Nisga'a route marker.
Highway 118	50	31	Highway 16 (TCH) near Topley	Granisle	Topley Landing Road	2003	Current	Route also signed as Topley Landing Road.
Highway 395	4	2	US 395 at U.S. border at Cascade	Highway 3 near Christina Lake	—	1973	Current	—
Hwy 401 (TCH)	122	76	Highway 1 / Highway 99 in West Vancouver	Highway 1 / Highway 9 at Bridal Falls	Trans-Canada Highway	1964	1973	Replaced by Highway 1.
Highway 499	49	30	Highway 99 in Surrey	Highway 99 in Downtown Vancouver	Deas (Island) Throughway	1964	1973	Replaced by Highway 99.
Former Route

Unnumbered highways

[edit]

The following routes are maintained by the Ministry of Transportation as part of British Columbia's highway system, but they are Currently unnumbered.

Provincially maintained roads with informal or unofficial numbers:[5][9]

Provincially maintained routes which are unnumbered. Route numbers are unsigned and internally referred to as "pseudo-numbers". Pseudo-numbers start with a 9, followed by a two-digit number designating a "transportation district", a colon, and then a four-digit number derived from the province's Landmark Kilometre Inventory system.[5][10]

Yukon highways in British Columbia

[edit]

The following routes are within British Columbia but are considered part of the Yukon highway system. Although the Alaska Highway crosses the 60th parallel north, and thus the border with the Yukon, nine times (including six crossings between historic miles 588 and 596), the highway route number changes just once, between Lower Post, British Columbia, and Watson Lake, Yukon. The Yukon section east of here is maintained by Public Works Canada as part of the B.C. portion of Highway 97, while the B.C. section west of here is maintained by the Yukon Government as part of Yukon Highway 1.

Defunct route numbers

[edit]

The first two freeways built in British Columbia were given 400-series numbers, much like the 400-Series Highways in Ontario. Highways 401 and 499 were renumbered 1 and 99 respectively in 1973. The section of Highway 37 between Terrace and Kitimat was known as Highway 25 until 1986. In recent years, many routes have been devolved to regional and/or municipal authorities and have lost their official highway status, notably the Fraser Highway in the Lower Mainland (formerly part of Highway 1A) and West Saanich Road on Vancouver Island (formerly Highway 17A). Also King George Highway through Surrey was renamed by the City in 2010 to King George Boulevard. (formerly British Columbia Highway 99A).

Defunct lettering system

[edit]

Prior to 1940, British Columbia classified its major roads with letters.[11]Ultimately, in 1939 or early 1940, a decision was made by the Department of Public Works (now the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure) to replace the lettering system with the familiar number system. This transition took place during the 1940/1941 fiscal year and led to the installation of route markers along multiple highways.[12]

1. ^ "Why It's Highway 99". The Vancouver Sun. March 29, 1940. p. 17. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "Island Highway On No. 1 Route". Victoria Daily Times. March 29, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ Griffin, Kevin (January 19, 1999). "HOV lanes not for sale in B.C." The Vancouver Sun. p. B2. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia". Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Province of British Columbia. January 3, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
5. ^ a b c "Landmark Kilometre Inventory" (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Cypher Consulting. July 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
6. ^ "BC Road Trip Time Machine: See Vancouver as it was in 1966 | TranBC". November 18, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
7. ^ "Douglas Road".
8. ^ Department of Highways (1954). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). Department of Economic Affairs. §§ A-3, A-4.
9. ^ "Traveller Information System". DriveBC. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
10. ^ "Landmark Kilometre Inventory: Revision History" (PDF). British Columbia: Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Cypher Consulting. August 22, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
11. ^ Rand McNally and Company (1939). "Western and Central Canada" (Map). "State Farm Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico". Chicago: State Farm Insurance Companies Travel Bureau. pp. 94–95.
12. ^ British Columbia Department of Public Works (September 12, 1941). Report of the Minister of Public Works for the Fiscal Year 1939/1940 (Report). Victoria: Government of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0314091. J110.L5 S7; 1940_V02_04_P1_P125. Retrieved November 23, 2021.

• Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia (British Columbia Ministry of Transportation)
• Map of numbered highways in British Columbia
• British Columbia Highway Cams
• Drive BC
• British Columbia Highways Website