Misplaced Pages

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116-689: Although the Yellowhead Highway system is considered part of the Trans-Canada Highway network, Highway 5 is not represented with a Trans-Canada marker. Regardless, Highway 5 is designated as a core route of Canada's National Highway System . Between Hope and Kamloops , Highway 5 is known as the Coquihalla Highway (colloquially "the Coq", pronounced "coke"). It is a 186-kilometre-long (116 mi) freeway , varying between four and six lanes with

232-543: A 20-year effort to convert its entire 516 km (321 mi) section of the Trans-Canada Highway into a four-lane limited-access divided highway. The highway has a speed limit of 110 km/h (68 mph) on most of its sections in New Brunswick. New Brunswick was the first province where the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway was made entirely into a four-lane limited-access divided highway. From Moncton,

348-455: A 75-kilometre (47 mi) section from Whitbourne to St. John's are divided. Although there does not appear to be any nationally-sanctioned "starting point" for the entire Trans-Canada Highway system, St. John's has adopted this designation for the section of highway running in the city. The foot of East White Hills Road in St. John's, near Logy Bay Road , would be a more precise starting point of

464-545: A convoy led by Premier Bennett in an open-air convertible that smashed through paper banners strung across the new highway lanes, stopped at the Coquihalla Summit to dedicate a time capsule, and continued to Merritt for further celebrations. The total cost for the highway between Hope and Merritt was approximately $ 848 million. Phase 2, between Merritt and Kamloops, opened in September 1987, re-routing Highway 5, while Phase 3

580-455: A four-lane divided highway . Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have widened most of their southern Trans-Canada Highway network to four lanes. In Quebec, most sections of the TCH network overlap with the province's Autoroute freeways. New Brunswick is the only province to have its whole length of the main Trans-Canada Highway route at a four-lane freeway standard. Like the former U.S. Route 66 ,

696-801: A freeway and proceeds 206 km (128 mi) east to Montreal , as Highway 417 in Ontario (and the Queensway in Ottawa) and Autoroute 40 in Quebec. The Trans-Canada assumes the name Autoroute Métropolitaine (also known as "The Met" or "Metropolitan Boulevard") as it traverses Montreal as an elevated freeway. At the Laurentian interchange, in Montreal, the Abitibi route (Highway 66, Route 117, A-15) rejoins

812-465: A junction just south of Rivière-du-Loup , 173 km (107 mi) northeast of Lévis . At that junction, the highway turns southeast and changes designation to Autoroute 85 for 43 km (27 mi), and then downgrades from a freeway to Route 185 , a non-Autoroute (not limited-access) standard highway until Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! , where Autoroute 85 resumes once again. The portion from Autoroute 20 to Edmundston , New Brunswick,

928-463: A maximum of 90 km/h (56 mph) in rural areas. The Trans-Canada Highway through the three prairie provinces is 1,667 km (1,036 mi) long. It starts at the border with British Columbia at Kicking Horse Pass, and runs all the way to the Ontario border at Whiteshell. The highway continues through Alberta, running east for 206 km (128 mi) as Alberta Highway 1 to Lake Louise , Banff , Canmore , and Calgary . This section of

1044-465: A province (especially in Ontario and Quebec) as the TCH piggybacks along separate provincial highways (which often continue as non-TCH routes outside the designated sections) en route. In addition, Ontario and Quebec use standard provincial highway shields to number the highway within their boundaries, but post numberless Trans-Canada Highway shields alongside them to identify it. As the Trans-Canada route

1160-621: A signalized four-lane arterial road for short stretches in Salmon Arm , Revelstoke , and Golden , but has no signal lights on it for most of its length. The highway crosses two high passes along its route: Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park , and Kicking Horse Pass in Yoho National Park . At Kicking Horse Pass, the highest point on the whole Trans-Canada Highway system is reached, at 1,627 m (5,338 ft). Speed limits on

1276-663: A small arterial road , it enters the Departure Bay Terminal and crosses the Strait of Georgia to Horseshoe Bay via BC Ferries . From there, it travels through Metro Vancouver on a four-to-eight-lane freeway before leaving the city and continuing as a four-lane freeway eastward up the Fraser Valley to Hope . There, the Trans-Canada Highway exits the freeway and turns north for 186 km (116 mi) through Fraser Canyon and Thompson Canyon toward Cache Creek , mostly as

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1392-582: A speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph) for most of its length. The Coquihalla approximately traces through the Cascade Mountains the route of the former Kettle Valley Railway , which existed between 1912 and 1958. It is so named because near Hope, it generally follows the Coquihalla River , for about 60 km (37 mi), and uses the Coquihalla Pass . The pass is named Kwʼikwʼiya꞉la in

1508-469: A toll plaza constructed at the summit of Coquihalla Summit ; it was designed to accommodate 13 toll booths for 14 lanes of traffic. On May 16, 1986, Phase 1 was officially opened, and Highway 5 was re-routed between Hope and Merritt; its construction required 31 bridges and underpasses and over 3.7 million tonnes (4,100,000 short tons) of gravel. The opening celebrations featured a ceremony in Hope followed by

1624-410: A tourism and travel centre. The Coquihalla project also realigned Highway 1 (TCH) to a new freeway bypass around Kamloops . Plans for a freeway to bypass or eliminate traffic congestion and road hazards along the heavily-travelled route from Victoria to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island were cancelled during the recession that followed the 1987 stock market crash . In Alberta, between 1964 and 1972,

1740-450: A two-lane route, portions of the route are built as two-lane expressways . Two short bypasses are also considered part of the Trans-Canada Highway system. These include the 42-kilometre-long (26 mi) Perimeter Highway 100 bypass around Winnipeg, which provides an expressway standard alternative to the crowded Highway 1 in the city centre, and the 34-kilometre-long (21 mi) two-lane Kenora Bypass ( Highway 17A ), which

1856-473: A two-lane rural highway with only occasional traffic lights. Approaching Kamloops , Highway 1 re-enters a short freeway alignment (briefly concurrent with Highways 5 and 97 ), before passing through Kamloops itself as a four-lane signalized highway. From Kamloops, the highway continues east as a mostly-two-lane rural highway through the Interior of British Columbia, with occasional passing lanes. It widens to

1972-642: A wide valley to Kamloops where it joins the North Thompson River to form the main stem Thompson River. Highway 1 , the Trans-Canada Highway , and the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway parallel the river. Little Shuswap Lake is fed by the Little River , which drains Shuswap Lake , which is fed by several rivers and creeks. Before 1982 the river was considered to start at the outlet of Shuswap Lake rather than Little Shuswap Lake, but

2088-535: Is 1,045 km (649 mi) long, beginning in Victoria at the intersection of Douglas Street and Dallas Road (where the "Mile 0" plaque stands), and ending on the Alberta border at Kicking Horse Pass . The highway starts by passing northward along the east coast of Vancouver Island for 99 km (62 mi) to Nanaimo along a mostly-four-lane, heavily-signalized highway. After passing through downtown Nanaimo on

2204-504: Is a four-lane divided highway with several signalized intersections and a speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph). After leaving the concurrency it immediately crosses the South Thompson River and enters a First Nations Reserve, temporarily leaving Kamloops city limits. A particularly important intersection is the signal lights at Halston Drive, which is one of only two access points to the north half of Kamloops. Highway 5 re-enters

2320-552: Is a highway system that has several parallel routes throughout most of the country, the term "Trans-Canada Highway" often refers to the main route that consists of Highway 1 (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), Highways 17 and 417 (Ontario), Autoroutes 40, 25, 20, and 85 (Quebec), Highway 2 (New Brunswick), Highways 104 and 105 (Nova Scotia), and Highway 1 (Newfoundland). This main route starts in Victoria and ends in St. John's , passes through nine of

2436-404: Is a two-lane route that bypasses the entire town to the north. Early on, much of the route of the Trans-Canada Highway was first explored in order to construct the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th century, a route which much of the mainline TCH route later ended up following. The Trans-Canada Highway was not the first road across Canada. In British Columbia, the highway was predated by

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2552-421: Is approximately 120 km (75 mi) long. Since the Trans-Canada Highway for the most part follows Quebec's Autoroute System, which is always composed of a minimum four-lane freeway, travel through Quebec is generally, safe, fast, and congestion-free. The exception is the route through Montreal, which can be prone to traffic congestion. However, drivers can bypass the city on the tolled Autoroute 30, which

2668-437: Is designated as Highway 16 in all four provinces that it passes through (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). It follows a more northerly east–west route across Western Canada than the main TCH and passes through fewer cities, with Edmonton being the largest on the route. Other major municipalities on the route include Prince Rupert , Prince George , Lloydminster , and Saskatoon . The Yellowhead Highway

2784-549: Is featured predominantly in the reality docuseries Highway Thru Hell , which follows a group of towing companies that operate in the Interior and Highway 5. On November 14, 2021, a major storm in southern British Columbia damaged sections of the Coquihalla Highway and other routes in the area. Over the course of November 14 and 15, 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of rain fell along the Coquihalla route. The heavy rain eventually caused several large washouts at multiple points along

2900-465: Is largely non-functional as a major long distance corridor due to its roundabout route and the complete avoidance of the Toronto area. It is a 671-kilometre-long (417 mi) alternate route to Highway 17 (the mainline TCH) between Sudbury and Ottawa. It passes through several major communities, including Orillia and Peterborough . Because it passes closer to major population centres, this section of

3016-461: Is limited to 110 km/h (68 mph), but is 100 km/h (62 mph) east of Winnipeg. East of Winnipeg, the highway continues for over 200 km (120 mi) to Kenora , Ontario. At the provincial border, the expressway becomes an arterial highway, and the numeric designation of the highway changes from 1 to 17. It is signed with a provincial shield along with a numberless Trans-Canada Highway sign, and continues as an arterial highway along

3132-540: Is low compared to the Coquihalla and Kamloops sections of Highway 5. In its whole length there is only one traffic signal, which is in the town of Valemount . Services for drivers are provided in the major towns. Highway 5 follows the North Thompson River north from Kamloops and Heffley Creek for approximately 54 km (34 mi), along a parallel course with the Canadian National Railway 's main line. It passes an important junction for Adams Lake in

3248-584: Is most well-known for passing through Jasper National Park in Alberta, where it crosses the Continental Divide through its namesake Yellowhead Pass . Since it carries significantly less traffic than its more southerly counterpart, the Yellowhead is almost exclusively a two-lane highway in British Columbia and Manitoba, and is only partially a four-lane expressway in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Until 1990,

3364-645: Is not part of the Trans-Canada. The maximum speed limit on the Quebec Autoroute System (including the TCH) is a strictly-enforced 100 km/h (62 mph). However, the speed limit may be lower in select spots, such as through tunnels or major interchanges. Since 2018, Quebec has been working on upgrading the 40-kilometre-long (25 mi) two-lane section of Trans-Canada Highway along Route 185 to an Autoroute, with 21.5 km (13.4 mi) of new freeway commissioned during 2021–22, another 10 km in 2024 and

3480-604: Is notable that the Trans-Canada largely bypasses Canada's most heavily populated region, the Golden Horseshoe area of Southern Ontario, which includes Canada's largest city, Toronto . However, a short section of the Central Ontario branch does pass through the rural northeastern edge of Durham Region at both Sunderland and Beaverton, which is officially part of the Greater Toronto Area. Access to Toronto itself from

3596-477: Is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, and bypasses the city with a mix of traffic lights and interchanges, while Highway 1 continues through central Winnipeg as a signalized arterial road. With the exception of a 15.3-kilometre-long (9.5 mi) stretch of two-lane highway just west of the Ontario border, the entire length of Highway 1 through the Prairie Provinces is a four-lane highway. While

British Columbia Highway 5 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-567: Is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, but is almost exclusively referred to as the Yellowhead Highway and is often recognized as its own highway under that name. In comparison, Highway 1 in Western Canada is always referred to as the Trans-Canada Highway, and has a significantly higher traffic volume with a route passing through more major cities than the less important Highway 16 (Yellowhead) TCH route. Therefore Highway 1

3828-564: Is the northern section of Highway 5. This section is 314 km (195 mi) long. It is largely a two-lane undivided road, with some rare three- or four-lane sections for passing, although work has been constantly underway (especially in the Heffley Creek–Clearwater section) to create more passing opportunities. The speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) for the most part except in towns, where it can drop as low as 50 km/h (31 mph). Traffic volume on this section of highway

3944-579: Is usually considered to be part of the main Trans-Canada Highway route, while Highway 16 is not, although it may be considered a second mainline corridor as it serves a more northerly belt of major cities, as well as having its own Pacific terminus. Although the TCH network is strictly a transcontinental system, and does not enter any of Canada's three northern territories or run to the United States border , it does form part of Canada's overall National Highway System (NHS), which provides connections to

4060-471: The Canadian Shield , a rugged, forested area with thousands of lakes. There are many cottage communities along this section of the Trans-Canada Highway, some of which have their driveways directly onto the highway. Highway 11/Highway 17 proceeds southeast for 65 km (40 mi) to Thunder Bay , then northeast for 115 km (71 mi) to Nipigon . An 83-kilometre (52 mi) segment of

4176-618: The Coquihalla Highway in 1986, the Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Canyon received less traffic, because the freeway bypass shortened the drive between Hope and Kamloops by 90 minutes. However, the route was retained as part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, and is considered a scenic route and a valuable part of the Fraser Country Circle Tour. The opening of the Coquihalla was also an economic disaster for many of

4292-705: The Crowsnest Highway , the Big Bend Highway , and the Cariboo Highway , all of which were constructed during the Great Depression era. Many of the earlier highways in British Columbia were largely gravel and had many frequent inland ferry crossings at wide rivers and lakes. In Alberta, the section between Calgary and Banff was predated by the Morley Trail (now Highway 1A), which was driveable starting in

4408-601: The Fraser Valley Regional District into the Thompson-Nicola Regional District . 61 km (38 mi) and five interchanges north of the former toll plaza. The Coquihalla Highway then enters the city of Merritt , which is accessed by two interchanges, both of which also provide access to Highway 5A , Highway 97C , and Highway 8 . The section of highway, between Merritt and Kamloops, is 72 km (45 mi) long. After exiting Merritt,

4524-559: The Halq̓eméylem language used by the Stó꞉lō , which means "stingy container" and refers specifically to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. According to Stó꞉lō oral history, the skw'exweq (water babies, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close to the rock would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch

4640-538: The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) transferred the responsibility of maintenance and upkeep along 14.2 km (8.8 mi) of Highway 17 east of "the split" with Highway 417 to Trim Road (Regional Road 57) to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton , a process commonly referred to as downloading . The Regional Municipality then designated the road as Regional Road 174 . Despite

4756-560: The Northwest Territories , Yukon , and the border, although the NHS (apart from the TCH sections) is unsigned. Canada's National Highway System is not under federal jurisdiction or coordination, as highway construction and maintenance are entirely under the jurisdiction of the individual provinces , which also handle route numbering on the Trans-Canada Highway. The Western provinces have voluntarily coordinated their highway numbers so that

British Columbia Highway 5 - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-529: The Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast. The main route spans 7,476 km (4,645 mi) across the country, one of the longest routes of its type in the world. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers , although there are small variations in the markers in some provinces. While by definition the Trans-Canada Highway

4988-466: The '5' designation was moved to designate Princeton -Merritt-Kamloops Highway (present-day Highway 5A ) to north of Kamloops; by 1960, Highway 5 was extended north to Tête Jaune Cache and subsequently paved. In 1970, Highway 5 between Kamloops and Tête Jaune Cache was designated as the South Yellowhead Highway and signed with the Yellowhead Highway shield, while the section south of Kamloops

5104-600: The 1910s and paved in the 1930s. The first route over the Central Canadian Rockies to connect Calgary to British Columbia was the Banff–Windermere Parkway , which was opened in 1922 and is now numbered as Highway 93. Sections of road across the Prairies have also existed since the 1920s. A gravel road connection across northern Ontario (Highway 17) was constructed starting in 1931. While this section

5220-561: The British Columbia government replaced the standard British Columbia Highway 5 shields with Yellowhead Highway 5 shields south of Kamloops, which at the time drew some concern that the Coquihalla Highway would be officially renamed. Effective July 2, 2014, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure increased the speed limit on the Coquihalla Highway from 110 km/h (68 mph) to 120 km/h (75 mph) after conducting an engineering assessment and province-wide speed review. In June 2016,

5336-553: The Coquihalla Highway was reopened to non-essential traffic from Hope to Merritt. The highway has since been fully reopened, allowing full traffic from Hope to Kamloops. From south to north , the following intersections are observed along Highway 5: Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French : Route Transcanadienne ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can ) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada , from

5452-454: The Fraser River, after which it immediately meets Highway 16 in a partial interchange, marking its northern terminus. The current Highway 5 is not the first highway in B.C. to have this designation. From 1941 to 1953, the section of present-day Highway 97 , Highway 97A , and Highway 97B , between Kaleden , just south of Penticton , and Salmon Arm , was formerly Highway 5. In 1953,

5568-489: The Main TCH route between Kenora and Thunder Bay, passing through the town of Fort Frances on the U.S. border. Then, after running concurrently with the main Trans-Canada Highway route, Highway 11 splits off to the north at Nipigon , running through a vast and sparsely-populated area of northern Ontario. This highway sees little long-distance traffic compared to the main route, beside heavy transport trucks looking to avoid

5684-576: The Mainland segment of the Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia range from 90–100 km/h (56–62 mph), although in towns it can be as low as 50 km/h (31 mph). A combination of difficult terrain and growing urbanization limits posted speeds on the Vancouver Island section to 50 km/h (31 mph) in urban areas, 80 km/h (50 mph) over the Malahat and through suburban areas, and

5800-485: The New Brunswick border, the main Trans-Canada Highway route continues east into Nova Scotia at Amherst , where it settles onto Nova Scotia Highway 104 . Southeast of Amherst, near Thomson Station , the highway traverses the Cobequid Pass , a 45-kilometre (28 mi) tolled section ending at Masstown , before passing by Truro , where it links with Highway 102 to Halifax, 117 km (73 mi) east of

5916-514: The New Brunswick border. Halifax , like Toronto, is a provincial capital that the Trans-Canada Highway does not pass through. Beyond Truro, the highway continues east for 57 km (35 mi) to New Glasgow, where it meets Highway 106 , before continuing to the Canso Causeway , which crosses the Strait of Canso onto Cape Breton Island near Port Hawkesbury . From the Canso Causeway,

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6032-536: The Saskatchewan Border. In 1970, plans were made for a six-to-eight-lane freeway to carry the Trans-Canada Highway though the heart of North Calgary, but the plan was soon dropped due to citizen outcry . Between Ottawa and the Ontario–Quebec border, the Trans-Canada Highway designation was taken from the two-lane Highway 17 and applied to the existing Highway 417 freeway in 1997–98. On April 1, 1997,

6148-550: The TCH route to Montreal after connecting with Autoroute 15 . The main Highway ;11 continues south until it intersects the main Trans-Canada Highway route (Highway 17) in North Bay. Except for the southernmost stretches south of Labelle , these highways are two-lane undivided routes. The southern Ontario Trans-Canada Highway route is even more abstract than the northern ones, as it uses four different provincial highways, and

6264-464: The TCH sees higher traffic volumes. It is made up of various sections of freeways, expressways, and two-lane routes. Another spur route of the Trans-Canada Highway splits off the mainline in eastern New Brunswick. This route connects to Prince Edward Island across the 13-kilometre-long (8.1 mi) Confederation Bridge , crosses the central part of Prince Edward Island, including through the provincial capital of Charlottetown , before crossing back to

6380-530: The Trans-Canada Highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon is commemorated as the Terry Fox Courage Highway . Fox was forced to abandon his cross-country Marathon of Hope run here, and a bronze statue of him was later erected in his honour. The highway is the only road that connects eastern and western Canada. On January 10, 2016, the Nipigon River Bridge suffered a mechanical failure, closing

6496-526: The Trans-Canada Highway for 17 hours; the only alternative was to go through the United States, around the south side of Lake Superior . Highway 17 proceeds east from Nipigon for 581 km (361 mi) along the northern and eastern coast of Lake Superior. Between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie , the highway crosses the Montreal River Hill , which sometimes becomes a bottleneck on the system in

6612-575: The Trans-Canada Highway was completely rerouted from its former two-lane alignment along the Bow River to a new, more direct, four-lane freeway between Banff and Calgary, resulting in the bypassing of several towns, such as Canmore . Prior to this change, one of the first traffic circles in Canada existed on Highway 1 at the "gateway" junction for Banff from at least as early as the 1950s. The current interchange on Highway 1 for Banff Avenue now occupies

6728-412: The Yellowhead Highway had its own unique highway number signs, but they have now mostly been replaced with standard maple-leaf Trans-Canada Highway signs, with numberless Yellowhead shields posted adjacent to them. The 1,547-kilometre (961 mi) section of Highway 71 and Highway 11 between Kenora and North Bay, Ontario , is considered part of the Trans-Canada Highway. This highway first runs south of

6844-500: The city at the Rayleigh community, where it passes two busy at-grade, but not signalized intersections; traffic volumes steadily decrease as it gets farther from the core area of Kamloops. Heffley Creek indicates the northern boundary of Kamloops; the exit to Sun Peaks resort is at the same turnoff. Traffic volumes thin out at that exit, and shortly afterward Highway 5 narrows to a two-lane undivided road. The Southern Yellowhead highway

6960-531: The city of Regina , and skirts around the city on the Regina Bypass , the most expensive infrastructure project in Saskatchewan to date . Beyond Regina, it continues east for 486 km (302 mi), across the border with Manitoba, to the cities of Brandon and Portage la Prairie , and finally 84 km (52 mi) east to Winnipeg . The southern portion of Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway (Highway 100)

7076-570: The city on Highway 417, which is between six and eight lanes wide at this point. In Southern Ontario , the speed limit is generally 80 km/h (50 mph) on the Trans-Canada, while in Northern Ontario it is 90 km/h (56 mph). Sections routed along Highway 417 outside urban Ottawa feature a higher limit of 110 km/h (68 mph). While Highways 17 and 417 are largely free from traffic congestion except for minor rush hour delays on Ottawa's stretch of Highway 417,

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7192-409: The city. Ontario plans to eventually extend the 417 freeway to Sudbury, which will widen the section of the mainline TCH between Ottawa and Sudbury to four-lane freeway standards. However, there is no funding secured for such a project, as Ontario is currently focusing on extending Highway 400 to Sudbury along the Highway 69 corridor (which is part of the Georgian Bay TCH route). It

7308-443: The community of Blue River , a popular heliskiing location. From there it proceeds 109 km (68 mi) farther north through the heart of the Columbia Mountains . It crosses a low divide between the Thompson River and Fraser River drainages, entering the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George . It soon passes through the community of Valemount, where a traffic signal is located. Next it passes Tête Jaune Cache and crosses

7424-457: The designation of Highway 1 and runs northeast for 219 km (136 mi) through Corner Brook , east for another 352 km (219 mi) through Gander , and finally ends at St. John's , another 334 km (208 mi) southeast, for a total of 905 km (562 mi), crossing the island. The majority of the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland is undivided, though sections in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor , Glovertown , and

7540-530: The highway (again signed exclusively with the TCH shield) follows the Saint John River Valley, running south for 170 km (110 mi) to Woodstock (parallelling the Canada–US border ) and then east for another 102 km (63 mi) to pass through Fredericton . 40 km (25 mi) east of Fredericton, the Saint John River turns south, whereby the highway crosses the river at Jemseg and continues heading east to Moncton another 135 km (84 mi) later. On November 1, 2007, New Brunswick completed

7656-591: The highway climbs up a long, steep hill toward another high point, the Surrey Lake Summit . It passes through three interchanges along this section. A diamond interchange at Exit 336 provides an important turnoff to Logan Lake on Highway 97D and Lac le Jeune . Shortly after the junction, the highway descends into the city of Kamloops, where it meets Highways 1 and 97 at a trumpet interchange . Highway 5 continues east for 12 km (7.5 mi) concurrently with Highways 1 and 97, through Kamloops. This stretch of road, which carries 97 South and 5 North on

7772-400: The highway continues east, now designated as Highway 105 on Cape Breton Island, until reaching the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal at North Sydney . From North Sydney, a 177-kilometre (110 mi) ferry route, operated by the Crown corporation Marine Atlantic , continues the highway to Newfoundland , arriving at Channel-Port aux Basques , whereby the Trans-Canada Highway assumes

7888-439: The highway continues southeast for 54 km (34 mi) to a junction at Aulac close to the New Brunswick– Nova Scotia border (near Sackville ). Here, Trans-Canada Highway again splits into two routes, with the main route continuing to the nearby border with Nova Scotia as Route 2, and a 70-kilometre (43 mi) route designated as Route 16 , which runs east to the Confederation Bridge at Cape Jourimain . From

8004-416: The highway passes through Banff National Park and has significant tourism. The section of Highway 1 through Banff National Park was also one of the first highways in North America to have wildlife crossing structures and fencing installed on it . After leaving the mountains it enters Calgary, where it becomes known as 16 Avenue N , a busy six-lane street with many signalized intersections. For

8120-484: The highway, including the destruction of multiple bridges. Initial repair estimates included temporary reopenings consisting of temporary bridges, operational for early 2022, with full repair completed in September 2022. After the washouts, Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopters evacuated stranded motorists on the highway. On December 20, the Coquihalla Highway was reopened to essential traffic, with non-essential traffic being diverted toward Highway 99 . On January 19, 2022,

8236-409: The highway, where the road meets and transfers into the start of the Trans-Canada Highway. The terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria , at the foot of Douglas Street and Dallas Road at Beacon Hill Park , is also marked by a "mile zero" monument. St. John's downtown arena, Mary Brown's Centre , was originally branded under naming rights as "Mile One Centre" in reference to the geography of

8352-465: The landmark Great Bear snow shed . The location of the former toll booth is 13 km (8 mi) north of the snow shed, passing through another interchange and the 1,244 m (4,081 ft) Coquihalla Pass. Highway 5 is the only highway in British Columbia to have had tolls ; a typical passenger vehicle toll was $ 10. Now free to drive, at the Coquihalla Lakes junction, the highway crosses from

8468-494: The longer Trans-Canada Highway route. Another example is that much long-distance traffic between Western and Eastern Canada will drive south into the United States and use the Interstate Highway System, rather than the Trans-Canada Highway through Northern Ontario . The main Trans-Canada Highway is uniformly designated as Highway 1 across the four western provinces. The British Columbia section of Highway 1

8584-417: The main TCH line. The TCH then follows Autoroute 25 southbound, crossing the St. Lawrence River through the 6-lane Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel , and proceeds northeast on Autoroute 20 for 257 km (160 mi) to Lévis (across from Quebec City ). East of Lévis , the Trans-Canada Highway continues on Autoroute 20 following the south bank of the St. Lawrence River to

8700-439: The main Trans-Canada route is designated Highway 1 and the Yellowhead route is designated Highway 16 throughout. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador also designate Highway 1 as their section of the TCH, while New Brunswick uses Highway 2 (a separate important highway—albeit non-TCH—is Highway 1 in that province). East of Manitoba, the highway numbers change at each provincial boundary, or within

8816-420: The main route across Northern and Eastern Ontario, until widening out to a freeway at Arnprior, near Ottawa. In Kenora, the Trans-Canada designation includes both the main route through the city's urban core and the 33.6 km (20.9 mi) Highway 17A bypass route to the north. The existing branch from Kenora continues east for 136 km (85 mi) to Dryden . This section of highway passes through

8932-404: The mainland on a ferry. This length of the route is 234 km (145 miles), and consists of New Brunswick Highway 16, Prince Edward Island Highway 1, and Nova Scotia Highway 106. This leg of the Trans-Canada Highway sees moderately high traffic volumes and is an important tourist route. The Confederation Bridge is often viewed as an attraction in itself. Although the highway is mostly

9048-408: The mainline from Northern Ontario is via the non-TCH southern section of Highway 400, while access from Toronto to Quebec and points east is via Highway 401 (North America's busiest highway and a major national highway in itself), a short non-TCH section of Autoroute 20 , and A-30 , where the Trans-Canada is joined at A-40 just west of Montreal. From Ottawa, the Trans-Canada Highway continues as

9164-446: The many non-expressway sections of the Trans-Canada Highway often form the main streets of communities, with homes and businesses directly adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway. The Trans-Canada Highway is not always the preferred route between two cities, or even across the country. For example, the vast majority of traffic travelling between Hope and Kamloops, British Columbia, takes the Coquihalla Highway via Merritt , rather than

9280-426: The next 293 km (182 mi) after Calgary, the Trans-Canada Highway continues as a four-lane expressway, with few stops along its route. Medicine Hat is served by a series of six interchanges, after which the Trans-Canada crosses into Saskatchewan on the way to Moose Jaw . The highway mainly travels straight as a four-lane route for most of these sections. The expressway continues 79 km (49 mi) east to

9396-453: The non-freeway sections are subject to frequent closures due to crashes, especially in winter. It is considered a dangerous route due to its extensive outdated sections of winding two-lane highway. Because this section of the highway passes through a largely undeveloped and forested area, collisions with animals are a common cause of crashes. As recently as 2022 , Sault Ste. Marie's local government has asked for Highway 17 to be expanded north of

9512-408: The older United States Numbered Highway System . As a result, highway construction standards vary considerably among provinces and cities. In much of British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, the Trans-Canada Highway system is still in its original two-lane state. British Columbia is actively working on converting its section of Highway 1 east of Kamloops to

9628-576: The only true freeway sections of the route are along the Regina Bypass, in Medicine Hat, and between Calgary and Banff, the whole highway is largely stoplight-free, with "split" at-grade intersections forming the vast majority of the junctions. The speed limit is restricted to 90 km/h (56 mph) through national parks in Canada, including Banff National Park. East of Banff, traffic on most of Highway 1 through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba

9744-470: The operation and maintenance of the Coquihalla Highway. In response to strong opposition from the public and numerous businesses in the Interior of British Columbia , the provincial government shelved the move three months later. On September 26, 2008, the provincial government permanently lifted the Coquihalla tolls, effective 1:00 pm that day. Subsequently, the toll station and signs were dismantled. In 2011,

9860-642: The present , with the current goal of rebuilding the freeway to a minimum six-lane layout from Langley to Abbotsford by 2025. South Thompson River The South Thompson River is the southern branch of the Thompson River , the largest tributary of the Fraser River , in the Canadian province of British Columbia . It originates at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake at the town of Chase and flows approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi) southwest and west through

9976-535: The protests of the region that the route served a provincial purpose, a second round of transfers saw Highway 17 within Ottawa downloaded entirely on January 1, 1998, adding an additional 12.8 km (8.0 mi) to the length of Regional Road 174. The highway was also downloaded within the United Counties of Prescott and Russell , where it was redesignated as County Road 17. The result of these transfers

10092-490: The province implemented a variable speed limit corridor around the Coquihalla Summit Park to increase safety during adverse conditions. Signs along the Coquihalla Highway frequently warn drivers to be aware of sudden changes in weather. The highway is particularly dangerous during winter seasons, with extreme snowfall that can exceed more than 10 centimetres (4 in) per hour. While road maintenance strives to keep

10208-417: The region. The usage of miles instead of kilometres at both designations dates back to when the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in 1962, prior to metrication in Canada . The Yellowhead Highway is a 2,859-kilometre (1,777 mi) highway in Western Canada, running from Masset, British Columbia , to where it intersects Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) just west of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba . It

10324-556: The remaining 8.5 km (5.3 mi) of freeway under construction, with final completion targeted for 2026. Once this project is complete, the disconnected sections of Autoroute 85 will be joined, and all of Quebec's Mainline Trans-Canada Highway route will be minimum four-lane freeway standards. This will also result in the TCH becoming a continuous freeway from Arnprior, Ontario, to Lower South River, Nova Scotia . The Trans-Canada Highway crosses into New Brunswick and becomes Route 2 just northwest of Edmundston . From Edmundston,

10440-586: The roads as clear as possible, it is not unheard of for the highway to shut down, sometimes with travellers forced to stay overnight in their cars. According to ICBC , there were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013, and an estimated 400–500 accidents occur during the winter seasons. Global News listed the stretch between Merritt and Hope as one of the deadliest highways in BC. DriveBC provides up-to-date reports on Coquihalla Highway conditions, including live webcams in several locations. Owing to its reputation, Highway 5

10556-479: The route a full freeway began in the late 1990s and was completed in 2007. The 13-kilometre-long (8.1 mi) Confederation Bridge connecting PEI to New Brunswick opened in 1997. Replacing the ferry that previously serviced that route, it was hailed as a major accomplishment. In 2000 and 2001, Transport Canada considered funding an infrastructure project to have the full Trans-Canada system converted to limited-access divided highways. Although construction funding

10672-626: The salmon." Highway 5 begins south at the junction with Crowsnest Highway ( Highway 3 ) at uninhabited Othello , 7 km (4 mi) east of Hope (named after a nearby siding on the Kettle Valley Railway, which used many Shakespearean names). Exit numbers on the Coquihalla are a continuation of those on Highway 1 west of Hope, as it is an extension of the freeway that starts in Horseshoe Bay. 35 km (22 mi) north of Othello, after passing through five interchanges, Highway 5 reaches

10788-509: The same lanes (and vice versa), is the only wrong-way concurrency in British Columbia. This section is mostly an urban freeway with a speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph). It passes through five interchanges, connecting to the core area of Kamloops, before the concurrency splits and Highway 5 exits off the road to the north in a complex five-way interchange. After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately 19 km (12 mi). For most of this section, it

10904-621: The settlement of Louis Creek before entering the town Barriere . North of Barriere, it encounters a junction with Highway 24 in the village of Little Fort . 30 km (19 mi) north of Little Fort, while continuing to follow the North Thompson and the CN Railway, Highway 5 reaches the resort community of Clearwater , where a roundabout provides access to Wells Gray Provincial Park . Highway 5 proceeds northeast for another 107 km (66 mi), passing Vavenby and Avola en route to

11020-419: The short river between Shuswap Lake and Little Shuswap Lake was officially renamed Little River in keeping with long-established local usage. The South Thompson's main tributaries are Chase Creek, which joins from the south at Chase, Niskonlith Creek, which joins from the north near Niskonlith Lake Provincial Park , Monte Creek, which joins from the south at Monte Creek , and Campbell Creek, which joins from

11136-483: The significant elevation changes along the Lake Superior route, since it is much flatter and the transit time for heavy hauling is usually the same. The area is also not well-known as a tourist destination outside of fishing tours, which are often fly-in. A much shorter 60-kilometre (37 mi) section of Highway 66 connects another northern Trans-Canada Highway route to Quebec's Highway 117 , which itself continues

11252-538: The site. In the rest of Banff National Park, much of the predecessor Highway 1 parkway was bypassed by a new two-lane route in the 1960s. The original route between Banff and Lake Louise remains as the Bow Valley Parkway and Lake Louise Drive, while a section over Kicking Horse Pass was abandoned and is now part of the Great Divide Trail . Between 1973 and 1990, the highway was twinned from Calgary to

11368-577: The south. During the Late Pleistocene , the drainage of the glacial lakes formed the floodplain flanked by deeply carved terraces along both sides of the valley. This glacial recession occurred 11,000 to 11,500 years ago. During the Holocene Climate Optimum (HCO), the postglacial vegetation changed markedly as warmer and dryer conditions replaced cool and moist ones. Douglas fir, grasses and sagebrush increased, while pine declined. Then,

11484-417: The summer of 1985. The project was divided into three phases, with Phase 1 being the 115 km (71 mi) section between Hope and Merritt, Phase 2 being the 80 km (50 mi) section between Merritt and Kamloops, and Phase 3 being a 108 km (67 mi) branch between Merritt and Peachland , south of Kelowna . To offset the cost of fast-tracking construction, Phase 1 was made a toll highway, with

11600-531: The ten provinces, and connects most of the country's major cities, including Vancouver , Calgary , Regina , Winnipeg , Ottawa , Montreal , Quebec City , and Fredericton . One of the main route's eight other parallel routes connects to the tenth province, Prince Edward Island . While the other parallel routes in the system are also technically part of the Trans-Canada Highway, they are usually considered either secondary routes or different highways altogether. For example, Highway 16 throughout Western Canada

11716-469: The time it was considered a major improvement to the gravel roads and ferries it replaced, it was soon believed to be insufficient to handle the growing traffic volumes. In response, several provinces began to construct realignments, freeway widenings, and twin sections of highway in response to traffic flow and safety concerns. In British Columbia's Lower Mainland, the Upper Levels Freeway alignment

11832-464: The towns along the Fraser Canyon section of the Trans-Canada Highway, since most of the travel and tourism business along the route quickly dried up when most of the traffic took the new highway. The towns continue to be largely deprived of wealth, and some are close to being abandoned. On the other hand, Merritt , located midway up the new Coquihalla highway, ended up booming, and continues to grow as

11948-459: The whole alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Lower Mainland a freeway. All bypassed sections of the highway were absorbed into various urban and rural road networks. The older freeways in the Lower Mainland were largely built as a parkway design, with wide, forested medians and low overpasses (a road configuration that was common across North America at the time). After the opening of

12064-487: The winter when inclement weather can make the steep grade virtually impassable. At Sault Ste. Marie, the main route turns eastward for 291 km (181 mi) to Sudbury . The mainline route then continues east from Sudbury for 151 km (94 mi) to North Bay. The northern route rejoins the mainline here, which continues 339 km (211 mi) to Arnprior , where it widens to a freeway and becomes Highway 417 . The freeway continues to Ottawa passing through

12180-525: Was approved by the Trans-Canada Highway Act of 1949, with construction commencing in 1950. The highway officially opened in 1962, with the completion of the Rogers Pass section of highway between Golden and Revelstoke . This section of highway bypassed the original Big Bend Highway, the last remaining section of gravel highway on the route. Upon its original completion, the Trans-Canada Highway

12296-616: Was completed on August 30, 2007, with the new Park Bridge and Ten Mile Hill sections opening up 16 km (9.9 mi) of new four-lane highway. Other smaller four-lane widening projects on the Trans-Canada Highway in the interior of British Columbia were also built around the same time. As part of the Gateway Program , 37 km (23 mi) of congested four-lane Highway 1 freeway in Metro Vancouver were widened to an eight-lane buildout starting in 2012. This project continues into

12412-480: Was composed of sections from pre-existing provincial highways, it is unlikely that the Trans-Canada Highway will ever have a uniform designation across the whole country. Unlike the Interstate Highway System in the United States, the Trans-Canada Highway system has no national construction standard, and it was originally built mostly as a two-lane highway with few multi-lane freeway sections, similar to

12528-448: Was issued for a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) section of highway between Nicolum Creek and Peers Creek near Hope; however, work progressed slowly until 1984, when Premier Bill Bennett announced that the project would be fast-tracked so it could be completed to coincide with Expo 86 . To ensure the project was completed on time, more than 10,000 workers were needed, and more than 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment worked non-stop every day during

12644-399: Was largely open by the late 1930s, it was not fully completed until 1951 (in large part due to World War II interrupting construction). However, despite the gap, vehicles could still cross the county by getting ferried around the relatively short section of incomplete highway by either rail or water, and Highway 11 was completed to Hearst from the east by 1937 and Nipigon by 1943. The system

12760-611: Was made available to some provinces for portions of the system, the federal government ultimately decided to not pursue a comprehensive limited-access highway conversion. Opposition to funding the limited-access widening was due to low traffic levels on parts of the Trans-Canada Highway. Prior to the start of the Great Recession in 2008, the highway underwent some changes through the Rocky Mountains from Banff National Park to Golden , British Columbia. A major piece of this project

12876-468: Was opened in 1960 with the completion of the Second Narrows Crossing , which allowed the Trans-Canada Highway to bypass downtown Vancouver's streets and the narrow Lions Gate Bridge . The four-lane Upper Levels Freeway was relatively-crudely constructed, with narrow lanes, low overpasses, and no proper merge ramps. It remains in this state in the present day . Between 1962 and 1964, Highway 1

12992-592: Was opened in October 1990 and designated as Highway 97C . The three phases have been credited with transforming Merritt into an important transportation hub between the coast and interior, as well as significant growth in both Kamloops and the Okanagan due to improved accessibility. In 2003, Premier Gordon Campbell announced the Liberal government would turn over toll revenue to a private operator, along with responsibility for

13108-546: Was rerouted onto a new four-lane freeway bypass between Vancouver and Chilliwack . This section of highway was originally part of British Columbia's own 400 series of highways , until the designation was replaced by Highway 1. A freeway alignment on the Trans-Canada Highway between Chilliwack and Hope opened in 1986. The opening of the Cassiar Tunnel in 1990 bypassed the last sets of signal lights in Vancouver, rendering

13224-485: Was still signed with the standard British Columbia highway shield. In the 1960s, the Merritt Board of Trade began lobbying the B.C. government for a new highway route to Hope, including a vehicle caravan that was staged eight times starting in 1963, over the abandoned Kettle Valley Railway grade, in order draw attention to the potential of this route. Surveying commenced in 1973, and in 1979 the first construction contract

13340-467: Was the longest uninterrupted highway in the world. Construction on other legs continued until 1971, when the last gap on Highway 16 was completed in the Upper Fraser Valley east of Prince George , at which point the highway network was considered complete. When the Trans-Canada Highway first opened, it was almost exclusively a two-lane route for its whole length across the country. While at

13456-479: Was the truncation of Highway 17 at the western end of Highway 417. 1990 saw the opening of the two-lane Kenora Bypass , providing through traffic with a way to avoid the congested town. Starting in the 1960s, Quebec began to build its Autoroute network. Many sections of Trans-Canada Highway were widened to freeway standards during that era of highway construction. Starting in 1987, New Brunswick began to widen its section of TCH to four lanes. Work to make

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