400-series highways (British Columbia)

Last updated
400-series highways

BC-401 (TCH).svg

BC-499.svg

Highway markers for Highway 401 and Highway 499
System information
Maintained by B.C. Department of Highways
Length517 km (321 mi)
Formed1964
NotesDecommissioned in 1973.
Highway names
Provincial British Columbia Highway 4XX
System links

    The 400-series highways were a pair of controlled-access highways located in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of British Columbia, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. Modelled after the 400-Series Highways in Ontario, 400-series designations were introduced in 1964 in conjunction with the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway freeway between Vancouver and Clearbrook (present-day Abbotsford); [1] however, unlike their Ontario counterparts, both routes had signalized sections. The 400-series system never expanded beyond two freeways, and in 1973 Highways 401 and 499 were renumbered 1 and 99 respectively, while the former routes were assigned the 'A' suffix.

    Contents

    Highway 401

    BC-401 (TCH).svg
    Highway 401
    Length122 km (76 mi)
    Existed1964–1973
    West endBC-1 (TCH).svgBC-99.svg Hwy 1 (TCH)  / Hwy 99 in West Vancouver
    Major
    junctions
    BC-7A.svg Hwy 7A in Vancouver
    BC-7.svg Hwy 7 in Coquitlam
    BC-15.svg Hwy 15 in Surrey
    BC-10.svg Hwy 10 in Langley
    BC-11.svg Hwy 11 in Abbotsford
    East endBC-1 (TCH).svgBC-9.svg Hwy 1 (TCH)  / Hwy 9 near Rosedale

    Highway 1 originally followed portions of Old Yale Road and Fraser Highway from Rosedale to Highway 99 (King George Highway) in Surrey, where the two routes shared a common alignment across the Pattullo Bridge and followed a series of streets including Kingsway and Main Street into downtown Vancouver. In 1959, Highway 1 was extended to Horseshoe Bay via the Lions Gate Bridge and Taylor Way in West Vancouver.

    Major freeway construction commenced in the late 1950s, with the Second Narrows Bridge over Burrard Inlet opening in 1960 in conjunction with Upper Levels Highway opening through North Vancouver; however, it was an expressway had a mix of interchanges and signalized intersections. In 1962, Highway 1 was re-routed to a new expressway. The original Port Mann Bridge opened in 1964 in conjunction with a new highway between Vancouver and Clearbrook and was designated as Highway 401; [1] the Clearbrook-Rosedale section of Highway 1 was restored to its original alignment and the expressway became part of Highway 401.

    The Trans-Canada Highway was designated along the newly constructed Highway 401, while Highway 1 between Rosedale and West Vancouver was signed as British Columbia Highway 1 and had a regular provincial highway shield. Highway 401 was a freeway for the majority of its length with exception of some traffic signals along the Upper Levels Highway and small section in Vancouver where it followed Cassiar Street (the sections were replaced by interchanges in the 1990s). Highway 401 was renumbered to Highway 1 in 1973, with former sections of Highway 1 becoming Highway 1A.

    Highway 499

    BC-99B.svg
    Highway 99B
    Length30 km (19 mi)
    Existed1959–1962
    South endBC-10.svg Hwy 10 in Delta
    North endBC-1 (TCH).svgBC-99.svg Hwy 1 (TCH)  / Hwy 99 in Vancouver
    BC-499.svg
    Highway 499
    Length49 km (30 mi)
    Existed1964–1973
    South endI-5.svg I-5 at Canada–U.S. border
    Major
    junctions
    BC-99.svg Hwy 99 in Surrey
    BC-10.svg Hwy 10 in Delta
    BC-17.svg Hwy 17 in Delta
    North endBC-1 (TCH).svgBC-99.svg Hwy 1 (TCH)  / Hwy 99 in Vancouver

    Highway 99 originally followed the King George Highway from the U.S. border to Highway 1 (Fraser Highway) in Surrey, where the two routes shared a common alignment across the Pattullo Bridge and followed before following a series of streets including Kingsway and Main Street into downtown Vancouver. The 1950s saw a series of Highway improvements connecting Vancouver and Richmond, with the completion of the Oak Street Bridge was built in 1957 across the North Arm Fraser River, and the completion of the Deas Island Tunnel in 1959 across the Fraser River (renamed the George Massey Tunnel in 1967). As part of the project, an expressway was constructed connecting the Deas Island Tunnel to Highway 10 – the route connecting downtown Vancouver to Highway 10 was designated as Highway 99B. [2]

    In 1962, the freeway was extended to 8th Avenue in Surrey and the route (including Highway 99B) was re-designated as Highway 99. In 1964, Highway 99 was moved back to its former alignment and the freeway was designated as Highway 499, which also followed Oak Street and Granville Street into downtown Vancouver where it linked with Highway 1 and Highway 99. Highway 499 was renumbered to Highway 99 in 1973, with former sections of Highway 99 becoming Highway 99A.

    See also

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Canada Highway</span> Transcontinental highway system in Canada

    The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from 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.

    King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one, is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It stretches 828 kilometres (514 mi) from Windsor in the west to the Ontario–Quebec border in the east. The part of Highway 401 that passes through Toronto is North America's busiest highway, and one of the widest. Together with Quebec Autoroute 20, it forms the road transportation backbone of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, along which over half of Canada's population resides. It is also a Core Route in the National Highway System of Canada. The route is maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police. The speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) throughout its length, with the only exceptions being the posted 80 km/h (50 mph) limit westbound in Windsor and in most construction zones, along with a 110 km/h (68 mph) speed limit between Windsor and Tilbury.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta, British Columbia</span> City in Canada

    Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, as part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond on the Lulu Island to the north, New Westminster to the northeast, Surrey to the east, the Boundary Bay and the American pene-exclave Point Roberts to the south, and the Strait of Georgia to the west.

    Highway 1 is a provincial highway in British Columbia, Canada, that carries the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The highway is 1,047 kilometres (651 mi) long and connects Vancouver Island, the Greater Vancouver region in the Lower Mainland, and the Interior. It is the westernmost portion of the main TCH to be numbered "Highway 1", which continues through Western Canada and extends to the Manitoba–Ontario boundary. The section of Highway 1 in the Lower Mainland is the second-busiest freeway in Canada, after Ontario Highway 401 in Toronto.

    Highway 17 is a provincial highway in British Columbia, Canada. It comprises two separate sections connected by a ferry link. The Vancouver Island section is known as the Patricia Bay Highway and connects Victoria to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal in North Saanich. The Lower Mainland section is known as the South Fraser Perimeter Road and connects the Tsawwassen ferry terminal to Delta and Surrey, terminating at an interchange with Highway 1 in the Fraser Valley.

    Highway 99 is a provincial highway in British Columbia that runs 377 kilometres (234 mi) from the U.S. border to near Cache Creek, serving Greater Vancouver and the Squamish–Lillooet corridor. It is a major north–south artery within Vancouver and connects the city to several suburbs as well as the U.S. border, where it continues south as Interstate 5. The central section of the route, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, serves the communities of Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton. Highway 99 continues through Lillooet and ends at a junction with Highway 97 near Cache Creek.

    Highway 99A is a series of former highways in the southwestern part of British Columbia, Canada. It was the designation of the former 1942 alignment of Highway 99 as well a various alternate routes which existed in the 1950s and 1960s. The last official use of '99A' was decommissioned in 2006, although some present-day, commercially published road maps still show it and some remnant signage still remains. Some brand new 99A signs can be seen as well as of 2023.

    Highway 91 is an alternative freeway route to Highway 99 through Delta, New Westminster and Richmond, British Columbia. The highway was built in two sections, the first section from Delta to East Richmond in 1986, and the second section across Richmond in 1989.

    There are many roads in the southwestern part of British Columbia and Vancouver Island that were designated as Highway 1A. These roads were sections of the original 1941 route of Highway 1 before its various re-alignments, and are used today as service routes and frontage roads. The "B.C. Highway 1A" designations were removed from these sections by the province between 2005 and 2010, although signage remains along some of the route and the designation on some maps.

    King's Highway 427, also known as Highway 427 and colloquially as the 427, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that runs from the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Gardiner Expressway in Toronto to Major Mackenzie Drive in Vaughan. It is Ontario's second busiest freeway by volume and the third busiest in North America, behind Highway 401 and Interstate 405 in California. Like Highway 401, a portion of the route is divided into a collector-express system with twelve to fourteen continuous lanes. Notable about Highway 427 are its several multi-level interchanges; the junctions with the QEW/Gardiner Expressway and Highway 401 are two of the largest interchanges in Ontario and were constructed between 1967 and 1971, while the interchanges with Highway 409 and Highway 407 were completed in 1992 and 1995, respectively.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Route 126</span> State highway in Oregon

    Oregon OR 126 (OR 126) is a 204.63-mile-long (329.32 km) state highway that connects coastal, western, and central parts of the U.S. state of Oregon. A short freeway section of OR 126 in Eugene and Springfield is concurrent with Interstate 105 (I-105).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancelled expressways in Toronto</span> Unbuilt freeways in Toronto, Canada

    The cancelled expressways in Toronto were a planned series of expressways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that were only partially built or cancelled due to public opposition. The system of expressways was intended to spur or handle growth in the suburbs of Toronto, but were opposed by citizens within the city of Toronto proper, citing the demolition of homes and park lands, air pollution, noise and the high cost of construction. The Spadina Expressway, planned since the 1940s, was cancelled in 1971 after being only partially constructed. After the Spadina cancellation, other expressway plans, intended to create a 'ring' around the central core, were abandoned.

    King's Highway 2A, commonly referred to as Highway 2A, was the designation of five separate provincially maintained highways in the Canadian province of Ontario. Highway 2A was an alternate route to Highway 2 in Chatham, London and Cornwall; these routes were all eventually redesignated. Highway 2A was also a highway that extended from Windsor to Tilbury, which was redesignated as Highway 98 in 1938.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 41</span> Highway in California

    State Route 41 is a state highway in the U.S. State of California, connecting the Central Coast with the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Its southern terminus is at the Cabrillo Highway in Morro Bay, and its northern terminus is at SR 140 in Yosemite National Park. It has been constructed as an expressway from near SR 198 in Lemoore north to the south part of Fresno, where the Yosemite Freeway begins, passing along the east side of downtown and extending north into Madera County.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Highway revolt</span> Protest against new highways & freeways

    Highway revolts are organized protests against the planning or construction of highways, freeways, expressways, and other civil engineering projects which prioritize motor vehicle traffic over pedestrian movement or other considerations.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsway (Vancouver)</span> Major road in British Columbia

    Kingsway is a major thoroughfare that crosses through the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia. The road runs diagonally from northwest to southeast, emerging from Vancouver's Main Street just south of East 7th Avenue and becoming 12th Street at the Burnaby–New Westminster border.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Route 66</span> State highway in east-central Connecticut, US

    Route 66 is an east-west state highway running from Meriden to Windham, serving as an alternate east–west route to US 6 through east-central Connecticut.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">King George Boulevard</span>

    King George Boulevard is a major arterial road in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The 26-kilometre (16 mi) route begins at Highway 99, 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) north of the Peace Arch Border Crossing with the United States, and runs generally northwest to the south end of the Pattullo Bridge, a crossing of the Fraser River that connects Surrey with New Westminster. The majority of the route varies from four to six lanes, and some sections in the north run parallel to the Expo Line, which has two adjacent SkyTrain stations: Scott Road station in South Westminster, and King George station in the Surrey City Centre district.

    References

    1. 1 2 Frontier to Freeway: A short illustrated history of the roads in British Columbia (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways. 2000. pp. 16–19.
    2. "Postcard: Deas Island Tunnel, 1959". Flickr. September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2018. Deas Island Tunnel conveying traffic from Richmond to Delta, BC under the Fraser River. Constructed from March 1957 to May 23, 1959. Opened officially on July 15, 1959 by Queen Elizabeth II who was on a royal tour of Canada with Prince Philip. The tunnel was renamed the George Massey Tunnel in 1967 after the late Nehamiah "George" Massey, former British Columbia MLA for Delta, BC (1956-60). This 4-lane highway, which ran from downtown Vancouver to Hwy. 10 in Delta, was originally designated as Highway 99B. After the completion of the Deas (Island) Throughway through Delta to the U.S. border in 1962, it became Hwy. 99. From 1964 to 1973, the route was called the '499' Freeway; Since 1974, Hwy. 99.