British Columbia Highway 101

Last updated
BC-101.svg
Highway 101
Sunshine Coast Highway
British Columbia Highway 101
Highway 101 highlighted in red.
Route information
Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Length156 km [1]  (97 mi)
Existed1962–present
Major junctions
South endBritish Columbia G-050-5.svg Langdale Ferry Terminal
Major intersectionsBritish Columbia G-050-5.svg Earls CoveSaltery Bay ferry
North end Lund
Location
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Regional districts Sechelt
Major cities Powell River
Towns Gibsons
Highway system
    BC-99.svg Hwy 99 BC-113.svg Hwy 113

    British Columbia Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway, is the main north-south thoroughfare on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada.

    Contents

    Highway 101, which first opened in 1962, is divided into two separate land segments, with a ferry link in between. The highway is maintained by Capilano Highway Services. [2] Despite its location on the mainland, the highway is unique for not being connected to the rest of the British Columbia highway system. Access to the highway can only be obtained by taking ferries from Horseshoe Bay to the south end in Gibsons or Comox to Powell River. Highway 101 between Langdale and Powell River is designated as a feeder route of the Canadian National Highway System. [3]

    Route description

    Highway 101 at Gibsons Nice morning 2.jpg
    Highway 101 at Gibsons

    The total distance of Highway 101, including the ferry link, is approximately 156 kilometres (97 mi). The highway begins in the south at the BC Ferries terminal at Langdale, which connects the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver via a ferry route across Howe Sound to Horseshoe Bay. The southern land section of Highway 101 is 80 kilometres (50 mi) long, and includes from south to north, the communities of Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour. The ferry link across the Jervis Inlet lasts 9.5 nautical miles (17.6 km) between Earls Cove to the south and Saltery Bay to the north. [4] The 59-kilometre-long (37 mi) northern land section of Highway 101 includes, from southeast to northwest, the hamlets of Stillwater and Lang Bay, the city of Powell River, the Tla'amin Nation and the community of Lund, at the northern terminus of the highway.

    The provincial government has conducted several feasibility studies on connecting Highway 101 to the Lower Mainland, as well as replacing the Earls Cove–Saltery Bay ferry. A study launched by the BC Liberal government in 2015 identified four proposals costing between $2.1 billion and $4.4 billion: [5]

    All four options were considered feasible, with positive cost to benefit ratios for the two bridge options. The study was inconclusive and recommended further analysis of the four options. [6] The NDP government announced in December 2017 that the study would not move forward due to technical and financial issues. [5]

    Major intersections

    Milestone marker in Lund designating a terminus of the highway. Mile0 LundBC.jpg
    Milestone marker in Lund designating a terminus of the highway.

    From south to north:

    Regional DistrictLocationkm [1] miDestinationsNotes
    Sunshine Coast Langdale 0.000.00British Columbia G-050-5.svg Langdale Ferry Terminal BC Ferries to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal ( Hwy 1 east / Hwy 99)
    0.930.58Marine Drive (Hwy 912:2566 south) / Port Mellon Highway (Hwy 912:2565 north) Gibsons, Port Mellon
    Gibsons 4.072.53Reed Road
    4.893.04Gibsons Way, School RoadHwy 101 branches west
    6.103.79Pratt Road, Payne Road
    Roberts Creek 15.409.57Roberts Creek Road
    Sechelt 41.2525.63Field Road
    Sechelt First Nation 25.8016.03Ti'Ta Way
    Sechelt 26.2616.32Dolphin Street, Wharf Avenue
    28.8417.92Norwest Bay Road
    Madeira Park 58.0936.10Madeira Park Road (Hwy 912:2573 north)
    Earls Cove 80.2949.89Earls Cove ferry terminal
    Jervis Inlet British Columbia G-050-5.svg Earls Cove – Saltery Bay Ferry
    Approximately 17.6 km (9.5 nmi) [4]
    qathet Saltery Bay 97.8960.83Saltery Bay ferry terminal
    Powell River 125.1177.74Joyce Avenue
    128.6779.95British Columbia G-050-5.svg Wharf Street (Hwy 911:2576 west) / Westview Avenue Ferries Access to Texada Island and Comox via ferry
    129.6180.54Alberni Street, Abbotsford Street
    133.6683.05Arbutus Avenue, Marine Avenue
    Lund 156.3697.16British Columbia G-050-5.svg Lund Water Taxi – Passenger Ferry to Savary Island
    1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
    •       Tolled

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    References

    1. 1 2 Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2017. pp. 590–597.
    2. "Highway Maintenance". Capilano Highway Services. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
    3. National Highway System (PDF). Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Government of British Columbia. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 15, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
    4. 1 2 "BC Ferries Schedules: Sechelt - Powell River (Earls Cove-Saltery Bay)". BC Ferries . Retrieved December 7, 2017.
    5. 1 2 Watson, Bridgette (December 7, 2017). "Province scraps plan for fixed link to Sunshine Coast". CBC News. Retrieved August 3, 2021.

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