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Route information | ||||
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Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure | ||||
Existed | 1964–present | |||
Tourist routes | Part of the International Selkirk Loop | |||
Castlegar-Nelson-Creston Highway | ||||
Length | 154 km (96 mi) | |||
West end | Hwy 3 in Castlegar | |||
Major intersections | Hwy 6 north at South Slocan Hwy 6 south at Nelson Hwy 31 at Balfour Kootenay Lake Ferry | |||
East end | Hwy 3 in Creston | |||
Keremeos-Kaleden Junction Highway | ||||
Length | 32 km (20 mi) | |||
West end | Hwy 3 in Keremeos | |||
East end | Hwy 97 near Kaleden | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Canada | |||
Province | British Columbia | |||
Major cities | Castlegar, Nelson | |||
Towns | Creston | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Highway 3A is the designation of two segments of highway in the southern part of British Columbia.
This was the first segment of highway in British Columbia to receive the '3A' designation. It acquired this designation when the Crowsnest Highway was routed into the Kootenay Pass area in 1964. Originally, a ferry was used to route Highway 3A over the Columbia River near Castlegar, which was replaced by a bridge in 1967.
The 154 km (96 mi) long Kootenay section of Highway 3A begins at Castlegar, where it leaves Highway 3 and travels 20 km (12 mi) northeast to South Slocan, where Highway 6 merges onto Highway 3A. The two highways proceed east for 22 km (14 mi) to Nelson, where Highway 6 diverges south. 34 km (21 mi) northeast of Nelson, Highway 3A reaches Balfour, on the western shore of Kootenay Lake. A ferry takes Highway 3A across Kootenay Lake to Kootenay Bay. Highway 3A then follows the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake for 78 km (48 mi) south through Crawford Bay, Boswell, and Wynndel to Creston, where it rejoins Highway 3. [1]
The 3A marker in Creston at the junction with the Kootenay pass route falsely advertises it as a northbound highway rather than a westbound highway although all other 3A markers properly describe it as west and eastbound just as the 3 main.
The Kootenay pass is prone to closures especially during avalanche season and when it is closed Highway 3A and the Kootenay Lake ferry once again becomes a vital link for all traffic on the Crowsnest highway which would otherwise completely cease to function. The ferry will operate on a 24h basis until the pass re opens.
Even when the pass is open and despite the pass route being shorter some Kootenay locals still personally prefer to drive the Kootenay Lake route rather than the Salmo Creston route viewing the ferry route as a safer option especially if the weather is bad or at risk of turning bad or if there are construction delays on the pass. It's possible for example for the entirety of 3A from Creston to Castlegar to be bare and dry while the pass is still covered in snow and ice. 3A is also a far easier bicycle route than the Kootenay pass. This combined with people who simply wish to experience a more relaxed drive means a significant minority of ferry users in a given week are using the ferry as part of a trip all the way to or from the coast just as it was used for before the pass route was built.
The entire route is in the Central Kootenay Regional District.
Location | km [2] | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
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Castlegar | 0.00 | 0.00 | Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Grand Forks, Trail, Salmo, Creston | Ootischenia Interchange Hwy 3A western terminus | |
| 3.22 | 2.00 | Brilliant Bridge crosses the Kootenay River | ||
3.60 | 2.24 | Robson Road – Castlegar City Centre, Robson | Partially grade separated | ||
19.90 | 12.37 | Hwy 6 north – New Denver, Nakusp, Vernon | West end of Hwy 6 concurrency | ||
34.45 | 21.41 | Taghum Bridge crosses the Kootenay River | |||
Nelson | 41.25 | 25.63 | Hwy 6 south to Hwy 3 – Salmo | Cottonwood Creek Interchange Hwy 3A branches north; east end of Hwy 6 concurrency | |
41.71 | 25.92 | Victoria Street | Eastbound exit only | ||
45.07– 45.70 | 28.01– 28.40 | Nelson Bridge crosses Kootenay Lake (West Arm) | |||
Balfour | 75.92 | 47.17 | Hwy 31 north – Ainsworth Hot Springs, Kaslo | Hwy 3A branches south into ferry terminal | |
| 76.08 | 47.27 | Kootenay Lake Ferry crosses Kootenay Lake Kilometrage does not include ferry | ||
Creston | 154.26 | 95.85 | Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Cranbrook, Salmo, Castlegar | Hwy 3A eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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A new section of highway through the Richter Pass from Keremeos to Osoyoos was opened in 1965. [3] The 2-lane Crowsnest Highway was re-routed through this area in 1967, and the segment between Keremeos and Osoyoos was given the Highway 3 Southern Trans-Canada designation. This 45 km (28 mi) long segment of Highway 3 runs south from Keremeos, past the turnoff to Nighthawk, USA, then east over Richter Pass to Osoyoos. It's a main part of the bike course for the Subaru Ironman held each August in the Okanagan-Similkameen. The event was known as Challenge Penticton Triathlon between 2013 and 2019 when Subaru withdrew its sponsorship and moved the event to Whistler. [4] The event was reinstated to Penticton beginning in 2022. [5]
Highway 3A runs from Keremeos 35 km (22 mi) north through Olalla and up the long hill to Yellow Lake, then east past Twin Lakes and through the Marron Valley to Kaleden Junction where it intersects with Highway 97, the North-South Okanagan route, 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Penticton. [6] Highway 3A used to continue south along Highway 97, past Okanagan Falls and Oliver to Osoyoos, but the Highway 3A/97 concurrency has since been decommissioned. [7] Signage at Kaleden junction and in Okanagan falls remains and a new 3A sign was installed as part of the reworking of the junction. The "Yellow Lake route" from Keremeos to Osoyoos is still considered a core part of highway 3 if the Richter highway closes and the route has seen renewed importance with the washouts and the Osoyoos wildfire leading to increased essential travel along what was long considered an obsolete legacy route used mostly by local traffic.
Extra driving time should be allowed for traffic congestion (tourism) in the Okanagan in summer. There is also some agricultural traffic in both valleys. There is limited 3 and 4 laning.
The entire route is in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
Location | km [2] | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
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Keremeos | 0.00 | 0.00 | Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Osoyoos, Princeton, Vancouver | Hwy 3A western terminus | |
Kaleden | 31.65 | 19.67 | Hwy 97 north – Penticton | Hwy 3A eastern terminus; former Hwy 97 concurrency | |
Osoyoos | 78.82 | 48.98 | Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Grand Forks, Castlegar, Hope, Vancouver Hwy 97 south to US 97 – U.S. Border (Osoyoos) | Former Hwy 3A eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Location | Keremeos, Osoyoos |
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Length | 46.0 km (28.6 mi) |
Existed | 1965–c.1967 |
For a time between 1965 and about 1967, the section of what is now Highway 3 was designated as Highway 3A [8] [9] [10]
The highway through Richter Pass itself opened on July 7, 1965 [11]
The Crowsnest Highway is an east-west highway in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. It stretches 1,161 km (721 mi) across the southern portions of both provinces, from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection between the Lower Mainland and southeast Alberta through the Canadian Rockies. Mostly two-lane, the highway was officially designated in 1932, mainly following a mid-19th-century gold rush trail originally traced out by an engineer named Edgar Dewdney. It takes its name from the Crowsnest Pass, the location at which the highway crosses the Continental Divide between British Columbia and Alberta.
The Okanagan, also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and West Kelowna.
The Kootenays or Kootenay is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Highway 97 is a major highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the longest continuously numbered route in the province, running 2,081 km (1,293 mi) and is the only route that runs the entire north–south length of the British Columbia, connecting the Canada–United States border near Osoyoos in the south to the British Columbia–Yukon boundary in the north at Watson Lake, Yukon.
Highway 93 is a north–south route through the southeastern part of British Columbia, in the Regional District of East Kootenay and takes its number from U.S. Highway 93 that it connects with at the Canada–United States border. It follows the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) and Highway 95 through Radium Hot Springs and to where it crosses the Continental Divide into Alberta at Vermilion Pass, where it continues as Alberta Highway 93. The section between the Canada-U.S. border and the Crowsnest Highway is known as the Elko–Roosville Highway, the section between the Crowsnest Highway and Radium Hot Springs is known as the Kootenay–Columbia Highway, while the section east of Radium Hot Springs is known as the Banff–Windermere Parkway.
Highway 8, known as the Nicola Highway, is an alternate route to Highway 97C between Highway 1 and the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. Highway 8 was first numbered in 1953, and very little about the highway changed between that year and 2021, when large segments of the highway were washed out by floods.
Highway 6 is a two-lane highway passing between the Kootenay and Okanagan regions in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is divided into two parts—the Nelson-Nelway Highway between the Canada–United States border and Nelson, and the Vernon-Slocan Highway between South Slocan and Vernon. Highway 6 is a north–south highway between Nelway and the Needles Ferry and an east–west highway between the Needles Ferry and Vernon; it has a total length of 407 km (253 mi). It first opened in 1941, and its very winding path through the western Kootenays has not changed since.
Osoyoos is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is 3.6 km (2.2 mi) north of the United States border with Washington state and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word sw̓iw̓s meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local Okanagan language (Syilx'tsn). The "O-" prefix is not indigenous in origin and was attached by settler-promoters wanting to harmonize the name with other place names beginning with O in the Okanagan region. There is one local newspaper, the Osoyoos Times.
Kaleden is an unincorporated community about midway along the western shore of Skaha Lake in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia. Adjacent to BC Highway 97, the locality is by road about 13 kilometres (8 mi) south of Penticton.
Yale–Cariboo was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1896 to 1917.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a Junior A Tier 2 ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League(VIJHL) for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title.
Okanagan-Boundary was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia spanning the area from the Similkameen towns of Kaleden and Keremeos to Grand Forks and Christina Lake, and including the southern Okanagan towns of Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Osoyoos, Rock Creek and Greenwood. The riding first appeared in the 1991 election as the result of a redistribution of the former riding of Boundary-Similkameen. The same area is now part of West Kootenay-Boundary.
The International Selkirk Loop is a 280-mile-long (450 km) scenic highway in the U.S. states of Idaho and Washington, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. The loop encircles the Selkirk Mountain Range, and offers several side trips aside from the main route. Included on the loop is the Kootenay Lake Ferry, the longest free ferry in the world. The portion of the loop in the United States has been designated an All-American Road by the United States Department of Transportation.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is in southern British Columbia, adjacent to the U.S. state of Washington. It is bounded by Fraser Valley Regional District to the west, Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Regional District of Central Okanagan to the north, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary to the east, and by Okanogan County, Washington to the south. At the 2011 census the population was 80,742. The district covers a land area of 10,413.44 square kilometres (4,020.65 sq mi). The administrative offices are in the City of Penticton.
The Dewdney Trail is a 720 km (450 mi) trail in British Columbia, Canada that served as a major thoroughfare in mid-19th century British Columbia. The trail was a critical factor in the development and strengthening of the newly established British colony of British Columbia, tying together mining camps and small towns that were springing up during the gold rush era prior to the colony's joining Canada in 1871. Establishing this route became important and urgent for the colony when many new gold finds occurred at locations near the US border that at the time were much more easily accessed from Washington Territory than from the then barely settled parts of the Lower Mainland and Cariboo. Approximately 80 percent of the trail's route has been incorporated into the Crowsnest Highway.
British Columbia Highway 3, officially named the Crowsnest Highway, is an 841-kilometre (523 mi) highway that traverses southern British Columbia, Canada. It runs from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) at Hope to Crowsnest Pass at the Alberta border and forms the western portion of the interprovincial Crowsnest Highway that runs from Hope to Medicine Hat, Alberta. The highway is considered a Core Route of the National Highway System.
The Columbia and Western Railway (C&W) was a historic, and initially narrow gauge, railway in southern British Columbia.
Olalla is an unincorporated settlement in the South Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located southwest of Penticton and just north of Keremeos. Kaleden, just northeast beyond Olalla along BC Highway 3A, occupies the pass dividing the Okanagan Valley beyond and the Similkameen Country of which Olalla is a part.
Richter Pass is a mountain pass to the south of the summit of British Columbia Highway 3 between Keremeos (W) and Osoyoos (E), linking the Similkameen Valley with the South Okanagan over the southernmost end of the Thompson Plateau. The pass is traversed by Old Richter Pass Road and is ~650 m (2,130 ft) in elevation though the name is generally used for the route of Highway 3 as well.