Cassiar Tunnel

Last updated

Cassiar Connector
TCH1eRoad-HastingsStreetTunnel1 (35138912813).jpg
Interior of the tunnel, heading southbound
Overview
Location Vancouver, British Columbia
Coordinates 49°16′39″N123°01′54″W / 49.277381°N 123.031576°W / 49.277381; -123.031576 (Cassiar Connector)
RouteBC-1 (TCH).svg Hwy 1 (TCH)
Operation
OpenedJanuary 12, 1992
Owner British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Technical
Length730 metres (2,400 ft)
No. of lanes 6
Tunnel clearance 5.2 metres (17 ft)

The Cassiar Connector is a highway traffic tunnel on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is located in the north-east corner of Vancouver, British Columbia, near the Vancouver-Burnaby border. Travelling northward, the tunnel begins under Adanac Street and passes under the interchange between East Hastings Street and the Highway 1 offramps. It ends underneath Triumph Street, with the highway continuing north to the McGill Street interchange (to the Port of Vancouver) and the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing towards the District of North Vancouver. The tunnel is 730 metres (2,400 ft) long. Dangerous goods are not permitted to be transported through the tunnel.

Contents

History

In August 1960, the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing (known at the time as the Second Narrows Bridge) was opened to traffic. This was followed in 1964 by the completion of the Trans Canada Highway. However, the portion of the highway passing through Vancouver was not built to highway standards. Instead, it used an existing portion of Cassiar Street, including the intersection of Cassiar and Hastings Street. This meant that traffic on the highway was controlled by traffic lights at Hastings and Cassiar also at Adanac Street and again at William Street for traffic control from the Rupert Park Diversion, all contributing to congestion especially during peak periods.

The Cassiar Connector was completed in January 1992, when it was described as removing one of the last remaining traffic lights on the Trans Canada Highway and as the BC Ministry of Transportation's largest project to date. The project upgraded 2.3 km of highway south of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, and involved the construction of seven new overpasses, 20 retaining walls, a pedestrian bridge, two new interchanges and the Cassiar Tunnel itself which is 730m long. [1] The total cost of construction was estimated to be C$115 million.

On Saturday, January 11, 1992, pedestrians were allowed to roam through the dual tunnels. A ceremony was also held at 1 p.m. and was attended by Transportation Minister Art Charbonneau and Vancouver Mayor Gordon Campbell. [2] The next day, it was opened to vehicle traffic, and the Trans Canada highway was diverted to the new route. [3]

Highway expansion

In 2005, the British Columbian government introduced an infrastructure plan known as the "Gateway Program." [4] As part of that program, the Trans-Canada Highway through the Cassiar Connector was increased to three lanes in each direction. The lanes were intended to be used primarily for dedicated entry and exit lanes. Because the tunnel was originally designed to have three lanes in each direction, expansion was not necessary.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 278</span> Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York

Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs 35.62 miles (57.32 km) from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The majority of I-278 is in New York City, where it serves as a partial beltway and passes through all five of the city's boroughs. I-278 follows several freeways, including the Union Freeway in Union County, New Jersey; the Staten Island Expressway (SIE) across Staten Island; the Gowanus Expressway in southern Brooklyn; the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (BQE) across northern Brooklyn and Queens; a small part of the Grand Central Parkway in Queens; and a part of the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx. I-278 also crosses multiple bridges, including the Goethals, Verrazzano-Narrows, Kosciuszko, and Robert F. Kennedy bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)</span> Municipality in British Columbia, Canada

The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the Canada–United States border, and west of the City of Abbotsford. Langley Township is not to be confused with the City of Langley, which is adjacent to the township but politically is a separate entity. Langley is located in the eastern part of Metro Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lions Gate Bridge</span> Suspension bridge in Vancouver, Canada

The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938 and officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term "Lions Gate" refers to the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver. Northbound traffic on the bridge heads in their general direction. A pair of cast concrete lions, designed by sculptor Charles Marega, were placed on either side of the south approach to the bridge in January 1939.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Highway 17</span> Highway in British Columbia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing</span> Steel-truss bridge across Burrard Inlet in British Columbia, Canada

The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second (east) Narrows of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally named the Second Narrows Bridge, it connects Vancouver to the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, which includes the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. It was constructed adjacent to the older Second Narrows Bridge, which is now exclusively a rail bridge. Its construction, from 1956 to 1960, was marred by a multi-death collapse on June 17, 1958. The First Narrows Bridge, better known as Lions Gate Bridge, crosses Burrard Inlet about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of the Second Narrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Narrows Rail Bridge</span> Vertical-lift railway bridge in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The Second Narrows Rail Bridge is a vertical-lift railway bridge that crosses the Burrard Inlet and connects Vancouver with the North Shore. The bridge's south end connects directly to the Thornton Tunnel, which connects it to the main Canadian rail network. As the name suggests, it is located at the second narrowing of the Burrard Inlet.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Highway 91</span> Highway in British Columbia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Highway 7B</span> Highway in British Columbia

Highway 7B, known as the Mary Hill Bypass, is a 7.27 km (4.52 mi) long riverside east-west link between the cities of Coquitlam to the west and Port Coquitlam to the east. The Mary Hill Bypass gained its numbered designation in 1996, when it was widened from two to four lanes north of Broadway. Highway 7B meets Highway 7 at both of its ends, and also links to Highway 1 within Coquitlam at the Cape Horn Interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Massey Tunnel</span> Tunnel beneath the Fraser River in British Columbia

The George Massey Tunnel is a highway traffic tunnel in the Metro Vancouver region of southwestern British Columbia. It is located approximately 20 km (12.4 mi) south of the city centre of Vancouver, British Columbia, and approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) north of the Canada–United States border at Blaine, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burrard Bridge</span> Bridge in Vancouver

The Burrard Street Bridge is a four-lane, Art Deco style, steel truss bridge constructed in 1930–1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The high, five part bridge on four piers spans False Creek, connecting downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano via connections to Burrard Street on both ends. It is one of three bridges crossing False Creek. The other two bridges are the Granville Bridge, three blocks or 0.5 km (0.31 mi) to the southeast, and the Cambie Street Bridge, about 11 blocks or 2 km (1.2 mi) to the east. In addition to the vehicle deck, the Burrard Bridge has 2.6 m wide sidewalks and a dedicated cycling lanes on both sides.

Crowchild Trail is a major expressway in western Calgary, Alberta. The segment from the 12 Mile Coulee Road at the edge of the city to 16 Avenue NW is designated as Highway 1A by Alberta Transportation. The road is a critical north-south link in West Calgary for both downtown bound traffic and travel between the two quadrants of the city it passes through. Although planned to be one single freeway from Glenmore Trail to the city limits, the route is currently divided by a section of slow moving arterial road with four signalized intersections between 24 Avenue and Memorial Drive. This causes the freeway in the northwest to separated from the freeway south of the Bow River. Filling the gap and making the whole route a minimum six lane freeway is currently planned for construction beyond 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Vancouver</span>

Transportation in Vancouver, British Columbia, has many of the features of modern cities worldwide. Unlike many large metropolises, Vancouver has no freeways into or through the downtown area. A proposed freeway through the downtown was rejected in the 1960s by a coalition of citizens, community leaders and planners. This event "signalled the emergence of a new concept of the urban landscape" and has been a consistent element of the city's planning ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland Northern Motorway</span> Motorway located in Auckland, New Zealand

The Auckland Northern Motorway in the Auckland Region of New Zealand links Central Auckland and Warkworth in the former Rodney District via the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore. It is part of State Highway 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateway Program (Vancouver)</span> Regional transportation project

The Gateway Program is a C$3.0 billion regional transportation project for Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas that is being managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation. The ministry introduced the Gateway Program on January 31, 2006, as a means to address growing congestion and reduce travel times. The bulk of the construction took place from 2006-2014 and saw the completion of the Golden Ears Bridge, the Pitt River Bridge, the Port Mann Bridge, improvements on the Sea-to-Sky highway, and finally the construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

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 ; 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.

British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority was a government organization in the Province of British Columbia; this provincial governmental organization has long since been dissolved. Six of the longest Bridges were built for this agency and they include:

References

  1. Frontier to Freeway - An Illustrated History of the Roads in British Columbia (see page 18)
  2. The Vancouver Sun Staff (January 3, 1992). "Cassiar Connector Opening Slated for Mid-January". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver.
  3. The Province Staff (January 9, 1992). "Connector Set to Move Traffic". The Province. Vancouver. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  4. BC Government "Gateway Program Definition Report" (see pg 32) Archived February 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine