British Columbia Highway 99

Highway 99
Vancouver-Blaine Highway Sea-to-Sky Highway Duffey Lake Road
Length:	409 km (254 mi)
Formed:	1942
South end:	I-5 at United States border in Surrey
Major junctions:	BC 91 in Delta BC 17 in Delta BC 91 in Richmond BC 7 in Vancouver BC 1A in Vancouver BC 1 in West Vancouver BC 12 in Lillooet
North end:	BC 97 near Cache Creek
Major cities:	Surrey Delta Richmond Vancouver West Vancouver Squamish Whistler Pemberton Lillooet
British Columbia provincial highways < BC 97D BC 99A >

Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Squamish Highway and/or Whistler Highway, is the major north-south artery running through the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia from the US border and beyond up Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky Country to Lillooet and connecting to British Columbia provincial highway 97 just north of Cache Creek. The number of this highway is derived from the old U.S. Highway 99, which the highway originally connected with at the Canada-U.S. boundary. The highway currently connects with Interstate 5 at the international border.

This highway received the '99' designation in 1942 upon completion of the King George Highway, and it originally shared an alignment with Highway 1 from Surrey to Vancouver. The current freeway alignment of Highway 99 between 8th Avenue in South Surrey and the North Arm of the Fraser River opened in 1962. Between 1964 and 1973, the freeway alignment of Highway 99 was designated Highway 499.

In 1957, the northern end of Highway 99 was moved from downtown Vancouver, across the Lions' Gate Bridge and west to the village of Horseshoe Bay, following Marine Drive through West Vancouver. Highway 99 was re-aligned via Taylor Way, just east of the Park Royal Shopping Centre, to the Upper Levels Highway and extended to Britannia Beach one year later, being extended further to Squamish in 1959, and then to Pemberton in 1966. Finally, in 1992, the just-paved Duffey Lake Road between Pemberton and Lillooet was made part of Highway 99, and the section of Highway 12 between Lillooet and Highway 97 was re-numbered 99. The portion of the highway between Lillooet and Pavilion was part of the route of the Old Cariboo Road.

The total length of Highway 99 from the US border to the Highway 97 junction is 409 km (254 mi). In 2006 the UK's The Guardian newspaper listed the Sea to Sky as the 5th best road trip.^[1]

Route details

White Rock to Richmond

Highway 99 in Metro Vancouver.

Highway 99, looking north (towards Vancouver) from the Steveston Highway overpass, just north of the George Massey Tunnel.

In the south, Highway 99 begins at the British Columbia / Washington State border crossing at Douglas, on the Canadian side of Peace Arch Park. In Washington State, the highway becomes Interstate 5, which runs to Seattle and beyond to San Diego, California. The highway begins with a four-lane freeway configuration. Highway 99 travels through Surrey 12 km (7 mi) due northwest from the border, through four interchanges, and then turns west for 4 km (2½ mi) before reaching the junction with Highway 91, marking the highway's entry into the Corporation of Delta. 4 km (2½ mi) west, Highway 99 reaches its junction with Highway 10. 8 km (5 mi) later, Highway 99 reaches a junction with Highway 17. Another 2 km (1¼ mi) northwest, Highway 99 crosses into Richmond through the George Massey Tunnel, also known as the Deas Tunnel or Deas Island Tunnel.

Through Richmond, Highway 99 travels 7 km (4 mi) north from the Steveston Highway interchange, at the north mouth of the tunnel, to a junction which connects to the Westminster Highway, Knight Street, and western end of Highway 91. Another 4 km (2½ mi) northwest, the southern freeway section of Highway 99 ends as the highway crosses the North Arm of the Fraser River, over the Oak Street Bridge, into Vancouver.

City of Vancouver

The Lions' Gate Bridge carries Highway 99 from Vancouver to West Vancouver.

The 30 km (19 mi) long route through Vancouver's city streets starts off going for 1 km (about ½ mi) north on Oak Street to the intersection with West 70th Avenue. Highway 99 then goes west on West 70th^[2] for 1 km (about ½ mi), and then turns right onto Granville Street. Highway 99 takes Granville Street north for 7 km (4 mi), crossing over False Creek (via the Granville Street Bridge) into the downtown core. Highway 99 goes northeast by way of Seymour Street through downtown for 1 km (about ½ mi) (southbound it uses Howe Street), then turns northwest onto Georgia Street for 2 km (1¼ mi) before entering Stanley Park. Highway 99 proceeds north for 4 km (2½ mi) through Stanley Park and over the Lions' Gate Bridge into West Vancouver at Marine Drive.

The Trans-Canada Highway/Upper Levels Highway

In West Vancouver, Highway 99 goes west on Marine Drive for 1 km (about ½ mi), then turns right onto Taylor Way for another 1 km (about ½ mi), finally reaching its junction with Highway 1. Highway 99 shares the Upper Levels Highway with Highway 1 for 12 km (7 mi) west before diverging from Highway 1 just before the B.C. Ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay.

Sea-to-Sky Highway and beyond

Sea-to-Sky Highway

HWY 99 Near Squamish

The "Sea-to-Sky Highway" is the name given to the section of Highway 99 starting just north of Horseshoe Bay. From Horseshoe Bay, the highway travels along the coast of Howe Sound for 12 km (7 mi) to Lions Bay, north for another 21 km (13 mi) to Britannia Beach, and north for 11 more km (7 mi) to Squamish, at the head of Howe Sound. From Squamish, it continues north for another 58 km (36 mi) to Whistler, and then to Pemberton 32 km (20 mi) later, where the Sea-to-Sky Highway ends and the Duffey Lake Road begins. 99 km (62 mi) northeast, Highway 99 reaches the junction with Highway 12 at Lillooet, and then goes northeast for another 75 km (47 mi) to its northern terminus at its junction with Highway 97, just north of Cache Creek.

The "Sea to Sky Highway" section of Highway 99 has a checkered history. Built on a steep cliff overlooking Howe Sound, it was a two-lane undivided highway with no outside barrier. Many motorists have lost their lives on it due to inclement weather, poor visibility, speeding, passing slower vehicles, or drunk driving. (Local media have called it variously the "Killer Highway", the "Highway of Death", and the "Drive-to-Die Highway".)

As part of the 2010 Winter Olympics bid, the British Columbia provincial government has authorized upgrading the highway to accommodate greater traffic loads, widening the highway and adding a concrete divider. Starting in 2002 a large section was upgraded between Squamish and Whistler that had already seen major improvements during the 1980s, and as of December 2005, a segment of the southern section upgrade opened with a fully divided four lane section that runs from Ansell Place to Lions Bay. The Sea to Sky will eventually become a full freeway until the interchange with the old Highway 99 and the new Eagleridge alignment. The highway will be a divided highway all the way to Lions Bay and through Squamish.

The new alignment of Highway 99 over the Eagleridge Bluffs is complete; however, on-site protests delayed its construction. Protesters claimed that a tunnel under the bluffs was a safer and more environmentally-friendly alternative. A court injunction and police were used to remove the protestors, one of whom, Harriet Nahanee, a respected Skwxwu7mesh elder, died soon after in the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre from health complications alleged to be related to her arrest and incarceration.

Exit list

From south to north, the following intersections are observed along Highway 99:

Highway 99 Exit List

Continues as Interstate 5 towards Seattle Highway 99 begins at the US-Canada border. Entering the City of Surrey Peace Park Drive Northbound only Beach Road At-grade Campbell River bridge 2 8th Avenue/King George Highway Signed as exits 2A and 2B southbound, to Truck Border Crossing 8A 152nd Street southbound Southbound exit only 8B 32nd Avenue Diversion Southbound exit, Northbound entrance only Nicomekl River bridge 10 King George Highway No access to Highway 99 southbound from King George norhtbound Serpentine River bridge Entering the Corporation of Delta 16 Highway 91 (Annacis Highway) to Richmond, New Westminster 20 Ladner Trunk Road South Fraser Perimeter Road Interchange under construction 28 Highway 17 to Ladner, Tsawwassen, Ferries 29 River Road Southbound exit only George Massey Tunnel under the South Arm Fraser River - Entering City of Richmond Rice Mills Road Southbound exit accessible only via scale 32 Steveston Highway 36 Westminster Highway Northbound exit and southbound entrance only 37 Highway 91 (Richmond Freeway) to Richmond, New Westminster 38 Shell Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance only 39B No. 4 Road southbound Southbound exit only 39 Bridgeport Road Vancouver International Airport, northbound exit only 39A Sea Island Way Vancouver International Airport, souhthbound exit only Oak Street Bridge over the North Arm Fraser River - Entering City of Vancouver 41 Marine Drive, Oak Street southbound Signed 41A/41B northbound, unsigned southbound Continues as Oak Street, 70th Avenue and Granville Street into Vancouver 4th Avenue SB only, heads east 4th Avenue/Fir Street Southbound exit only, heads west for 4th Ave, NB entrance Granville Street Bridge over False Creek Seymour Street Hwy 99 northbound exits to Seymour, 99 southbound enters from Howe Continues as Howe Street, Seymour Street Georgia Street At grade, Hwy 99 turns onto Georgia Continues as Georgia Street Stanley Park Drive Closed during peak hours Lions Gate Bridge over Burrard Inlet - Entering the District of West Vancouver Marine Drive Hwy 99 exits onto Marine Drive, right turns onto Taylor Way Park Royal Shopping Centre SB exit and NB entrance only Continues as Taylor Way 13 Taylor Way Enters Highway 1 11 15th Street, Cross Creek Road 10 21st Street, Skilift Road, Orchard Way NB exit and SB entrance and exit only 8 Cypress Bowl Road 7 Wentworth Avenue, Westmount Road 4 Westport Road, Northwood Drive 3 Highway 1 (Upper Levels Highway) to Horseshoe Bay Drive (Former Highway 99) & Nanaimo via ferries Highway 1 exits, to Ferries 2 Eagleridge Drive Horseshoe Bay Drive (Former Highway 99) to Horseshoe Bay Southbound exit and northbound entrance only, to Horseshoe Bay Ansell Place Lawrence Way Exiting West Vancouver Strachan Point Road Right-in, right out Ocean Point Drive Entering the Village of Lions Bay Kelvin Grove Way Lions Bay Avenue Cristal Falls Road Brunswick Beach Road At-grade intersection Exiting the Village of Lions Bay Porteau Cove Provincial Park At-grade intersection Furry Creek Drive NB Right-in, right-out Bridge over Furry Creek Sea View Drive SB Right-in, right-out Entering the Community of Britannia Beach (unincorporated) Britannia Beach Road Main Street Exiting the Community of Britannia Beach (unincorporated) Murrin Provincial Park Darrel Bay Road to Shannon Falls Provincial Park Stawamus Chief Provincial Park Stawamus Chief (parking, rest area) Entering the District Municipality of Squamish Valley Drive, Stawamus Road Guildford Drive At-grade intersection Scott Crescent SB Right-in, right-out Cleveland Avenue to Downtown Squamish, Loggers Lane Industrial Way, Finch Drive Pioneer Way Centennial Way Interchange under construction Bridge over Mamquam River Mamquam Road Garibaldi Way Depot Road Squamish Valley Road, Alice Lake Road to Alice Lake Provincial Park Exiting the District Municipality of Squamish Brohm Lake Recreational Site Black Tusk Access Road to Garibaldi Lake To Black Tusk Drive, Black Tusk Village Brandywine Falls Provincial Park Callaghan Valley Road Entering the Resort Municipality of Whistler Cheakamus Valley Road Spring Creek Drive Taylor Way SB Right-in, Right-out Lake Placid Road/London Lane to Creekside London Lane Whistler Way NB Right-in, right-out Village Gate Road to Whistler Village Whistler Cay Drive Lormier Road Nancy Greene Drive Blackcomb Way Alpine Way Emerald Drive, Summer Lane To Whistler Heliport Exiting the Resort Municipality of Whistler Continues as Sea to Sky Highway to Pemberton and Lillooet Ends at Highway 97 north of Cache Creek Note: Exits highlighted with yellow are proposed Exits highlighted with blue are under construction Exits highlighted with red are slated to be closed

Footnotes

External links

• Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project, Eagleridge Bluffs (PDF)
• Site on protests against highway over Eagleridge Bluffs