British Columbia provincial highway 19

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British Columbia provincial highway 19, known locally as the Island Highway, is the main north-south thoroughfare on Vancouver Island north of Nanaimo. The highway first opened in 1953, replacing a stretch of highway 1 between Nanaimo and Campbell River, finally being extended to the northern tip of the island in the late 1970s. The total length of the highway is 406 km.

[edit] Route details

Highway 19's northern end is at an intersection with Market Street in the small community of Port Hardy. The highway then proceeds in a southwest arc through the town centre, then goes southeast through a junction with the B.C. Ferry terminal at Bear Cove, and a junction with Port McNeill. The highway then winds its way past Nimpkish Lake, then through a 163 km long stretch of dense forest terrain, through the community of Woss and a junction with Sayward, finally entering the city of Campbell River at a junction with highways 28 and 19A, just past the river that the city is named for.

The entire stretch of Highway 19 north of Campbell River is an undivided two-lane configuration. Once at the junction with Highways 28 and 19A, Highway 19 separates into an expressway configuration, built between 1996 and 2001. In Campbell River, the expressway shares its northbound lanes with Tamarac Street, and its southbound lanes with Willow Street. The entire stretch of Highway 19 between Campbell River and the city of Parksville is a divided four-lane freeway or expressway (alternates), with a nominal speed limit of 110 km/h, and is referred to as the "Inland Island Highway".

South from Campbell River, Highway 19 is divided primarily by a concrete wall, and goes through a series of six at-grade intersections, five of them possessing exit numbers. 52 km south of Campbell River, Highway 19 reaches its first interchange, with a four-lane arterial highway that goes west to the village of Cumberland and east to the communities of Courtenay and Comox. Past the Courtenay Interchange, Highway 19 is divided by a grass median. 16 km later, Highway 19 reaches another interchange, this time with a two-lane road that goes a short distance east to the B.C. Ferry terminal at Buckley Bay. There are two more at-grade intersections on Highway 19 in the 41 km between the Buckley Bay Interchange and the interchange with Highway 4, which goes east into Qualicum Beach. 9 km later, Highway 19 goes through another interchange, this time with Highway 4A, which goes east into Parksville. The next interchange, at Craig's Crossing, is another 5 km south.

Past the Craig's Crossing Interchange, Highway 19 resumes its 1953 alignment, which today is a 4-lane, divided arterial highway with a concrete median barrier mostly constructed during the 1970's. The highway passes southeast through the communities of Nanoose Bay and Lantzville before finally entering the north part of Nanaimo. Highway 19 then veers south onto a new 20 km long four-lane expressway known as the "Nanaimo Parkway", which has five at-grade intersections along its length. Highway 19's Nanaimo Parkway portion ends an an interchange with the Trans Canada and Cedar Road. At the interchange with Cedar Road, Highway 19 proceeds to share an alignment with the Trans-Canada Highway south for 2 km before turning eastward at another interchange (Duke Point Highway). Highway 19 then crosses over the Nanaimo River 2 km later, passes through an interchange at Maughan Rd and then goes northward for 5 km, finally terminating at the B.C. Ferry terminal at Duke Point.

[edit] List of exits

The following is a list of exits along the expressway and freeway portions of Highway 19.

Exit 0***- Entrance to Harmac Sawmill [1]

Exit 2***- Maughan Rd.

Exit 4*- (Southbound) Maughan Rd.

Exit 7*- Highway 1 SB, Island Highway South.

Exit 9- Highway 1 NB, Highway 19A, Island Highway South.

Exit 16**- College Dr.; Fifth St.

Exit 18**- Jingle Pot Rd.

Exit 21**- Northfield Rd.

Exit 24**- Jingle Pot Rd.; Mostar Rd.

Exit 28**- Aulds Rd.

Exit 28B*- (Northbound) Mary Ellen Dr.

Exit 29**- Highway 19A, Island Highway South.

Exit 30***- Ware Rd.

Exit 31***- (Southbound) Industrial Rd.

Exit 32***- Superior Rd.

Exit 33***- McKercher Rd.

Exit 34***- Mallard Way.

Exit 35***- Bayview Park Dr.; Rumming Rd.

Exit 36***- Hillview Rd.

Exit 39A***- Summerset Rd.

Exit 39B***- (Northbound) Arlington Rd.

Exit 39C***- Nanoose Station Rd.; Weeks Rd.

Exit 40A***- Northwest Bay Rd.

Exit 40B***- Morrello Rd.

Exit 40C***- Kinghorn Rd.

Exit 41***- Fredheim Rd.

Exit 42***- Ross Rd.

Exit 43***- Dawson Rd.

Exit 44***- Northwest Bay Logging Rd.

Exit 46- Highway 19A, Oceanside Route northbound.

Exit 51- Highway 4A, Alberni Highway.

Exit 60- Highway 4, Memorial Ave.

Exit 75**- Horne Lake Rd.

Exit 87**- Cook Creek Rd.

Exit 101- Buckley Bay Rd.

Exit 117- Comox Valley Pkwy.

Exit 127**- Piercy Rd.

Exit 130**- Dove Creek Rd.; Strathcona Pkwy.

Exit 144**- Hamm Rd.

Exit 154***- Cranberry Ln.

Exit 161**- Jubilee Pkwy.

Exit 167**- Willis Rd.

After this point, Highway 19 continues as a divided highway, but becomes a two/four lane highway shortly after.

  • *Exit not officially numbered
  • ***Exit not officially numbered, exit is at-grade intersection.


1 1A 2 3 3A 3B 4 4A 5 5A 6 7 7A 7B 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
17A 18 19 19A 20 21 22 22A 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 31A 33 35 37 37A 39 41 43
49 52 77 91 91A 93 95 95A 97 97A 97B 97C 97D 99 99A 101 113 (Nisga'a) 118 395