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Highway 14
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Highway 14 is the southernmost numbered route in the province of British Columbia. An east-west highway on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island, it is sometimes known as the Juan de Fuca Highway, as well as Sooke Road, Sooke being one of the largest communities that the highway passes through. Highway 14 first opened in 1953, extending west from Colwood, a suburb of Victoria, to the coastal community of River Jordan, and was extended all the way west to the remote community of Port Renfrew by 1975. The highway's eastern terminus was relocated to northern Langford in 2002.
[edit] Route details
The total length of Highway 14 is 103 km (64 mi). In the east, Highway 14 begins at a junction with the Trans-Canada Highway in north Langford, proceeding south for 3 km (2 mi) as the Veteran's Memorial Parkway through the community of Langford before turning west and continuing through Langford and Metchosin for 22 km (14 mi), also passing by a local hill known as Mount Helmcken, before entering the city of Sooke. After Sooke, Highway 14 proceeds west for 36 km (22 mi) to Jordan River, hugging the coastline for most of the distance. Highway 14 then travels west northwest along the southwestern coast of the Island for 42 km (26 mi), finally terminating at a Federal Government marine dock in the town of Port Renfrew.
Prior to realignment in 2002, Highway 14 travelled through Colwood from the junction at the Old Island Highway and Goldstream Avenue to its current intersection with the Veterans Memorial Parkway.
[edit] Trivia
- The route is exceptionally windy and hilly, with some sharper corners lined with oversize freeway-style jersey barriers instead of the more typical crash rails, mostly in locations where an out of control vehicle could fall off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. These crash barriers show signs of many collisions, occasionally decorated with "X crashed here!" and a target painted around a particular skidmark on the wall.
