British Columbia Highway 16

Highway 16
Yellowhead Highway Trans-Canada Highway
Route information
Length:	1,173 km (729 mi)
Existed:	1953 – present
Haida Gwaii segment
Length:	101 km[1] (63 mi)
North end:	Masset
South end:	BC Ferries dock in Skidegate
Mainland segment
Length:	1,072 km[1] (666 mi)
West end:	BC Ferries dock in Prince Rupert
Major junctions:	BC 113 in Terrace BC 37 south in Terrace BC 37 north in Kitwanga BC 118 in Topley BC 35 in Burns Lake BC 27 near Vanderhoof BC 97 in Prince George BC 5 near Tête Jaune Cache
East end:	Alberta border continues as Hwy 16 (TCH)
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways ← BC 15 BC 17 →

Highway 16 is the British Columbia, Canada, section of the Yellowhead Highway. The highway closely follows the path of the northern B.C. alignment of the Canadian National Railway. The number "16" was first given to the highway in 1942, and originally, the route that the highway took was more to the north of today's highway, and it was not as long as it is now. Highway 16 originally ran from New Hazelton east to an obscure location known as Aleza Lake. In 1947, Highway 16's western end was moved from New Hazelton to the coastal city of Prince Rupert, and in 1953, the highway was re-aligned to end at Prince George. In 1969, further alignment east into Yellowhead Pass was opened to traffic after being constructed up through 1968 and raised to all-weather standards in 1969. Highway 16's alignment on the Haida Gwaii was commissioned in 1984, with BC Ferries beginning service along Highway 16 to the Haida Gwaii the following year.

A series of murders and disappearances has given the stretch between Prince Rupert and Prince George the name Highway of Tears.

Route description

Haida Gwaii section

The 101 km (63 mi) segment of the 1,347 km (837 mi)-long B.C. Highway begins in the west in the village of Masset, on the northern coast of Graham Island. Proceeding south, the highway goes 38 km (24 mi) to the inlet town of Port Clements. Winding its way along the boundary of Naikoon Provincial Park, Highway 16 goes south for 27 km (17 mi) before reaching the community of Tlell. 36 km (22 mi) south of Tlell, Highway 16 reaches Skidegate, where its Haida Gwaii section terminates.

Mainland section

BC Ferries then takes Highway 16 across the Hecate Strait for 172 km (93 nmi) due northeast to its landing at Prince Rupert.

Highway 16 heading west towards Prince Rupert from Terrace

From Prince Rupert, Highway 16 begins its winding route east through the Coast Mountain Ranges. Following the Skeena River, the highway travels for 151 km (94 mi) to the city of Terrace. Highway 37 merges onto Highway 16 in Terrace, and the two highways share a common alignment for 91 km (57 mi) northeast to the Kitwanga junction, where Highway 37 diverges north. Another 43 km (27 mi) northeast, Highway 16 reaches New Hazelton, where it then veers southeast along the Bulkley River. 68 km (42 mi) later, the highway reaches the town of Smithers, proceeding southeast another 64 km (40 mi) to the village of Houston.

Along the Skeena River, near Kitwanga

At Houston, Highway 16 begins a parallel course along the little Bulkley River, proceeding 81 km (50 mi) east to its junction with Highway 35 at Burns Lake. 128 km (80 mi) east, after passing through the hamlet of Fraser Lake, Highway 16 reaches its junction with Highway 27 in the town of Vanderhoof. 97 km (60 mi) east of Vanderhoof, Highway 16 reaches its B.C. midpoint as it enters the city of Prince George at its junction with Highway 97. Highway 16 leaves Prince George after coursing through the city for 9 km (5.6 mi).

Passing through Mt. Robson Provincial Park.

120 km (75 mi) east of Prince George, Highway 16 reaches the community of Dome Creek, where it converges with the Fraser River and turns southeast. It follows the Fraser River upstream for 82 km (51 mi) to McBride, then continues upstream for another 64 km (40 mi) to its junction with Highway 5 at Tête Jaune Cache. 14 km (8.7 mi) east of Tête Jaune Cache, Highway 16 enters Mount Robson Provincial Park, coursing through the park for 63 km (39 mi) to the boundary between British Columbia and Alberta within Yellowhead Pass.

The Highway of Tears

The Highway of Tears is a stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.^[2] Since 1969, numerous women have gone missing along the 720 km (450 mi) section of highway.^[3] RCMP list the number of missing or murdered women at eighteen but aboriginal organizations speculate that number ranges into the forties.^[4] Thirteen out of the eighteen recorded victims were teenagers while ten out of the eighteen were of aboriginal descent.^[5] In 2006, RCMP launched Project E-PANA; a special investigation unit that focused on the Highway of Tears disappearances and murders.^[6] The unit was originally given nine cases in 2006 which then doubled to eighteen cases in 2007.^[7] Due to budget cutbacks in the past few years, E-PANA's officers and budget have been dramatically cut; significantly hampering investigations into the Highway of Tears.^[5]

Major intersections

From west to east, the following intersections are observed along Highway 16.^[8][9] Distances exclude the 172 km (93 nmi) ferry between Skidegate and Prince Rupert.

Regional district	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Skeena-Queen Charlotte	Masset	0.00	0.00	Hodges Avenue / Towhill Road	Western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway
	Skidegate	100.90	62.70	Oceanview Drive (Road 33) – Queen Charlotte
		101.19	62.88	Skidgate Ferry Terminal
Hecate Strait				BC Ferries from Skidegate to Prince Rupert
Skeena-Queen Charlotte	Prince Rupert	0.00	0.00	Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal
		3.41	2.12	2nd Avenue W McBridge Street	BC 16 branches east
		15.18	9.43	Galloway Rapids Bridge from Kaien Island to the mainland
	​	15.36	9.54	Skeena Drive – Port Edward
Kitimat-Stikine	Terrace	145.91	90.66	BC 113 north (Nisga's Highway) – Nisga's Nation
		147.72	91.79	Sande Street Greig Avenue – City Centre	BC 16 branches south
		147.97	91.94	Keith Avenue	BC 16 branches east
		149.31– 150.26	92.78– 93.37	Dudley Little West Bridge and Dudley Little Main Bridge crosses the Skeena River
		150.50	93.52	BC 37 south – Kitimat	West end of BC 37 concurrency
	Kitwanga	241.10	149.81	BC 37 north (Stewart-Cassiar Highway) – Stewart, Watson Lake	East end of BC 37 concurrency
	​	280.48	174.28	Omineca Avenue – South Hazelton
	New Hazelton	284.17	176.58	Churchhill Street (Unofficial Hwy 62) – Hazelton
	Kitwanga	319.68	198.64	Moricetown Loop Road, Beaver Road
Bulkley-Nechako	Smithers	351.77	218.58	Main Street
		354.39	220.21	Crosses the Bulkley River
	Telkwa	366.39	227.66	Hankin Avenue
	​	410.07	254.81	Crosses the Bulkley River
	Houston	414.90	257.81	Tweedie Avenue
		416.33	258.70	Crosses the Bulkley River
	Topley	445.08	276.56	BC 118 north – Granisle
	Burns Lake	496.39	308.44	BC 35 south – Francois Lake
	Fraser Lake	565.47	351.37	Chowsunket Street
	Fort Fraser	584.82	363.39	Crosses the Nechako River
	​	616.66	383.17	BC 27 north – Fort St. James
	Vanderhoof	623.91	387.68	Burrard Avenue
Fraser-Fort George	Prince George	716.66	445.31	Southridge Avenue	Interchange; no westbound entrance
		717.08	445.57	Tyner Boulevard, Domano Boulevard	Provides access to the University of Northern British Columbia
		720.55	447.73	BC 97 – Dawson Creek, Quesnel, Kamloops, Vancouver	BC 97 north is the John Hart Highway; BC 97 south is the Cariboo Highway
		722.03	448.65	Victoria Street 20th Avenue	BC 16 branches north
		722.61	449.01	15th Avenue, Patricia Boulevard
		723.74	449.71	1st Avenue	BC 16 branches east
		725.70	450.93	Yellowhead Bridge over the Fraser River
		729.86	453.51	Old Cariboo Highway to BC 97 south – Airport, Quesnel	Former BC 97A
	​	741.64	460.83	Giscome Road
		742.31	461.25	Upper Fraser Road – Willow River, Giscome, Upper Fraser
	McBride	932.52	579.44	Main Street, Bridge Road
	​	933.97	580.34	McBride Bridge over the Fraser River
	Tête Jaune Cache	995.60	618.64	BC 5 south (South Yellowhead Highway) – Valemount, Kamloops, Vancouver	Interchange
	​	1,009.70– 1,072.37	627.40– 666.34	Passes through Mount Robson Provincial Park
		1,072.37	666.34	British Columbia – Alberta border Yellowhead Pass – elevation 1,131 m (3,711 ft)
Continues as Hwy 16 (TCH) east (Yellowhead Highway) – Jasper National Park, Jasper, Edmonton
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled

References

External links

Route map: Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Columbia Highway 16.

• Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia
• Travel BC Yellowhead Highway information.
• Call for RCMP action on highway of tears

Portions of the Trans-Canada Highway
British Columbia	Highway 1 Highway 5 Highway 16
Alberta	Highway 1 Highway 16
Saskatchewan	Highway 1 Highway 16
Manitoba	Highway 1 Highway 16 Highway 100
Ontario	Highway 17 Highway 69 Highway 400 Highway 12 Highway 7 Highway 71 Highway 11 Highway 66 Highway 417
Quebec	Autoroute 40 Autoroute 25 Autoroute 20 Autoroute 85 Route 185 Route 117 Autoroute 15
New Brunswick	Route 2 Route 16
	Confederation Bridge
Prince Edward Island	Route 1
Nova Scotia	Highway 104 Highway 105 Highway 106
Newfoundland	Route 1
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