Stewart–Cassiar Highway

Stewart–Cassiar Highway
Stikine Highway Dease Lake Highway British Columbia Highway 37 Yukon Highway 37
Highway 37 near Good Hope Lake
Route information
Length:	874.76 km[1] (543.55 mi)
Existed:	1975 – present
British Columbia Highway 37
Length:	871.37 km (541.44 mi)
South end:	Kitimat
Major junctions:	BC 16 in Terrace and Kitwanga BC 113 at Cranberry Junction BC 37A at Meziadin Junction
North end:	BC-Yukon border
Yukon Highway 37
Length:	3.39 km (2.11 mi)
South end:	BC-Yukon border
North end:	Hwy 1 near Upper Liard
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways Territorial highways in Yukon Miscellaneous ← BC 35 BC 37A → ← Hwy 11 Hwy 1 →

The Stewart–Cassiar Highway, also known as the Dease Lake Highway and the Stikine Highway as well as the Terrace–Kitimat Highway from Kitimat to Terrace, is the northwesternmost highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. A scenic route through some of the province's most isolated areas,^[2] the highway first gained designation as British Columbia Highway 37 in 1975. At that time, its southern terminus was at the community of New Hazelton on the BC Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway). In 1979, with the completion of a new bridge, the highway's Yellowhead junction was relocated to a point on Highway 16 just south of the site of Kitwanga. Highway 37 was then extended south to Kitimat in 1986, using a stretch of road that was previously designated Highway 25. At the north end, the highway briefly stretches into Yukon, becoming Yukon Highway 37.

Route details

Highway 37 starts its 874 km (543 mi) journey in the south at Kitimat. 59 km (37 mi) north, Highway 37 reaches Terrace, where it merges onto the Yellowhead Highway. The Yellowhead coincides with Highway 37 east for 91 km (57 mi) to Kitwanga Junction, where the Yellowhead diverges east.

North of the Yellowhead's Kitwanga junction, Highway 37 travels 76 km (47 mi) to Cranberry Junction, and then another 80 km (50 mi) north to Meziadin Junction, where Highway 37A begins and heads west via Bear River Pass to Stewart and Hyder, Alaska. Highway 37 travels north through the Skeena Mountains for 333 km (207 mi) to the Continental Divide community of Dease Lake, which straddles the Stikine and Dease River basins. Another 116 km (72 mi) north and Highway 37 reaches Jade City, where a junction to the former asbestos-mining community of Cassiar is located. North of Jade City, Highway 37 travels another 120 km (75 mi) to its crossing of the 60th parallel into the Yukon Territory, becoming Yukon Highway 37 and terminating at a junction with the Alaska Highway near Upper Liard just 3.4 km (2.1 mi) later. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, "Most of the route is hard surface (either pavement or sealcoat) with approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) of gravel."^[3]

History

The Highway 37 of today is the result of highway extension projects begun during the 1960s and climaxing in 1972.

Originally, a roadway extended south from the Alaska Highway to serve the Cassiar mining district, eventually reaching Dease Lake and joining a road to Telegraph Creek (sometimes referred to as Highway 51, but not signed as such). To the south, logging roads extended north almost as far as Meziadin Junction.

By 1968, the route of what is now 37A extended past Meziadin Junction north. By the middle of 1972, only a few miles remained to be built between Meziadin Junction and Iskut. Four bicyclists, whose journey from Alaska to Montana was chronicled in a May 1973 National Geographic article, braved the muddy gap.

Once this route was completed, travelers only had to contend with limited hours for using the logging roads south of Meziadin Junction, roads which were upgraded during the 1970s. The completion of a new bridge over the Skeena River gave Highway 37 a more direct connection to Highway 16.

The Highway 37 corridor is slated for infrastructure enhancements as resource extraction activities increase in the Northwest region of British Columbia. The Northwest Transmission Line was constructed by BC Hydro and runs from Terrace, British Columbia to Bob Quinn Lake, largely paralleling the highway.^[4]

Major intersections

From south to north:

Province/Territory	Regional District	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Continues as Haisla Boulevard in Kitimat
British Columbia	Kitimat-Stikine	Kitimat	0.00	0.00	Nalabila Boulevard, Kitimaat Village Road – Kitamaat Village	BC 37 southern terminus
		​	24.92	15.48	Crosses the Kitimat River
		Terrace	57.70	35.85	BC 16 west (Yellowhead Highway) – Prince Rupert	BC 37 branches east; south (west) end of BC 16 concurrency
		Kitwanga	148.30	92.15	BC 16 east (Yellowhead Highway) – Prince George	BC 37 branches north; north (east) end of BC 16 concurrency
			148.50	92.27	Kitwanga Bridge crosses the Skeena River
		Cranberry Junction	223.85	139.09	BC 113 (Nisga's Highway) – New Aiyansh, Nisga'a Lava Bed Park
		Meziadin Junction	304.57	189.25	BC 37A west – Stewart, Hyder
		​	336.81	209.28	Crosses the Bell-Irving River
		Bell II	400.20	248.67	Crosses the Bell-Irving River
		​	588.22	365.50	Crosses the Stikine River
		Dease Lake	639.34	397.27	Boulder Street – Telegraph Creek	Unofficial BC 51
	Unorganized (Stikine Region)	No major junctions
British Columbia – Yukon border (60th parallel)			871.37 0.00	541.44 0.00	BC 37 northern terminus • Hwy 37 southern terminus
Yukon			3.39	2.11	Hwy 1 (Alaska Highway) – Whitehorse, Watson Lake	Hwy 37 northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stewart–Cassiar Highway.

• weather.com description of route
• Ministry of Transportation site