British Columbia Highway 101
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| North end | Lund | |
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| Country | Gibsons | |
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British Columbia Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway, is the main north–south thoroughfare on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada.
Highway 101, which first opened in 1962, is divided into two separate land segments, with a ferry link in between. The highway is maintained by Capilano Highway Services.[2] Despite its location on the mainland, the highway is unique for not being connected to the rest of the British Columbia highway system. Access to the highway can only be obtained by taking ferries from Horseshoe Bay to the south end in Gibsons or Comox to Powell River. Highway 101 between Langdale and Powell River is designated as a feeder route of the Canadian National Highway System.[3] The highway is sometimes considered by locals to be an extension of the much more famous U.S. Route 101 that runs all the way to Los Angeles, however there is a 300 km gap between the two highways and the origin of the BC-101's number may not be related to US 101.
Route description
The total distance of Highway 101, including the ferry link, is approximately 156 kilometres (97 mi). The vast majority of the highway is an exceptionally curvy undivided 2 lane route with few passing opportunities. In general the highway experiences low traffic volumes due to its rural nature and lack of connection to other highways. However much of Highway 101s daily traffic comes in waves timed to when the ferries arrives as a large amount of vehicle suddenly unload onto the highway. The speed limit on the Highway is 80–60 km/h in rural areas and 50 km/h in towns.
South Section
The highway begins in the south at the
North Section
The 59-kilometre-long (37 mi) northern land section of Highway 101 curves its way along the
Fixed link proposals
The provincial government has conducted several feasibility studies on connecting Highway 101 to the Lower Mainland, as well as replacing the Earls Cove–Saltery Bay ferry. A study launched by the BC Liberal government in 2015 identified four proposals costing between $2.1 billion and $4.4 billion:[5]
- A 58-kilometre (36 mi) extension of Highway 101 along the west shore of Howe Sound that would connect to Highway 99 near Squamish.
- A 22-kilometre (14 mi) extension of Highway 101 across Howe Sound on a pair of suspension bridges via the Anvil Island, with a connection to Highway 99 near Lions Bay. The Islands Trust opposes this option.
- A new 200-kilometre (120 mi) highway connecting Powell River to Squamish with a pair of tunnels under the Coast Mountains.
- A 19-kilometre (12 mi) highway link between the two sections of Highway 101 eliminating the ferry between Saltery Bay and Earls Cove via a pair of suspension bridges.
All four options were considered feasible, with positive cost to benefit ratios for the two bridge options. The study was inconclusive and recommended further analysis of the four options.[6] The NDP government announced in December 2017 that the study would not move forward due to technical and financial issues.[5]
Major intersections
From south to north:
| Regional District | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine Coast | Langdale | 0.00 | 0.00 |  Langdale Ferry Terminal – BC Ferries to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal ( Hwy 1 east / Hwy 99) | |
| 0.93 | 0.58 | Marine Drive ( Port Mellon | |||
Gibsons | 4.07 | 2.53 | Reed Road | ||
| 4.89 | 3.04 | Gibsons Way, School Road | Hwy 101 branches west | ||
| 6.10 | 3.79 | Pratt Road, Payne Road | |||
| Roberts Creek | 15.40 | 9.57 | Roberts Creek Road | ||
Sechelt | 41.25 | 25.63 | Field Road | ||
Sechelt First Nation | 25.80 | 16.03 | Ti'Ta Way | ||
Sechelt | 26.26 | 16.32 | Dolphin Street, Wharf Avenue | ||
| 28.84 | 17.92 | Norwest Bay Road | |||
Hwy 912:2573 north) | |||||
| Earls Cove | 80.29 | 49.89 | Earls Cove ferry terminal | ||
| Jervis Inlet | Earls Cove – Saltery Bay Ferry Approximately 17.6 km (9.5 nmi)[4] | ||||
Saltery Bay | 97.89 | 60.83 | Saltery Bay ferry terminal | ||
| Powell River | 125.11 | 77.74 | Joyce Avenue | ||
| 128.67 | 79.95 | Wharf Street ( Ferries | Access to Texada Island and Comox via ferry | ||
| 129.61 | 80.54 | Alberni Street, Abbotsford Street | |||
| 133.66 | 83.05 | Arbutus Avenue, Marine Avenue | |||
| Lund | 156.36 | 97.16 | Lund Water Taxi – Passenger Ferry to Savary Island | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ^ a b Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2017. pp. 590–597.
- ^ "Highway Maintenance". Capilano Highway Services. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ National Highway System (PDF). Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Government of British Columbia. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 15, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "BC Ferries Schedules: Sechelt - Powell River (Earls Cove-Saltery Bay)". BC Ferries. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ a b Watson, Bridgette (December 7, 2017). "Province scraps plan for fixed link to Sunshine Coast". CBC News. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ Binnie (2017). "Sunshine Coast Fixed Link Feasibility Study" (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
External links
Media related to British Columbia Highway 101 at Wikimedia Commons