British Columbia Highway 16

Highway 16
Highway 16
Yellowhead Highway; Trans-Canada Highway
	Highway 16 highlighted in red.
Route information
	Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Length	1,173 km (729 mi)
Existed	1953–present
Haida Gwaii segment
Length	101 km (63 mi)
North end	Masset
South end	BC Ferries dock in Skidegate
Mainland segment
Length	1,072 km (666 mi)
West end	BC Ferries dock in Prince Rupert
Major intersections	Hwy 113 in Terrace; Hwy 37 south in Terrace; Hwy 37 north in Kitwanga; Hwy 118 in Topley; Hwy 35 in Burns Lake; Hwy 27 near Vanderhoof; Hwy 97 in Prince George; Hwy 5 near Tête Jaune Cache
East end	Alberta border; continues as Hwy 16 (TCH)
Highway system

Highway 16 is a highway in British Columbia, Canada. It is an important section of the Yellowhead Highway, a part of the Trans-Canada Highway that runs across Western Canada. 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 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 Haida Gwaii was commissioned in 1984, with BC Ferries beginning service along Highway 16 to 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-kilometre-long (837 mi) BC 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 (107 mi) 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 from north of Highway 16, at the Kitwanga junction.^[2] 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 upper course of the Bulkley River, proceeding 81 km (50 mi) east to its junction with Highway 35, south of 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.

Highway of Tears[]

The Highway of Tears is a stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.^[3] Since 1970, numerous women have gone missing or have been murdered along the 720 km (450 mi) section of highway.^[4] Aboriginal organizations speculate that number ranges above forty.^[5]

In 2016, the Canadian government launched the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women after communicating with victim families. This was done to find methods of slowing the violence within the Indigenous population.

Major intersections[]

From west to east, the following intersections are observed along Highway 16.^[6] Distances exclude the 172 km (93 nmi) ferry between Skidegate and Prince Rupert.

Regional District	Location	km^[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
North Coast	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
	Skidegate	101.19	62.88	Skidegate Ferry Terminal
Hecate Strait				BC Ferries from Skidegate to Prince Rupert
North Coast	Prince Rupert	0.00	0.00	Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal
	Prince Rupert	15.18	9.43	Galloway Rapids Bridge from Kaien Island to the mainland
		15.36	9.54	Skeena Drive (Port Edward Road) () – Port Edward	Hwy 951:1504 is unsigned
Kitimat–Stikine	Terrace	145.91	90.66	Hwy 113 north (Nisga'a Highway) – Nisga'a Nation
		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	Hwy 37 south – Kitimat	West end of Hwy 37 concurrency; former Hwy 25
	Kitwanga	241.10	149.81	Hwy 37 north (Stewart-Cassiar Highway) – Stewart, Watson Lake	East end of Hwy 37 concurrency
	New Hazelton	284.17	176.58	Churchill Street (Hwy 62 west) – Hazelton	Hwy 62 is unofficial and unsigned
Bulkley-Nechako	Smithers	349.34– 354.39	217.07– 220.21	Passes through Smithers
	Telkwa	366.39	227.66	Passes through Telkwa
	Houston	414.19	257.37	Passes through Houston
	Topley	445.08	276.56	Hwy 118 north – Granisle
	Burns Lake	496.39	308.44	Hwy 35 south – Francois Lake
	Fraser Lake	565.47	351.37	Passes through Fraser Lake
		616.66	383.17	Hwy 27 north – Fort St. James
	Vanderhoof	619.87– 624.72	385.17– 388.18	Passes through Vanderhoof
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	Hwy 97 (Cariboo Highway) – Dawson Creek, Quesnel, Kamloops, Vancouver
		722.03	448.65	Victoria Street / 20th Avenue	Hwy 16 turns onto Victoria Street
		723.74	449.71	1st Avenue	Former Hwy 97A; Hwy 16 turns onto 1st Avenue
		725.70	450.93	Yellowhead Bridge over the Fraser River
		729.86	453.51	Old Cariboo Highway (Hwy 941:1156 south) to Hwy 97 – Airport, Quesnel	Former Hwy 97A
		742.31	461.25	Upper Fraser Road () – Willow River, Giscome, Upper Fraser
	McBride	933.97	580.34	McBride Bridge over the Fraser River
	Tête Jaune Cache	995.60	618.64	Hwy 5 south (South Yellowhead Highway) – Valemount, Kamloops	Tête Jaune Interchange
	Mount Robson Provincial Park	1,009.70	627.40	West end of Mount Robson Provincial Park
		1,072.37	666.34	Yellowhead Pass (Continental Divide) – 1,131 m (3,711 ft)
		1,072.37	666.34	Hwy 16 (TCH) east – Jasper, Edmonton	Continues into Alberta and Jasper National Park
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Tolled

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2016. pp. 224–271. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
^ Infrastructure, Ministry of Transportation and. "Highway 37 Map - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
^ Gerson, Jen. "Four things to know about Highway of Tears scandal, and the documents B.C. government allegedly deleted". National Post. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
^ Ferreras, Jesse. "Highway Of Tears: BC's Missing And Murdered Women". Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
^ "Those Who Take Us Away" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
^ British Columbia Road Atlas (2007 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. pp. 16–23, 26–30, 36–37. ISBN 1-55368-018-9.

9. “Highway of Tears.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/highway-of-tears.

10. Hall, L. “The Highway of Tears.” Medium, Medium, 30 Mar. 2020, zeph456.medium.com/the-highway-of-tears-ee306099193a.

11. Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “The RCMP Seeks Your Help in Solving Cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.” Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 19 Nov. 2020, www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/rcmp-seeks-your-help-bring-our-indigenous-women-and-girls-home?fe.

External links[]

Route map:

( • help)

Yellowhead Highway
Previous province: Terminus	British Columbia	Next province: Alberta

[length-1] Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2016. pp. 224–271. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-01-06.

[2] Infrastructure, Ministry of Transportation and. "Highway 37 Map - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-02.

[3] Gerson, Jen. "Four things to know about Highway of Tears scandal, and the documents B.C. government allegedly deleted". National Post. Retrieved 8 December 2015.

[4] Ferreras, Jesse. "Highway Of Tears: BC's Missing And Murdered Women". Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2015.

[5] "Those Who Take Us Away" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 8 December 2015.

[6] British Columbia Road Atlas (2007 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. pp. 16–23, 26–30, 36–37. ISBN 1-55368-018-9.

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v t Roads of British Columbia
Provincial highways	1² 1A 2 3² 3A¹ 3B 4 4A 5² 5A 6 7¹ 7B¹ 8 9 10¹ 11² 12 13 14 15¹ 16¹ 17² 17A² 18 19² 19A 20 21 22 22A 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 31A 33 35 37 37A 39 41 43 49 52 62 77 91² 91A² 93 95 95A 97² 97A 97B 97C² 97D 99² 101 113 118 395
Other provincially maintained roads	Atlin Road Columbia Valley Highway Highway 91 Connector
Former provincial highways	1A⁴ 1B 7A 17A⁴ 25 97E 97W 99A 99B² 401² 499²
Named highways	Alaska Highway Banff–Windermere Highway Caribou Highway¹ Coquihalla Highway² Crowsnest Highway² Don Phillips Way Heritage Highway Inland Island Highway² International Selkirk Loop¹ John Hart Highway¹ Liard Highway Lougheed Highway¹ Mary Hill Bypass¹ Nisga'a Highway Northern Woods and Water Route Okanagan Connector² Okanagan Highway² Pacific Highway¹ Patricia Bay Highway² Sea to Sky Highway² South Fraser Perimeter Road² Southern Yellowhead Highway² Stewart–Cassiar Highway Sunshine Coast Highway Trans-Canada Highway² Yellowhead Highway¹
Historic roads and trails	Atlin Road Big Bend Highway Cariboo Road Chilkoot Trail Dewdney Trail Dewdney Trunk Road Douglas Road Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail Lillooet Cattle Trail Okanagan Trail Old Cariboo Road Old Yale Road (Grand Trunk Road) Pacific Highway River Trail Whatcom Trail
¹ highways with expressway sections ² highways with expressway and freeway sections ³ highways under construction ⁴ designation reassigned to new route

v t Portions of the Trans-Canada Highway system
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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