British Columbia Highway 3A

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Highway 3A shield
Highway 3A
Route information
Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Existed1964–present
Tourist
routes		Part of the International Selkirk Loop
Castlegar-Nelson-Creston Highway
Length154 km (96 mi)
West end Hwy 3 in Castlegar
Major intersections Hwy 6 north at South Slocan
Hwy 6 south at Nelson
Hwy 31 at Balfour
Kootenay Lake Ferry
East end Hwy 3 in Creston
Keremeos-Kaleden Junction Highway
Length32 km (20 mi)
West end Hwy 3 in Keremeos
East end Hwy 97 near Kaleden
Location
Major citiesCastlegar, Nelson
TownsCreston
Highway system
← Hwy 3→ Hwy 3B

Highway 3A is the designation of two segments of highway in the southern part of British Columbia.

Castlegar-Nelson-Creston Highway[]

Cyclists along British Columbia Highway 3A near Kootenay Lake.
The "Big Orange Bridge" carries Highway 3A over the Kootenay Lake (West Arm) in Nelson.

This was the first segment of highway in British Columbia to receive the '3A' designation. It acquired this designation when the Crowsnest Highway was routed into the Kootenay Pass area in 1964. Originally, a ferry was used to route Highway 3A over the Columbia River near Castlegar, which was replaced by a bridge in 1967.

The 154 km (96 mi) long Kootenay section of Highway 3A begins at Castlegar, where it leaves Highway 3 and travels 20 km (12 mi) northeast to South Slocan, where Highway 6 merges onto Highway 3A. The two highways proceed east for 22 km (14 mi) to Nelson, where Highway 6 diverges south. 34 km (21 mi) northeast of Nelson, Highway 3A reaches Balfour, on the western shore of Kootenay Lake. A ferry takes Highway 3A across Kootenay Lake to Kootenay Bay. Highway 3A then follows the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake for 78 km (48 mi) south through Crawford Bay, Boswell, and Wynndel to Creston, where it rejoins Highway 3.[1]

Major intersections[]

The entire route is in the Central Kootenay Regional District.

Locationkm[2]miDestinationsNotes
Castlegar0.000.00 Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Grand Forks, Trail, Salmo, CrestonOotischenia Interchange
Hwy 3A western terminus
​3.222.00Brilliant Bridge crosses the Kootenay River
3.602.24Robson Road – Castlegar City Centre, RobsonPartially grade separated
19.9012.37 Hwy 6 north – New Denver, Nakusp, VernonWest end of Hwy 6 concurrency
34.4521.41Taghum Bridge crosses the Kootenay River
Nelson41.2525.63 Hwy 6 south to Hwy 3 – SalmoCottonwood Creek Interchange
Hwy 3A branches north; east end of Hwy 6 concurrency
41.7125.92Victoria StreetEastbound exit only
45.07–
45.70		28.01–
28.40		Nelson Bridge crosses Kootenay Lake (West Arm)
Balfour75.9247.17 Hwy 31 north – Ainsworth Hot Springs, KasloHwy 3A branches south into ferry terminal
​76.0847.27 Kootenay Lake Ferry crosses Kootenay Lake
Kilometrage does not include ferry
Creston154.2695.85 Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Cranbrook, Salmo, CastlegarHwy 3A eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Concurrency terminus
  •       Incomplete access

Keremeos-Kaleden Junction Highway[]

A new section of highway through the Richter Pass from Keremeos to Osoyoos was opened in 1965.[3] The 2-lane Crowsnest Highway was re-routed through this area in 1967, and the segment between Keremeos and Osoyoos was given the Highway 3 Southern Trans-Canada designation. This 45 km (28 mi.) long segment of Highway 3 runs south from Keremeos, past the turnoff to Nighthawk, USA, then east over Richter Pass to Osoyoos. It's a main part of the bike course for the Challenge Penticton Triathlon (formerly Ironman - 2013) each August in the Okanagan-Similkameen.[4]

Highway 3A runs from Keremeos 35 km (22 mi) north through Olalla and up the long hill to Yellow Lake, then east past Twin Lakes and through the Marron Valley to Kaleden Junction where it intersects with Highway 97, the North-South Okanagan route, 14 km (9 mi) south of Penticton.[5] Highway 3A used to continue south along Highway 97, past Okanagan Falls and Oliver to Osoyoos, but the Highway 3A/97 concurrency has since been decommissioned.[6]

Extra driving time should be allowed for traffic congestion (tourism) in the Okanagan in summer. There is also some agricultural traffic in both valleys. There is limited 3 and 4 laning.

Major intersections[]

The entire route is in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

Locationkm[2]miDestinationsNotes
Keremeos0.000.00 Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Osoyoos, Princeton, VancouverHwy 3A western terminus
Kaleden31.6519.67 Hwy 97 north – PentictonHwy 3A eastern terminus; former Hwy 97 concurrency
Osoyoos78.8248.98 Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Grand Forks, Castlegar, Hope, Vancouver
Hwy 97 south to US 97 – U.S. Border (Osoyoos)		Former Hwy 3A eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Closed/former

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Super, Natural British Columbia Road Map & Parks Guide (Map) (2010-2011 ed). Davenport Maps Ltd. in co-operation with Tourism British Columbia. § L-11.
  2. ^ a b Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2016. pp. 118–126. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  3. ^ "Frontier to Freeway: A short illustrated history of the roads in British Columbia" (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways. p. 21. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  4. ^ Waldner, Steve (23 August 2012). "Sunday's Ironman will be Penticton's last". Penticton Western News. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  5. ^ Super, Natural British Columbia Road Map & Parks Guide (Map) (2010-2011 ed). Davenport Maps Ltd. in co-operation with Tourism British Columbia. § L-10.
  6. ^ Tourism British Columbia Road Map (Map) (1983 ed). Mapping Branch, Ministry of Environment. § L-10.

External links[]

Route map:

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