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Highway 16
Yellowhead Highway Trans-Canada Highway
Highway 16 highlighted in red.
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Length	1,173 km (729 mi)
Existed	1941–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	Highway 113 in Terrace Highway 37 south in Terrace Highway 37 north in Kitwanga Highway 118 in Topley Highway 35 in Burns Lake Highway 27 near Vanderhoof Highway 97 in Prince George Highway 5 (YH) near Tête Jaune Cache
East end	Alberta border continues as Highway 16 (TCH)
Location
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways
← Highway 15 → Highway 17

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 (CN). The number "16" was first given to the highway in 1941, 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 1948, 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 1983 and is connected to the mainland segment via BC Ferries route #11.

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.

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. 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.

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).

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.

Construction and upgrading

Prince George–New Hazelton

In August 1925, this section opened with the completion of the Burns Lake–Endako link.

New Hazelton–Kitwanga

Highway extended west of New Hazelton by about 6 kilometres (4 mi) in 1927–28 and another 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) in 1928–29. By 1931–32, Kitwanga–Hazelton was rated fairly good. By mid-1943, the condition was rated rough, awaiting tendering of reconstruction contracts.

Kitwanga–Usk

By 1931–32, Cedarvale–Kitwanga was rated passable. For Usk–Cedarvale, several segments were under construction. During 1936–1941, a series of 2-to-6-kilometre (1 to 4 mi) stretches were completed, which included replacing sections washed out by the 1936 flood. By 1937, the Usk–Cedarvale gap still remained on the southeast shore.

By 1940, a 32-kilometre (20 mi) gap remained. In 1943, progress reactivated. In May 1944, the gap completed comprised the Pacific–Cedarvale section.

Usk–Terrace

Highway extended east of Terrace by about 3 kilometres (2 mi) in 1927–28 and another 6.0 kilometres (3.7 mi) in 1928–29. In September 1929, Terrace–Usk section completed.

Terrace–Prince Rupert

This section is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this section, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (March 2024)

• 1927: Aerial reconnaissance to identify possible routes was unsuccessful.
• 1928: Galloway Rapids–Phelan, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) cleared. Phelan station was about 3.6 kilometres (2 mi) south of present Port Edward.
• 1930: Galloway Rapids bridge built. Over prior few years, a narrow, winding, gravel road had been cut from the Prince Rupert city limits. A road east from the bridge began.
• Early 1930s: Great Depression relief crews extended road eastward.
• 1935: Completed about 4 kilometres (2 mi) eastward to Kloiya Bay. Preliminary decision made to progress a highway eastward rather than via Port Edward and south along the shoreline. Within a few years, a narrow, rough road followed the shores of Taylor and Pudhomme lakes.
• 1938: Option of a route via present Kitimat was rejected.
• 1942: US entry into World War II prompted the building of a highway to move troops in response to a potential Japanese invasion. That year, construction contracts were awarded. Significant parts of the CN right-of-way were appropriated for the highway and the track realigned. A total of 45 bridges would be prefabricated.
• 1943: Working 24/7, progress hampered by high employee turnover owing to cold and wet summer weather. That February, five snowslides buried a construction camp near Kwinitsa, killing two and injuring 11.
• 1944: "Skeena Highway" officially opened in September. However, the road in many places was a narrow winding trail hugging the railway tracks. With the Japanese invasion threat long passed, the road was not snowplowed that winter.
• 1945: Route no longer possessed military value. The federal government initially maintained control because the province did not want to assume maintenance costs.
• 1946: Province took over the highway.
• 1951: Highway was paved. The following winter was the first time snowplowing was used to keep the highway open.
• 1970: Highway rerouted and repaved.
• 1972: January and February brought the heaviest snowfalls and longest road closures.
• 1974: January snowslide about 45 kilometres (28 mi) west of Terrace buried motel/restaurant/gas station complex, killing seven people.
• Late 1960s: Prince Rupert–Tyee reconstruction.
• 1980s: Kasiks, Tyee, and Esker railway overpasses erected.
• 1989: Falling ice at Car Wash Rock, about 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) east of Exchamsiks River Provincial Park, killed a motorist.
• Early 1990s: Hazardous Tyee–Khyex section realigned.
• 2020s: Despite promises to rectify, the Car Wash Rock site remains hazardous. About 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) farther east, the Mile 28 project to replace the railway crossing with an overpass has stalled.

Highway of Tears

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

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.

In September 2020 a totem pole honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women was raised on the highway just outside Terrace.

Major intersections

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

Regional District	Location	km	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) (Highway 951:1502) – Daajing Giids	Daajing Giids was formerly known as Queen Charlotte prior to July 13, 2022.
		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
		15.18	9.43	Galloway Rapids Bridge from Kaien Island to the mainland
	​	15.36	9.54	Skeena Drive (Port Edward Road) (Highway 951:1504) – Port Edward	Hwy 951:1504 is unsigned
Kitimat–Stikine	Terrace	145.91	90.66	Highway 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	Highway 37 south – Kitimat	West end of Hwy 37 concurrency; former Hwy 25
	Kitwanga	241.10	149.81	Highway 37 north (Stewart-Cassiar Highway) – Stewart, Watson Lake	East end of Hwy 37 concurrency
	New Hazelton	284.17	176.58	Churchill Street (Highway 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	Highway 118 north – Granisle
	Burns Lake	496.39	308.44	Highway 35 south – Francois Lake
	Fraser Lake	565.47	351.37	Passes through Fraser Lake
	​	616.66	383.17	Highway 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	Highway 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 (Highway 941:1156 south) to Highway 97 – Airport, Quesnel	Former Hwy 97A
	​	742.31	461.25	Upper Fraser Road (Highway 941:1577) – Willow River, Giscome, Upper Fraser
	McBride	933.97	580.34	McBride Bridge over the Fraser River
	Tête Jaune Cache	995.60	618.64	Highway 5 (YH) south – 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)
				Highway 16 (TCH/YH) east – Jasper, Edmonton	Continuation into Alberta and Jasper National Park
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled

References

1. ^ Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. January 5, 2017. pp. 224–271. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2017.
2. British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways (January 4, 1983). General Circular G1/83. Victoria: Ministry of Transportation and Highways. pp. 0, 3.
3. Infrastructure, Ministry of Transportation and. "Highway 37 Map - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
4. "Prince George Citizen". pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca. August 20, 1925. p. 2.
5. Minister of Public Works annual report, 1925–26. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 37 (Q23).
6. ^ Minister of Public Works annual report, 1927–28. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 42 (U24).
7. ^ Minister of Public Works annual report, 1928–29. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 43 (S23).
8. ^ Minister of Public Works annual report, 1931–32. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. M11.
9. "Prince George Citizen". pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca. July 15, 1943. p. 6.
10. Minister of Public Works annual report, 1936–37. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 33 (X23).
    Minister of Public Works annual report, 1938–39. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 39 (Z29).
    Minister of Public Works annual report, 1940–41. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 47 (O37).
11. Minister of Public Works annual report, 1937–38. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 30 (X26).
12. "Standard Oil BC map". www.davidrumsey.com. 1937.
13. "Daily Colonist". archive.org. November 21, 1940. p. 2.
14. Minister of Public Works annual report, 1943–44. library.ubc.ca (Report). p. 11 (Q6).
15. "Prince George Citizen". pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca. May 25, 1944. p. 6.
16. "Prince George Citizen". pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca. August 10, 1944. p. 1.
17. "Prince George Citizen". pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca. September 26, 1929. p. 1.
18. ^ Septer, Dirk (1995). "BC Historical News: Highway 16: Prince Rupert–Terrace 1944–1994". library.ubc.ca. 29 (1): 26–28 (24–26).
19. "Daily Colonist". archive.org. February 13, 1943. p. 1.
20. "B.C. to Take Over Highway from CNR". Vancouver Sun. September 26, 1946. p. 9. Retrieved March 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Transportation and Infrastructure correspondence" (PDF). kc-usercontent.com. March 15, 2021. p. 8.
22. "North Coast Review". northcoastreview.blogspot.com. April 15, 2019.
23. Gerson, Jen. "Four things to know about Highway of Tears scandal, and the documents B.C. government allegedly deleted". National Post. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
24. Ferreras, Jesse (September 25, 2012). "Highway Of Tears: BC's Missing And Murdered Women". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
25. "Those Who Take Us Away" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
26. "Totem pole to be raised on B.C.'s Highway of Tears to honour missing, murdered Indigenous women". www.cbc.ca. September 4, 2020.
27. "Memorial pole raised on Highway of Tears in B.C. for families". www.aptnnews.ca. September 15, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
28. "Community gathers for monumental totem pole raising along B.C.'s Highway of Tears". www.terracestandard.com. September 4, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
29. British Columbia Road Atlas (2007 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. 2010. pp. 16–23, 26–30, 36–37. ISBN 978-1-55368-018-5.
30. Ministry of Municipal Affairs (July 13, 2022). "Ancestral Haida name restored to Haida Gwaii village". news.gov.bc.ca.

External links

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

Yellowhead Highway
Previous route Terminus	Highway 16	Next route AB Highway 16
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v t e Routes 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
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Prince Edward Island	Route 1
Nova Scotia	Highway 104 Highway 105 Highway 106
Newfoundland	Route 1
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• British Columbia provincial highways
• Highway of Tears
• Trans-Canada Highway
• Yellowhead Highway
• Northern Interior of British Columbia
• North Coast of British Columbia
• Transport in Prince George, British Columbia