British Columbia provincial highway 5
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| Highway 5 |
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| Formed: | 1941 |
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| South end: |  BC 3 near Hope, BC |
| Major junctions: |
 / BC 97C/BC 5A in Merritt / BC 1/BC 97 in Kamloops |
| North end: |  BC 16 near Tete Jeune Cache, BC |
| Major cities: | Hope Merritt Kamloops |
| System: | British Columbia provincial highways |
Highway 5, also known as Route 5 and the Southern Yellowhead Highway, is a north-south route in the southern part of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, connecting the southern Trans-Canada route, Highway 1, with Highway 16 to the north, essentially providing the shortest land connection between Vancouver and Edmonton, Alberta. It is 524 km in total length.
The current Highway 5 is not the first highway to have this designation. Between 1941 and 1953, the section of present-day Highway 97 and Highway 97A between Kaleden, just north of Osoyoos, and Salmon Arm was numbered 5. In 1953, the '5' designation was moved to the route designated today as Highway 5A to the south of Kamloops, and its current route north of Kamloops. In 1986, Highway 5 was re-routed to its present alignment south of Kamloops.
Highway 5 south of Kamloops is known as the Coquihalla Highway, and is a 186 km-long freeway, varying between four and six lanes and having a posted speed limit of 110 km/h. The route that the Coquihalla follows through the Cascade Mountains is approximately the same route traced out by the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed on this route between 1912 and 1958. It is so named because it generally follows the Coquihalla River for about 60 km near Hope. The Coquihalla is regularly closed in the winter for short periods of time due to heavy accumulations of snow on the route. It is the only highway in British Columbia to have tolls. The toll for a typical passenger vehicle on the highway is C$10.
In 2003, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that his Liberal government was going to turn over the operation and maintenance of the Coquihalla, as well as the toll revenue, to a private operator. The public and numerous businesses in the interior of British Columbia were strongly opposed to this plan, so the provincial government shelved it three months after its initial announcement.
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[edit] Route details
Highway 5 begins in the south at its junction with Highway 3 at an uninhabited location known as "Othello," 7 km east of Hope (named after a nearby siding on the Kettle Valley Railway, which used many Shakespearean names). The exit numbers on the Coquihalla are a continuation of those on Highway 1 west of Hope. 35 km north of Othello, after passing through five interchanges, Highway 5 reaches the Great Bear snow shed, which is a landmark on the route. 13 km north of the snow shed, after passing through another interchange and the 1244 metre Coquihalla Pass, Highway 5 reaches the tollbooth. 61 km and five interchanges later, the Coquihalla enters the city of Merritt at its south junction with Highway 5A and Highway 97C. Highway 5 then goes 4 km through the eastern area of Merritt before reaching its northern junction with Highway 5A. The Coquihalla has three more interchanges and one mountain pass, the Clapperton Creek Summit, in its remaining 72 km between Merritt and its end at a junction with highways Highway 1 and 97 within the Afton area of Kamloops. Highway 5 continues east for 7 km triplexed with Highways 1 and 97 through Kamloops.
After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately 19 km out of Kamloops as a four-lane highway, becoming a two-lane highway at Hefley Creek and the exit to Sun Peaks resorts. Highway 5 follows the North Thompson river north from Hefley Creek for approximately 54 km, along a parallel course with a branch of the Canadian National Railway, to a junction with Highway 24 at Little Fort. 30 km north of Little Fort, while continuing to follow the North Thompson and the CN Railway, Highway 5 reaches the community of Clearwater. It is another 107 km northeast, going through Vavenby en route, to the community of Blue River, and then Highway 5 travels 109 more km north through the Columbia Mountains, passing by the community of Valemount on its way to its northern terminus at Tête Jaune Cache, where it meets Highway 16.
[edit] Exit list
Exits are numbered from south to north, continuing those of Highway 1 from Horseshoe Bay and Highway 3 from Hope.
Exit 177- Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway)
Exit 183- Othello Rd.
Exit 192- Sowaqua Creek Rd.
Exit 195- Carolin Mines Rd.
Exit 200- Shylock Rd.
Exit 202- Old Coquihalla Rd.
Exit 221- Falls Lake Rd.
(Toll Plaza)
Exit 228- Old Coquihalla Rd.; Britton Creek Rest Area
Exit- (Southbound) U-Turn Route
Exit 231- Juliet Creek Rd.
Exit- (Southbound) Murray Lake Rd.
Exit 250- Fig Lake Rd.; Brodie Siding Rd.
Exit 256- Coldwater Rd.
Exit 276- Comstock Rd.
Exit 286- Highways 5A, 97C (Okanagan Connector)
Exit 290- Highway 5A, Voght St.
Exit 315- Helmer Rd.
Exit 336- Highway 97D, Meadow Creek Rd.
Exit 355- Inks Lake Rd.
Exit 362- Highways 1 / 97 Westbound
Please note that Highways 1 and 97 merge onto Highway 5 here, and the next six exits are also on the Highway 1 exit list.
Exit 366- Copperhead Dr.
Exit 367- Pacific Way
Exit 368- Highway 5A, Hillside Way.
Exit 369- (Eastbound) Columbia St.; Notre Dame Ave.
Exit 370- (Westbound) Notre Dame Dr.; Summit Dr.
Exit 374- Highway 5 Northbound.
Exit- (Southbound) Valleyview Rd.
At this point, the freeway section ends, and Highway 5 continues as a two/four lane highway.
[edit] Trivia
Kw'ikw'iya:la (Coquihalla) in the Halq'emeylem language of the Stó:lō, is a place name meaning "stingy container". It refers specifically to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. This rock is a good platform for spearing salmon. According to Sto;lo oral history, the skw'exweq (water babies, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close by the rock, would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch the salmon.[1]
The route is also often referred to simply as "The Coq" (Pronounced "Coke" like Coca-Cola). A popular song by country singer Corb Lund, entitled "Hurtin' Albertan", makes reference to this, with a lyric which says "...there's good weather up on the Coke."
[edit] References
- ^ BC Government - Coquihalla
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Expressways and Freeways of British Columbia
| Highway 1 | Highway 3 | Highway 3A | Highway 5 | Highway 7B | Highway 11 | Highway 16 | Highway 17 | Highway 19 | Highway 91 | Highway 91A | Highway 97 | Highway 97C | Highway 99 |
| British Columbia Provincial Highways |
