Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Squamish Highway and/or Whistler Highway, is the major north-south artery running through the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia from the US border and beyond up Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky Country to Lillooet and connecting to British Columbia provincial highway 97 just north of Cache Creek. The number of this highway is derived from the old U.S. Highway 99, which the highway originally connected with at the Canada-U.S. boundary. The highway currently connects with Interstate 5 at the international border.

This highway received the '99' designation in 1942 upon completion of the King George Highway, and it originally shared an alignment with Highway 1 from Surrey to Vancouver. The current freeway alignment of Highway 99 between 8th Avenue in South Surrey and the North Arm of the Fraser River opened in 1962. Between 1964 and 1973, the freeway alignment of Highway 99 was designated Highway 499.

In 1957, the northern end of Highway 99 was moved from downtown Vancouver, across the Lions' Gate Bridge and west to the village of Horseshoe Bay, following Marine Drive through West Vancouver. Highway 99 was re-aligned via Taylor Way, just east of the Park Royal Shopping Centre, to the Upper Levels Highway and extended to Britannia Beach one year later, being extended further to Squamish in 1959, and then to Pemberton in 1966. Finally, in 1992, the just-paved Duffey Lake Road between Pemberton and Lillooet was made part of Highway 99, and the section of Highway 12 between Lillooet and Highway 97 was re-numbered 99. The portion of the highway between Lillooet and Pavilion was part of the route of the Old Cariboo Road.

The total length of Highway 99 from the US border to the Highway 97 junction is 409 km (254 mi). In 2006 the UK's The Guardian newspaper listed the Sea to Sky as the 5th best road trip.

Route details

White Rock to Richmond

In the south, Highway 99 begins at the British Columbia / Washington State border crossing at Douglas, on the Canadian side of Peace Arch Park. In Washington State, the highway becomes Interstate 5, which runs to Seattle and beyond to San Diego, California. The highway begins with a four-lane freeway configuration. Highway 99 travels through Surrey 12 km (7 mi) due northwest from the border, through four interchanges, and then turns west for 4 km (2½ mi) before reaching the junction with Highway 91, marking the highway's entry into the Corporation of Delta. 4 km (2½ mi) west, Highway 99 reaches its junction with Highway 10. 8 km (5 mi) later, Highway 99 reaches a junction with Highway 17. Another 2 km (1¼ mi) northwest, Highway 99 crosses into Richmond through the George Massey Tunnel, also known as the Deas Tunnel or Deas Island Tunnel.

Through Richmond, Highway 99 travels 7 km (4 mi) north from the Steveston Highway interchange, at the north mouth of the tunnel, to a junction which connects to the Westminster Highway, Knight Street, and western end of Highway 91. Another 4 km (2½ mi) northwest, the southern freeway section of Highway 99 ends as the highway crosses the North Arm of the Fraser River, over the Oak Street Bridge, into Vancouver.

City of Vancouver

The 30 km (19 mi) long route through Vancouver's city streets starts off going for 1 km (about ½ mi) north on Oak Street to the intersection with West 70th Avenue. Highway 99 then goes west on West 70th for 1 km (about ½ mi), and then turns right onto Granville Street. Highway 99 takes Granville Street north for 7 km (4 mi), crossing over False Creek (via the Granville Street Bridge) into the downtown core. Highway 99 goes northeast by way of Seymour Street through downtown for 1 km (about ½ mi) (southbound it uses Howe Street), then turns northwest onto Georgia Street for 2 km (1¼ mi) before entering Stanley Park. Highway 99 proceeds north for 4 km (2½ mi) through Stanley Park and over the Lions' Gate Bridge into West Vancouver at Marine Drive.

The Trans-Canada Highway/Upper Levels Highway

In West Vancouver, Highway 99 goes west on Marine Drive for 1 km (about ½ mi), then turns right onto Taylor Way for another 1 km (about ½ mi), finally reaching its junction with Highway 1. Highway 99 shares the Upper Levels Highway with Highway 1 for 12 km (7 mi) west before diverging from Highway 1 just before the B.C. Ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay.

Sea-to-Sky Highway and beyond

The "Sea-to-Sky Highway" is the name given to the section of Highway 99 starting just north of Horseshoe Bay. From Horseshoe Bay, the highway travels along the coast of Howe Sound for 12 km (7 mi) to Lions Bay, north for another 21 km (13 mi) to Britannia Beach, and north for 11 more km (7 mi) to Squamish, at the head of Howe Sound. From Squamish, it continues north for another 58 km (36 mi) to Whistler, and then to Pemberton 32 km (20 mi) later, where the Sea-to-Sky Highway ends and the Duffey Lake Road begins. 99 km (62 mi) northeast, Highway 99 reaches the junction with Highway 12 at Lillooet, and then goes northeast for another 75 km (47 mi) to its northern terminus at its junction with Highway 97, just north of Cache Creek.

The "Sea to Sky Highway" section of Highway 99 has a checkered history. Built on a steep cliff overlooking Howe Sound, it was a two-lane undivided highway with no outside barrier. Many motorists have lost their lives on it due to inclement weather, poor visibility, speeding, passing slower vehicles, or drunk driving. (Local media have called it variously the "Killer Highway", the "Highway of Death", and the "Drive-to-Die Highway".)

As part of the 2010 Winter Olympics bid, the British Columbia provincial government has authorized upgrading the highway to accommodate greater traffic loads, widening the highway and adding a concrete divider. Starting in 2002 a large section was upgraded between Squamish and Whistler that had already seen major improvements during the 1980s, and as of December 2005, a segment of the southern section upgrade opened with a fully divided four lane section that runs from Ansell Place to Lions Bay.The Sea to Sky will eventually become a full freeway until the interchange with the old Highway 99 and the new Eagleridge alignment. The highway will be a divided highway all the way to Lions Bay and through Squamish.

The new alignment of Highway 99 over the Eagleridge Bluffs is complete; however, on-site protests delayed its construction. Protesters claimed that a tunnel under the bluffs was a safer and more environmentally-friendly alternative. A court injunction and police were used to remove the protestors, one of whom, Harriet Nahanee, a respected Skwxwu7mesh elder, died soon after in the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre from health complications alleged to be related to her arrest and incarceration.

Exit list

From south to north, the following intersections are observed along Highway 99:

Note:

 are proposed

 are under construction

 are slated to be closed

Footnotes

1. The Guardian Newspaper [1]
2. However, turning left (west) from Oak onto 70th is not permitted. When travelling in the opposite direction, turning right from 70th onto Oak is permitted.

External links

• Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project, Eagleridge Bluffs (PDF)
• Site on protests against highway over Eagleridge Bluffs