British Columbia/Highway classification

This page describes the highway classification scheme used in British Columbia (BC) following the 2022 Canadian highway guidelines.

Guidelines

These tagging guidelines are tentative, and should be discussed with other BC mappers before applying to the map. The existing guidelines in the main provincial page still applies.

General guidelines for BC are shown in the table below. The classification scheme works on a 'tiered' system where roadways which meet a usage criteria are assigned a minimum tier and may be classified at a higher tier where warranted. There are additional guidelines within Metro Vancouver, where there are fewer provincial highways.

Classification	Road Type	Examples	Typical Characteristics
highway=unclassified	All public roadways on public right-of-ways	- Non-residential local access roads - Rural roadways	- 2-lanes - No centreline
highway=residential	Local access roads that primarily serve residences	- Roads within a residential neighbourhood	- 2-lanes - No centreline - Allows street parking - Controlled by stop signs
highway=tertiary	Roads that provide access within a neighbourhood between local roads and regional roads	- Collector roads	- 2-lanes - Painted centreline - Allows street parking - Controlled by traffic signals or stop signs
highway=secondary	Roads which provide access between neighbourhoods as well as access to properties adjacent to the road	- Minor arterial roads - Provincial highways classified as Major Roads - Roads within Translink's Major Road Network	- 2 to 4-lanes - Controlled by traffic signals - Sometimes allows street parking - Sometimes features controlled pedestrian crossings
highway=primary	Roads primarily used to travel across municipalities	- Major arterial roads - Provincial highways classified as Secondary Highways - Metro Vancouver roads which connect major urban centres and minor regional destinations to the regional urban centres or the freeway network.	- 4-lanes - No street parking, or restricted during peak hours - Often features controlled pedestrian crossings
highway=trunk	Roads primarily used for travel across regions between major population centres	- Provincial highways classified as Primary Highways and/or National Highway System core routes - Metro Vancouver roads which connect regional urban centres and important regional destinations to the freeway network.	- 4 to 6-lanes - Median separating traffic - No street parking
highway=motorway	Controlled-access roads	- Freeways	- Uncontrolled - High speeds - Accessed only by on-ramps and off-ramps

expressway=yes will be used to indicate roads that are designed for high speed but are not completely controlled-access or are isolated freeway segments with only one interchange or is not long enough. In British Columbia, these are usually divided, with some grade separations. The classification of such roads follow those listed above.

Population centres

Population centres for determining trunk links include cities that are core of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in the denser parts of the province such as the Lower Mainland and south Vancouver Island. For the sparser areas, population centres used are usually control cities designated by BC Ministry of Transportation.

Key BC population centres

Destination	Region	Estimated population of CMA/agglomeration/incorporated area	Primary highways	Note
Vancouver	Lower Mainland	2,640,000		Including Metro Vancouver (official definition)
Victoria	Vancouver Island	397,000		Including Capital Regional District
Kelowna	Okanagan	222,000
Abbotsford	Lower Mainland	196,000		Including Mission
Nanaimo	Vancouver Island	116,000
Kamloops	Thompson-Nicola	114,100
Chilliwack	Lower Mainland	114,000
Prince George	Northern BC	90,000
Campbell River	Vancouver Island	40,704
Cranbrook	Kootenays	27,000
Prince Rupert	Northern BC	13,000
Dawson Creek	Kootenays	12,000
Castlegar	Kootenays	8,000

Out-of-province and across the US border

• Calgary, AB
• Coeur d'Alene, ID
• Edmonton, AB
• Grande Prairie, AB
• Kalispell, MT
• Lethbridge, AB
• Seattle, WA
• Spokane, WA
• Wenatchee, WA
• Whitehorse, YT

Also of consideration for determining potential trunk routings are border crossings, especially to match any changes south of the border. Highways connecting with the busiest border crossings, which are also open 24 hours, will be tagged trunk except the crossing serving Point Roberts, Washington state. This should be coordinated with changes in Washington state, Idaho and Montana.

• Douglas–Blaine (Peace Arch): BC 99/I-5
• Blaine–Pacific Highway: BC 15/WA 543
• Abbotsford-Huntingdon/Sumas: BC 11/WA 9
• Osoyoos-Oroville: BC 97/US 97
• Paterson-Frontier: BC 395/US 395
• Kingsgate-Eastport: BC 95/US 95
• Roosville: BC 93/US 93

Motorways

highway=motorway roads in British Columbia include all signed freeways (officially termed schedule 1 highways, indicated by signage prohibiting pedestrians, bicycles, farm vehicles and vehicles incapable of exceeding 60 km/h), mostly concentrated in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan. They do not form a separate network, but they are clearly signposted at their entry points (endpoints and on-ramps). That said, there are parts of the freeway network that allows bicycles, especially in the Interior (e.g. the Coquihalla between the Crowsnest and Merritt and the Okanagan Connector).

Highway	Cities served	Motorway status begins	Motorway status ends	Note
BC 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)	Victoria and Langford	Tillicum Road	West Shore Parkway
BC 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)	Vancouver → Abbotsford → Chilliwack → Kamloops (via the Coq)	Port of Horseshoe Bay	BC 3/5 at Hope
Coquihalla Highway	Vancouver and Abbotsford (via Highway 1) → Kamloops	BC 1 at Hope	BC 1 at Kamloops	Bypass of BC 1. Concurrent with BC 3 between Hope and exit 177.
Patricia Bay Highway	Victoria and Saanich	Saanich Fire Department access	Haliburton Road
Patricia Bay Highway	Sidney	McDonald Park Road	Swartz Bay ferry terminal
BC 17	Delta	56 Street	Tillbury Road	Connects with BC 99.
BC 17	New Westminster	BC 91C	Old Yale Road	Isolated freeway, indirectly connected to BC 91 via BC 91C. Endpoints being upgraded to freeway standard.
BC 17A	New Westminster	BC 17	Old Yale Road	Spur freeway connected to BC 17.
Inland Island Highway	Parksville and Qualicum	exit 46	exit 71	Bypass of the East Island Highway.
Inland Island Highway	Courtenay	exit 87	exit 127	Bypass of the East Island Highway.
BC 91	Metro Vancouver	BC 99 near Surrey	Okanagan Highway (BC 97)	Named Annacis Highway and East-West Connector. Alternate route of Highway 99 via New Westminster.
Okanagan Connector	Vancouver (via the Coq) → Kelowna	North Princeton Highway near Merritt	Okanagan Highway (BC 97)
BC 99	Seattle (via I-5) → US border → Vancouver	north of Peace Arch border crossing	exit 41B
Knight Street	Richmond and Vancouver	Westminster Highway	Southeast Marine Drive	Connects with BC 91. Not signed as freeway, but well-integrated with freeway network and built to freeway standard.

Edge cases

Highway	Cities served	Motorway status begins	Motorway status ends	Note
BC 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)	Kamloops	Holman Road	Frontage road access east of exit 399	Not signed as freeway but a fairly long enough disconnected freeway segment with multiple interchanges. Should this be a motorway or a trunk + expressway?

Trunks

Highway	NHS	Cities served/location	Trunk status begins	Trunk status ends	Note
BC 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)	Core	Victoria - Vancouver – Kamloops - Calgary (via Alberta Highway 1)	Saanich Road	Alberta boundary	Runs between Hope and Kamloops via Cache Creek. Some sections in Victoria, Lower Mainland and the Interior designated freeway.
BC 2	Core	Dawson Creek – Grande Prairie	Dawson Creek	Alberta Highway 43 at Alberta boundary	Entire route
Crowsnest Highway	Core	Vancouver (via BC 1) - Castlegar - Cranbrook - Lethbridge	Coquihalla Highway exit 177 near Hope	Alberta boundary	Entire route
South Yellowhead Highway	Core	Kamloops - Edmonton (via BC 16)	BC 1/Coquihalla Highway at Kamloops	BC 16 at Tête Jaune Cache
BC 10	No	Metro Vancouver	BC 91 at Delta	BC 1 at Langley Township	Entire route. Along with BC 17 around Surrey, connects BC 1 and BC 91/99 without passing through the denser parts of Metro Vancouver.
BC 11	Feeder	US border – Abbotsford	WA 9 at Sumas border station	BC 1 at Mission
176 Street	Core	US border – Vancouver (via BC 1)	WA 543 at Blaine-Pacific Highway border crossing	BC 1 at Surrey	Entire route.
BC 16 (Yellowhead Highway)	Core	Prince Rupert - Prince George – Edmonton (via Alberta Highway 16)	Port of Prince Rupert	Alberta boundary
BC 17	Core (Victoria-Sidney and Port of Delta-BC 99)	Victoria - Vancouver	Port of Victoria	BC 1 in Surrey	Named Patricia Bay Highway and South Fraser Perimeter Road. Some sections in Victoria, Delta and New Westminster freeway.
BC 19	Core (Nanaimo–Parksville) Feeder (Parksville–Campbell River), No (remainder)	Port of Duke Point – Nanaimo – Campbell River – Prince Rupert (via ferry through Port Hardy and Bella Bella)	Port of Duke Point at Namaimo	Port Hardy	Entire route. Segments around Parksville and Courtenay freeway. Most segments twinned and also qualify as expressway.
BC 93	No	Kalispell, MT (via US 93) – US border – Cranbrook	US 93 at Roosville	BC 3 near Elko
BC 95	No	Coeur d'Alene (via US 95) – US border – Cranbrook	US 95 at Roosville	BC 3 near Cranbrook	Upgraded to trunk 115534719 along with US 95 across Idaho.
Okanagan Highway	Feeder (US border-Okanagan Connector), Core (Okanagan Connector and Vernon)	Wenatchee, WA (via US 97) – US border – Penticton - Kelowna – Vernon	US 97 at Osoyoos-Oroville border crossing	BC 97A near Vernon.	Section south of Osoyoos promoted in 438664748 along with US 97 as part of Washington highway classification.
Cariboo Highway, John Hart Highway and Alaska Highway	Core	Kamloops – Prince George – Dawson Creen – – Whitehorse, YT	BC 1 at Cache Creek	Alaska Highway at Yukon boundary.	Include isolated segments of Alaska Highway at BC-Yukon boundary.
BC 97	Core	Vernon – Revelstoke (via BC 1)	Okanagan Highway (BC 97) at Vernon	BC 1 at Sicamous
BC 97B	Core	Vernon (via BC 97A) – Kamloops (via BC 1)	BC 97B near Enderby	BC 1 at Salmon Arm
Okanagan Connector	Core	Vancouver (via BC 5) – Kelowna (via BC 97)	Coquihalla Highway (BC 5) at Merritt	BC 97 near West Kelowna	Freeway between Princeton Highway and Okanagan Highway
BC 99	Core	Seattle, WA (via I-5) – Vancouver	I-5 at Peace Arch border crossing	Vancouver

Metro Vancouver Roads

The highway classification scheme within Metro Vancouver follows the BC scheme with additional guidelines specific to the region.

Road classification within this region takes into account Translink's Major Road Network, Metro Vancouver's designated Urban Centre Network and major education institutions.

Regional Destinations

Metro Vancouver Urban Centres

Metro Vancouver is the regional district authority. The district has designated 'Urban Centres' for dense urban uses in two tiers: local Municipal Town Centres (MTCs) and larger Regional City Centres (RCCs). Only Vancouver and Surrey have populations greater than 300,000 (at over 700,000 each).

For the purposes of classification, the Vancouver Metro Core and Surrey Metro Centre are considered regional urban centres warranting highway=trunk connections. The remaining RCCs and some MTCs with dense urban developments shall be considered major urban centres warranting highway=primary.

List of designated Urban Centres

Classification Importance	Name	Municipality
Regional Urban Centre (Trunk level connections)	Vancouver Metro Core	Vancouver
	Surrey Metro Centre	Surrey
Major urban centres (Primary level connections)	Metrotown RCC	Burnaby
	Richmond RCC	Richmond
	Coquitlam RCC	Coquitlam
	Lonsdale RCC	City of North Vancouver
	Maple Ridge RCC	Maple Ridge
	New Westminster RCC	New Westminster
	Langley RCC	City of Langley
	Oakridge MTC	Vancouver
	Brentwood MTC	Burnaby
	Lougheed MTC	Burnaby
Minor urban centres (Secondary Level Connections)	Cloverdale MTC	Surrey
	Fleetwood MTC	Surrey
	Guilford MTC	Surrey
	Newton MTC	Surrey
	Edmonds MTC	Burnaby
	Ladner MTC	Delta
	Aldergrove MTC	Township of Langley
	Willoughby MTC	Maple Ridge
	Lynn Valley MTC	District of North Vancouver
	Pitt Meadows MTC	Pitt Meadows
	Port Coquitlam MTC	Port Coquitlam
	Inlet MTC	Port Moody
	Ambleside MTC	West Vancouver
	Semiahmoo MTC	White Rock

Other regional destinations

The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is a major air hub and the regional passenger and cargo airport. Connections to the Airport shall be highway=trunk roads.

The University of British Columbia at the western end of the Burrard Peninsula and Simon Fraser University are the two major educational institutions in the region. They are major regional destinations and warrant highway=primary connections.

The Port of Vancouver is the main seaport for Western Canada. Truck routes between the Port and the Highway network shall be classified as highway=primary.

Trunk Road Routes

Trunk road routes connect regional urban centres and important regional destinations to the freeway network.

Trunk Roads Connecting Urban Centres

Destination	Route	Road	From	To	Notes
Vancouver Metro Core	Downtown Vancouver to Highway 99 Freeway	Howe Street	Georgia Street	Granville Bridge	SB one way
		Seymour Street	Granville Bridge	Georgia Street	NB one way
		Granville Street Bridge	Howe Street/Seymour Street	Granville Street
		Granville Street	Granville Street Bridge	41st Avenue
		Granville Street	41st Avenue	West 70th Avenue	SB Direction
		West 70th Avenue	Granville Street	Oak Street
		Oak Street	West 70th Avenue	West 41st Avenue	NB direction
		West 41st Avenue	Oak Street	Granville Street
		Oak Street	West 70th Avenue	Oak Street Bridge
	Downtown Vancouver to Sea-to-Sky Highway	Georgia Street	Seymour Street	Stanley Park Causeway
		Stanley Park Causeway	Georgia Street	Lionsgate Bridge
		Lionsgate Bridge	Stanley Park Causeway	Marine Drive
		Marine Drive	Lionsgate Bridge	Taylor Way
		Taylor Way	Marine Drive	Trans-Canada Highway
	Downtown Vancouver to Trans-Canada Highway	Hastings Street	Howe Street	Cassiar Connector
Surrey Metro Centre	Downtown Surrey to Trans-Canada Highway towards Fraser Valley	104 Avenue	King George Boulevard	160 Street
	Downtown Surrey to Trans-Canada Highway towards Vancouver	152 Street	104 Avenue	Guilford Drive
	Downtown Surrey to Highway 17	104 Avenue	King George Boulevard	Scott Road
		Tannery Road	Scott Road	Highway 17
	Downtown Surrey to Highway 99	King George Boulevard	104 Avenue	Highway 99
YVR Airport	YVR to Highway 99	Grant McConachie Way	Airport	Bridgeport Road / Sea Island Way
		Bridgeport Road / Sea Island Way	Grant McConachie Way	Highway 99
	YVR to Vancouver	Arthur Laing Bridge	Grant McConachie Way	Granville Street
		Granville Street	Arthur Laing Bridge	Downtown Vancouver
	YVR to Surrey	Arthur Laing Bridge	Grant McConachie Way	Marine Drive
		Marine Drive	Arthur Laing Bridge	Marine Way
		Marine Way	Marine Drive	Stewardson Way
		Stewardson Way	Marine Way	Royal Avenue
		Royal Avenue	Stewardson Way	Riverview Bridge
		Riverview Bridge	Royal Avenue	King George Boulevard
		King George Boulevard	Riverview Bridge	104 Avenue

Primary Road Routes

Primary road routes connect major urban centres and minor regional destinations to the regional urban centres or the freeway network.

Roads Connecting Urban Centres

Destination	Route	Road	From	To	Notes
UBC	UBC to Trans-Canada Highway (North route)	University Boulevard	Wesbrook Mall	Blanca Street
		10th Avenue	Blanca Street	Alma Street
		Alma Street	10th Avenue	Broadway
		Broadway	Alma Street	Rupert Street
		Rupert Street	Broadway	Grandview Highway
		Grandview Highway	Rupert Street	Highway on-ramps
	UBC connection (south)	Wesbrook Mall	University Boulevard	16th Avenue
		16th Avenue	Wesbrook Mall	Marine Drive
		Marine Drive	16th Avenue	41st Avenue
		41st Avenue	Marine Drive	School Avenue
		Joyce Street	School Avenue	East 29th Avenue
		East 29th Avenue	Joyce Street	Boundary Road
		Boundary Road	East 29th Avenue	Highway on-ramps
SFU	SFU Connection (West)	Burnaby Mountain Parkway	Gaglardi Way	Hastings Street
		Hastings Street	Burnaby Mountain Parkway	Cassiar Connector
	SFU Connection (South)	Gaglardi Way	Burnaby Mountain Parkway	Trans-Canada Highway
Port of Vancouver	Port to Trans-Canada Highway (North)	McGill Street	Comissioner Street	Highway on-ramps
	Port to Trans-Canada Highway (South)	McGill Street	Comissioner Street	Nanaimo Street
		Nanaimo Street	McGill Street	Grandview Highway
		Grandview Highway	Nanaimo Street	Highway on-ramps
	Port to Knight Street Bridge	Clark Drive	Hastings Street	14th Avenue	Main trucking route to and from the port
		Knight Street	14th Avenue	Knight Street Bridge
Metrotown RCC	Metrotown to Trans-Canada Highway	Willingdon Avenue	Kingsway	Trans-Canada Highway
	Metrotown to Downtown Vancouver	Kingsway	Willingdon Avenue	Main Street
		Main Street	Kingsway	Georgia/Dunsmuir Viaducts
		Dunsmuir	Main Street	Howe Street
		Georgia	Howe Street	Main Street
	Metrotown to Downtown Surrey	Kingsway	Willingdon	Tenth Avenue
		Tenth Avenue	Kingsway	Mcbride Boulevard
		Mcbride Boulevard	Tenth Avenue	Riverview Bridge
		Riverview Bridge	Mcbride Boulevard	King George Boulevard
		King George Boulevard	Riverview Bridge	Fraser Highway
Richmond RCC	Downtown Richmond to Highway 99 towards USA & Knight Street Bridge towards Vancouver	Westminster Highway	No. 3 Road	Knight Street
	Downtown Richmond to East-West Connector	Alderbridge Way	No. 3 Road	Shell Road
Coquitlam RCC	Coquitlam to Downtown Vancouver	Barnet Highway	Lougheed Highway	Ioco Road
		Saint Johns Street	Ioco Road	Barnet Highway
		Barnet Highway	Saint Johns Street	Barnet Road
		Barnet Road	Barnet Highway	Inlet Drive
		Inlet Drive	Barnet Road	Hastings Street
		Hastings Street	Inlet Drive	Howe Street
Lonsdale RCC	Lonsdale to Lionsgate Bridge	3rd Street	Lonsdale Avenue	Bewicke Avenue
		Marine Drive	Bewicke Avenue	Lionsgate Bridge
	Lonsdale to Trans-Canada Highway (Ironworkers Memorial Bridge)	3rd Street	Lonsdale Avenue	Kennard Avenue
		Cotton Road	Kennard Avenue	Main Street
		Main Street	Cotton Road	Highway on-ramps
	Lonsdale to Trans-Canada Highway (Upper Levels Highway)	Lonsdale Avenue	3rd Street	Highway on-ramps
Maple Ridge RCC	Maple Ridge to Highway 7	Lougheed Highway	Haney Bypass	Haney Bypass
New Westminster RCC	New Westminster to Riverview Bridge	Royal Avenue	Eighth Street	Riverview Bridge
	New Westminster to Trans-Canada Highway	Royal Avenue	Eighth Street	McBride Boulevard
		McBride Boulevard	Royal Avenue	Columbia Street
		Columbia Street	McBride Boulevard	Debeck Street
		Brunette Avenue	Debeck Street	Highway On-Ramps
Langley RCC	Langley to Trans-Canada Highway	200 Street	Fraser Highway	Highway On-Ramps
	Langley to Downtown Surrey	Fraser Highway	200 Street	King George Boulevard
		King George Boulevard	Fraser Highway	104 Avenue
Oakridge MTC	Oakridge to Downtown Vancouver	Cambie Street	41st Avenue	Cambie Bridge
		Cambie Bridge	Cambie Street	Smithe Street / Nelson Street
		Smithe Street	Cambie Bridge	Howe Street	NB Oneway
		Nelson Street	Howe Street	Cambie Bridge	SB Oneway
	Oakridge to Oak Street Bridge	Cambie Street	41st Avenue	Marine Drive
		Marine Drive	Cambie Street	70th Avenue
		70th Avenue	Marine Drive	Oak Street
		Oak Street	70th Avenue	Oak Street Bridge
Brentwood MTC	Brentwood to Trans-Canada Highway	Willingdon Avenue	Lougheed Highway	Trans-Canada Highway
	Brentwood to Downtown Vancouver	Lougheed Highway	Willingdon Avenue	Boundary Road
		Broadway	Boundary Road	Cambie Street
		Cambie Street	Broadway	Cambie Bridge
		Cambie Bridge	Cambie Street	Smithe Street / Nelson Street
		Smithe Street	Cambie Bridge	Howe Street	NB Oneway
		Nelson Street	Howe Street	Cambie Bridge	SB Oneway

Resources

Provincial

• Numbered Highways Functional Classification List
• National Highway System List

Metro Vancouver

• Metro Vancouver Urban Centre Network

Neighbouring provinces and US states

• Alberta - yes
• Idaho - yes
• Montana - yes.
• Washington state - yes