British Columbia Highway 93

Highway 93 is a north–south route through the southeastern part of British Columbia, in the Regional District of East Kootenay and takes its number from U.S. Highway 93 that it connects with at the Canada–United States border. It follows the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) and Highway 95 through Radium Hot Springs and to where it crosses the Continental Divide into Alberta at Vermilion Pass, where it continues as Alberta Highway 93.[2] The section between the Canada-U.S. border and the Crowsnest Highway is known as the Elko–Roosville Highway, the section between the Crowsnest Highway and Radium Hot Springs is known as the Kootenay–Columbia Highway,[3] while the section east of Radium Hot Springs is known as the Banff–Windermere Parkway.[4]

Highway 93
Highway 93 highlighted in red.
Route information
Length	321 km[1] (199 mi)
Existed	1958–present
Component highways	(1) Elko–Roosville Highway (2) Kootenay–Columbia Highway (3) Banff–Windermere Parkway
Major junctions
South end	US 93 at Canada–US border at Roosville
	Hwy 3 in Elko Hwy 3 / Hwy 95 near Fort Steele Hwy 95A near Wasa Hwy 95 at Radium Hot Springs
North end	Alberta border at Vermilion Pass continues as Hwy 93
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways ← Hwy 91A Hwy 95 →

Route description

Highway 93

From the international border crossing at Roosville, the 321 km (199 mi) long Highway 93 parallels the eastern shore of Lake Koocanusa for 36 km (22 mi) to where it meets the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) at Elko. Highway 3 carries Highway 93 west for 53 km (33 mi) to where it is handed off to Highway 95 just south of Fort Steele. Highway 95 carries Highway 93 north for another 134 km (83 mi) along the Kootenay River and the Columbia River passing through Wasa, Canal Flats, Fairmont Hot Springs and Invermere to Radium Hot Springs, where Highway 95 diverges north towards Golden.

Highway 93 leaves the concurrence and proceeds east from Radium Hot Springs for about 1 km (¹⁄₂ mi) to the western gate of Kootenay National Park. Through the park, the highway travels northeast along the Kootenay and Vermilion rivers for 93 km (58 mi) to Vermilion Pass and the Alberta border, where it is continues as Alberta Highway 93.[2] After crossing the border, the highway continues for another 11 km (7 mi) to meet the Trans-Canada Highway (Alberta Highway 1) near Castle Junction.[2]

History

The Highway first opened in 1953 from the international border to Elko, on Highway 3, but it did not follow its current route from the border until 1958. Before 1959, the Banff–Windermere Parkway, the segment of Highway 93 east of Radium Hot Springs, had a designation of Highway 1B,[5] reflecting its connection to the Trans-Canada Highway within Alberta at Castle Junction. In 1959, Highway 93 was extended from Elko along Highway 3 and Highway 95 to Radium Hot Springs, while Highway 1B and the Icefields Parkway (known as Highway 1A) were renumbered to their present designation.

Major intersections

From south to north:[6]

Regional district	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
East Kootenay	Roosville	0.00	0.00	US 93 south – Kalispell, Missoula	Continues into Montana
				Canada–United States border at Roosville Border Crossing
	Elko	36.95	22.96	Hwy 3 east (Crowsnest Highway) – Fernie, Lethbridge	South end of Hwy 3 concurrency
	​	66.22	41.15	Wardner Fort Steele Road (Hwy 935:1381 north) – Fort Steele	Hwy 935:1381 is unsigned
		66.91	41.58	Wardner Bridge across the Kootenay River
		92.69	57.59	Hwy 3 west (Crowsnest Highway) / Hwy 95 south – Cranbrook, Creston, Coeur d'Alene	Fort Steele Interchange North end of Hwy 3 concurrency; south end of Hwy 95 concurrency
	Fort Steele	99.69	61.94	Fort Steele Bridge across the Kootenay River
		100.83	62.65	Wardner Fort Steele Road (Hwy 935:1381 south) – Wardner	Hwy 935:1381 is unsigned
	​	124.35	77.27	Wasa Bridge across the Kootenay River
		124.48	77.35	Hwy 95A south – Kimberley
		136.92	85.08	Springbrook Bridge across the Kootenay River
	Canal Flats	165.44	102.80	Canal Flats Bridge across the Kootenay River
	​	187.57	116.55	Westside Road (Hwy 935:2143 north) – Invermere	Hwy 935:2143 is unsigned
		189.43	117.71	Fairmont Bridge across the Columbia River
	Fairmont Hot Springs	190.85	118.59	Riverview Road, Fairmont Resort Road
	Invermere	213.93	132.93	Athalmer Road	Access to Panorama Mountain
	Radium Hot Springs	227.09	141.11	Hwy 95 north – Golden	North end of Hwy 95 concurrency
Kootenay National Park		228.36	141.90	West gate of Kootenay National Park
	​	239.53	148.84	Sinclair Pass – 1,486 m (4,875 ft))
		270.88	168.32	Kootenay Crossing Bridge across the Kootenay River
		321.03	199.48	Vermilion Pass – 1,680 m (5,510 ft)
				Hwy 93 north – Banff National Park, Banff, Lake Louise	Continues into Alberta
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• List of British Columbia provincial highways

References

1. Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2016. pp. 112, 404–412. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
2. Tourism British Columbia. Super, Natural British Columbia Road Map & Parks Guide (Map) (2010-2011 ed.). Davenport Maps Ltd. §§ J-11, J-12, K-11, K-12, L-12.
3. "Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia". Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Province of British Columbia. June 8, 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-01-05. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
4. "History of the Parkway". Kootenay National Park. Parks Canada. January 12, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
5. The H.M. Gousha Company (1956). "British Columbia-Alberta" (Map). Shell Map of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The Shell Oil Company. §§ E-11, F-11.
6. British Columbia Road Atlas (Map) (2007 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. p. 50, 62, 74-75. ISBN 1-55368-018-9.

Further reading

• Parfit, Michael; Chris Johns (Dec 1992). "The Hard Ride of Route 93". National Geographic. National Geographic Society. 182 (6): 42–69.

External links

Media related to British Columbia Highway 93 at Wikimedia Commons