British Columbia Highway 91

Highway 91
Annacis Highway Richmond Freeway East-West Connector
Highway 91 highlighted in red.
Route information
Length:	23 km (14 mi)
Existed:	1986 – present
Major junctions
South end:	BC 99 in Delta
	BC 10 in Delta BC 91A in Richmond Knight Street in Richmond
North end:	BC 99/Alderbridge Way in Richmond
Location
Major cities:	Delta, Richmond
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways ← BC 77 BC 91A →

Highway 91 is an alternative freeway route to Highway 99 through Delta, New Westminster and Richmond, British Columbia. The highway was built in two sections, the first section from Delta to East Richmond in 1986, and the second section across Richmond in 1989.

It was the highest numbered highway in British Columbia that is not derived from a continuation of a US highway, until the designation of Highway 118 in 2003.

Route details

Alex Fraser Bridge, looking southbound from Annacis Island.

The total distance covered by Highway 91 is 22 km (14 mi). Starting at its junction with Highway 99 in East Delta, the route travels north for 2 km (1¼ mi) to a junction with Highway 10, then north for 10 km (6 mi) through two interchanges and one intersection, over the Alex Fraser Bridge onto Annacis Island, and through another interchange. Highway 91 then crosses the Annacis Channel bridge into Richmond, at which point it veers west. At the southern entrance to Highway 91, the road is named Annacis Highway, however, that name is not commonly used.

In Richmond, where Highway 91 is officially termed the Richmond Freeway but also as the East-West Connector, the route travels west for 10 more km (6 mi), through a junction with Highway 91A and two more interchanges, until it terminates just past its Richmond junction with Highway 99 at Shell Road.^[1]

$10 million had been allocated for a new interchange at 72nd Avenue, which is currently the only at-grade intersection on Highway 91.^[2] Upgrading this interchange would earn Highway 91 the status of a full freeway, but it was reported in the Surrey Leader in 2008 that work on this proposal had ground to a halt because of disagreements between the municipal and provincial governments over the type of interchange that would be in place. The allocated funding has since been diverted for other uses, and as of 2011 the province had no intention of building the interchange,^[3] but in April 2013, International Trade Minister Ed Fast announced that the removal of the traffic signal at 72nd Avenue would be given the go-ahead.^[4] On June 8, 2016, the BC government announced that the construction of a new interchange at 72nd Avenue, now priced at $30 million, will commence in the fall, thereby removing the final traffic signals on the Highway 91.^[5]

In early 2009, another interchange was agreed upon to be added to Highway 91 just south of the 'S' curve in Richmond, connecting Nelson Road to the highway. The interchange was opened on August 22, 2011.^[6][7]

Exit list

From south to north, the following intersections^[8] are observed along Highway 91. The entire route is in Metro Vancouver.

Location	km[9]	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Delta	0.00	0.00		BC 99 – Seattle, Ferries, Vancouver	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern terminus of BC 91
	2.02	1.26	1	BC 10 (Ladner Trunk Road) to BC 1 east – Surrey, Hope	No access from northbound BC 91 to westbound Ladner Trunk Road
	4.90	3.04	4	64th Avenue
	6.53	4.06	6	72nd Avenue	At-grade intersection; no exit number southbound
	7.93 0.00	4.93 0.00	8	Nordel Way to BC 17 (South Fraser Perimeter Road) – Tsawwassen, Surrey	No exit number southbound
	0.39– 2.92	0.24– 1.81	Alex Fraser Bridge over the Fraser River
	3.11	1.93	10	Annacis Island (Cliveden Avenue)	Southbound exit is via exit 11
Richmond	0.37	0.23	11	BC 91A – New Westminster
	1.49	0.93	13	Westminster Highway
			15	Nelson Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	8.97	5.57	21	No. 6 Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	9.36	5.82	22	Knight Street – Vancouver	Access to Knight Street northbound only
	10.95– 11.09	6.80– 6.89	23	BC 99 – Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver International Airport	Signed as exits 23A (south) and 23B (north); western terminus of BC 91; Victoria and Nanaimo are via BC Ferries
	11.09	6.89		Alderbridge Way	Continuation beyond western terminus of BC 91 into Richmond City Centre
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References

1. "Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia - Highway 91". BC Ministry of Transportation. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
2. "$211 million Canada-BC investment at BC lower Mainland crossings". Infrastructure Canada. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
3. Dave White (29 August 2011). "Delta wants federal cash for highways". News 1130. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
4. Jennifer Saltman (3 April 2013). "Hwy 91: Trouble traffic light gets the green for removal". The Province. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
5. "Provincial government announces new interchange for 72nd Ave at Hwy 91". News 1130. 8 June 2016.
6. "Nelson road opening helps truckers, farmers and drivers". Infrastructure Canada. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
7. Matthew Hoekstra (22 August 2011). "Nelson Road interchange opens today". Richmond Review. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
8. Paul Keenleyside (2004). "Highway 91 on BC Highways". Retrieved 9 August 2010.
9. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (December 2013). "B.C. Landmark Kilometre Inventory". Retrieved April 9, 2014.

Route map: Bing / Google