Coquihalla Highway Between
Hope and
Kamloops, Highway 5 is known as the "Coquihalla Highway" (colloquially "the Coq", pronounced "coke"). It is a
freeway, varying between four and six lanes with a speed limit of for most of its length. The Coquihalla approximately traces through the
Cascade Mountains the route of the former
Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958. It is so named because near Hope, it generally follows the
Coquihalla River, for about , and uses the
Coquihalla Pass. The pass is named in the
Halq̓eméylem language used by the
Stó꞉lō, which means "stingy container" and refers specifically to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. According to Stó꞉lō oral history, the (water babies, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close to the rock would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch the salmon." Highway 5 begins south at the junction with the
Crowsnest Highway (
Highway 3) at uninhabited
Othello, east of Hope (named after a nearby siding on the Kettle Valley Railway, which used many Shakespearean names).
Exit numbers on the Coquihalla are a continuation of those on Highway 1 west of Hope, as it is an extension of the freeway that starts in Horseshoe Bay. north of Othello, after passing through five interchanges, Highway 5 reaches the landmark Great Bear
snow shed. The location of the former toll booth is north of the snow shed, passing through another interchange and the Coquihalla Pass. Highway 5 is the only highway in British Columbia to have had
tolls; a typical passenger vehicle toll was $10. Now free to drive, at the Coquihalla Lakes junction, the highway crosses from the
Fraser Valley Regional District into the
Thompson-Nicola Regional District. and five interchanges north of the former toll plaza. The Coquihalla Highway then enters the city of
Merritt, which is accessed by two interchanges, both of which also provide access to
Highway 5A,
Highway 97C, and
Highway 8. between Highways 5 and 97 through Kamloops. The section of highway, between Merritt and Kamloops, is long. After exiting Merritt, the highway climbs up a long, steep hill toward another high point, the
Surrey Lake Summit. It passes through three interchanges along this section. A
diamond interchange at Exit 336 provides an important turnoff to
Logan Lake on
Highway 97D and
Lac le Jeune. Shortly after the junction, the highway descends into the city of Kamloops, where it meets Highways 1 and 97 at a
trumpet interchange; it marks the northern terminus of the "Coquihalla Highway" designation.
Kamloops Highway 5 continues east for , concurrently with Highways 1 and 97, through Kamloops. This stretch of road, which carries 97
South and 5
North on the same lanes (and vice versa), is the only
wrong-way concurrency in British Columbia. This section is mostly an urban freeway with a speed limit of . It passes through five interchanges, connecting to the core area of Kamloops, before the concurrency splits and Highway 5 exits off the road to the north in a complex five-way interchange. After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately . For most of this section, it is a four-lane divided highway with several signalized intersections and a speed limit of . After leaving the concurrency it immediately crosses the
South Thompson River and enters a First Nations Reserve, temporarily leaving Kamloops city limits. A particularly important intersection is the signal lights at Halston Drive, which is one of only two access points to the north half of Kamloops. Highway 5 re-enters the city at the
Rayleigh community, where it passes two busy at-grade, but not signalized intersections; traffic volumes steadily decrease as it gets farther from the core area of Kamloops.
Heffley Creek indicates the northern boundary of Kamloops; the exit to
Sun Peaks resort is at the same turnoff. Traffic volumes thin out at that exit, and shortly afterward Highway 5 narrows to a two-lane undivided road.
Southern Yellowhead Highway The "Southern Yellowhead Highway" is the northern section of Highway 5. This section is long. It is largely a two-lane, undivided highway, with some rare three- or four-lane sections for passing, although work has been constantly underway (especially in the Heffley Creek–Clearwater section) to create more passing opportunities. The speed limit is for the most part except in towns, where it can drop as low as . Traffic volume on this section of highway is low compared to the Coquihalla and Kamloops sections of Highway 5. In its whole length there is only one traffic signal, which is in the town of
Valemount. Services for drivers are provided in the major towns. Highway 5 follows the
North Thompson River north from Kamloops and Heffley Creek for approximately , along a parallel course with the
Canadian National Railway's main line. It passes an important junction for
Adams Lake in the settlement of Louis Creek before entering the town
Barriere. North of Barriere, it encounters a junction with
Highway 24 in the village of
Little Fort. north of Little Fort, while continuing to follow the North Thompson and the CN Railway, Highway 5 reaches the resort community of
Clearwater, where a
roundabout provides access to
Wells Gray Provincial Park. Highway 5 proceeds northeast for another , passing
Vavenby and Avola to the community of
Blue River, a popular
heliskiing location. From there, it proceeds farther north through the heart of the
Columbia Mountains. It crosses a low divide between the
Thompson River and
Fraser River drainages, entering the
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. It soon passes through the community of Valemount, where a traffic signal is located. Next it passes
Tête Jaune Cache and crosses the Fraser River, after which it immediately meets
Highway 16 in a partial interchange, marking its northern terminus. ==History==