Liard Highway

The Liard Highway (designated Highway 77 in British Columbia and Highway 7 in the Northwest Territories ) is a 378 kilometre, two lane highway in Canada which serves as the only direct road-link between British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. It travels through sparsely populated areas of Canadian Boreal Forest, and serves as the sole road access route for the communities of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte

Liard Highway
British Columbia Highway 77
Northwest Territories Highway 7
Route information
Length393 km (244 mi)
Existed1984–present
British Columbia Highway 77
Length138 km[1] (86 mi)
South end Hwy 97 near Fort Nelson, BC
North endBC-NWT border
Northwest Territories Highway 7
Length255 km[2] (158 mi)
South endBC-NWT border
North end Highway 1 near Fort Simpson, NT
Location
CountryCanada
Highway system
          ← Hwy 62→ Hwy 91
          ← Highway 6→ Highway 8
          Liard Highway in winter.

          Route

          The highway begins at a point on the Alaska Highway 28 km (17 mi) northwest of Fort Nelson and runs 138 km (86 mi) northeast through expanses of the Canadian Boreal Forest to the border of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Beyond the border, it continues for 254 km (158 mi) as a very rough packed dirt and gravel road designated as Highway 7. It terminates at a junction with Territorial Highway 1 south of Fort Simpson.

          History

          The highway was built between 1975 and 1982 and officially opened to traffic in June 1984.[3][4] The section in British Columbia was built under contracts given by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways and cost $26 million (equivalent to $58.78 million in 2021). The section through the Northwest Territories section was built by the federal government at a cost of $55 million (equivalent to $124.34 million in 2021). British Columbia assigned the number 77 to their portion of the route in 1986.

          In 2012 Peter's Bros. Construction Ltd. was awarded a contract valued at $8,911,212.00 to pave (level course and overlay) over the existing sealcoat from the end of the existing pavement at 83 km (52 mi) in B.C. to the Northwest Territories border at 137 km (85 mi).[5] The project was completed August 2012.

          As of 2018, Highway 77 has been fully paved up to the Northwest Territories border.

          Major intersections

          From south to north:

          Province / TerritoryRegional district / RegionLocationkm[1][2]miDestinationsNotes
          British ColumbiaNorthern Rockies R.M.​00.0 Hwy 97 (Alaska Highway) – Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, WhitehorseHwy 77 southern terminus
          4226Crosses the Fort Nelson River
          British Columbia – Northwest Territories border138
          0          		86
          0.0          		 Hwy 77 northern terminus • Highway 7 southern terminus
          Northwest TerritoriesDehchoFort Liard3824Access road
          ​13181Nahanni Butte access road
          Checkpoint255158 Highway 1 (Mackenzie Highway) – Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Hay RiverHighway 7 northern terminus
          1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
          •       Route transition

          References
          1. Landmark Kilometre Inventory (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Report). Cypher Consulting. July 2016. p. 398. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
          2. Google (26 April 2017). "Highway 7 in Northwest Territories" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
          3. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways. "Frontier to Freeway: A Short Illustrated History of Roads in British Columbia" (PDF). gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia.
          4. "New road link to north brings end to isolation". Vancouver Sun. 25 June 1984. p. A12. Retrieved 14 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
          5. BC MOTI. "Northern Region Highway Projects". Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
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