Highway 7B, known as the Mary Hill Bypass, is a long riverside east-west link between the cities of Coquitlam to the west and

Port Coquitlam Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...

to the east. The Mary Hill Bypass gained its numbered designation in 1996, when it was widened from two to four lanes north of Broadway. Highway 7B meets Highway 7 at both of its ends, and also links to

Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered ...

within Coquitlam at the Cape Horn Interchange.

Route description

The Mary Hill Bypass begins at an intersection with United Boulevard in Coquitlam. Just west of this intersection are the ramps that connect

and Highway 7 (westbound only) within the Cape Horn Interchange. Highway 1 and Highway 7 eastbound can be accessed via United Boulevard. After crossing the

Coquitlam River The Coquitlam River ( /koʊˈkwɪtləm/ or /kəˈkwɪtləm/) is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The river's name comes from the word Kʷikʷəƛ̓əm which translates to "Red fish up the river". The na ...

, the highway continues on, turning east and passing through a major intersection which provides access to downtown

. Continuing northeast, the Mary Hill Bypass passes through another major intersection, then enters an industrial park and passes through another three intersections. After passing a railway underpass and one final intersection, the Mary Hill Bypass ends at Highway 7, which continues east to Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Mission.

History

The Mary Hill Bypass skirts around Mary Hill, which was developed in the early 1960s for residential housing. The highway itself was built in the mid-eighties and was officially opened to traffic on 19 December 1985. It cost about $26 million CAD (equivalent to $62.32 million in 2022). In the mid-1990s,the Bypass saw major improvements north of Broadway. This included four-laning the existing two lane section and a new railway overpass. The widened highway was opened by Premier Glen Clark on 24 October 1996. The intersection with Lougheed Highway was replaced by an interchange in 2009 as a part of the

Pitt River Bridge The Pitt River Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Pitt River between Port Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows in British Columbia, Canada. The bridge is part of Highway 7, carrying Lougheed Highway across the river. The current bridge opened ...

replacement project. With the discontinuation of route 7A in 1999 highway 7 is the only highway system in BC to have a "B" route but no official "A" route.

Related routes

North Fraser Perimeter Road

As part of the

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

's Metro Vancouver

Gateway Program The Gateway Program is a C$3.0 billion regional transportation project for Metro Vancouver that is being managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation. The ministry introduced the Gateway Program on January 31, 2006, as a means to ...

, improvements to existing roads around the north side of the Fraser River between the Queensborough Bridge in New Westminster and the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge. This project was known as the North Fraser Perimeter Road, including the upgrading of intersections and possible interchanges along the Mary Hill Bypass and construction of the new, cable-stayed

. While the new Pitt River Bridge was constructed, the remainder of the North Fraser Perimeter Road was cancelled.

United Boulevard

United Boulevard is a major roadway in Coquitlam used as connection between Highway 7B and Highways 1 and 7. A segment is provincially maintained as part of Highway 7B; however, the section is

unsigned Unsigned can refer to: * An unsigned artist is a musical artist or group not attached or signed to a record label ** Unsigned Music Awards, ceremony noting achievements of unsigned artists ** Unsigned band web, online community * Similarly, the c ...

and the western terminus of Highway 7B is signed as being at the Mary Hill Bypass / United Boulevard interchange.

Major intersections

From west to east; list excludes United Boulevard. The entire route is in Metro Vancouver.

References

External links

Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:British Columbia Highway 7b 007B 007B Transport in Coquitlam Port Coquitlam