BC Road Trip Time Machine: Parksville to Campbell River
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- Опубліковано 22 чер 2016
- Does the busy modern world have you wishing you could step back in time? We’re happy to say your wish has been granted with this trip down memory lane (or highway)! Climb aboard our BC Road Trip Time Machine and travel Vancouver Island Highways 1 and 19 (between Duncan and Kelsey Bay) as they were in the spring of 1966.
Island motorists young and old are sure to notice countless changes in these videos, along with some things that never seem to change (Dairy Queen in Parksville anyone?)
It's a long drive, so we have broken the video up into three sections for you: Duncan to Parksville, Parksville to Campbell River and Campbell River to Kelsey Bay.
Here’s a list of some of the changes Highway 1 and 19 have experienced over the past 50 years:
Countless side road intersections have been improved with traffic lights and turning lanes, as well as acceleration and deceleration lanes, to keep travellers safe.
Rumble strips and reflectors have been installed along sections of both highways to improve safety.
Roadside clearing or “brushing” have improved sight lines on both highways.
Median and roadside barriers have been placed along both highways. Check out the “Next Generation” of highway barrier located in Nanoose.
Road-level railway crossings have been realigned.
Traffic volumes have increased dramatically in the years since this video was taken!
Old Howe Truss bridges along the route have been replaced to allow larger vehicles to travel the routes.
In 1992, the Vancouver Island Highway Project began, which when completed in 2002, created a new 4 lane divided highway between Nanaimo and Campbell River, now known as Highway 19. The existing Highway 19 was renamed to Highway 19A, the ‘Oceanside Route’, or the ‘Old Island Highway’, depending on who you ask!
Many stretches of BC Highway 1 are now four lanes wide.
The current alignment of Highway 19A though Courtenay bypasses the downtown core and the old 5th Street Bridge (seen here as it existed in 1966).
Kelsey Bay used to be the end of the line for BC Highway 19 in 1966 where BC Ferries originally began its northern route to Prince Rupert. It wouldn’t be until 1978 that Highway 19 travelled from Campbell River to Port Hardy.
The Inland Island Highway (now called BC Highway 19) now travels outside the City of Nanaimo, rather than through it. It connects back up with the original alignment near Lantzville.
There was no Inland Island Highway, therefore no local Inland Island Highway connectors.
If you’ve been riding along with us, you’ll know we’ve toured many other parts of the province in our BC Road Trip Time Machine travels. We recorded these nostalgic videos from 16mm film footage taken in 1966. The original photologs were collected by rigging a camera onto the dash of a car that took still images every 80 feet or so and then running those together as a single film in order to create a visual record of road condition information from across the province. This allowed our engineers to study a stretch of road without having to travel there. Pretty cool stuff, huh?
Get the full scoop here: www.tranbc.ca/tag/bc-road-tri...
WOW! Moving to Parksville from Nanaimo at the age of 6 and living there from 1961-1969 gives you the feeling of stepping backin time. Where we rode our bikes, paper route, swimming, nobody on the beaches that we thought we owned. Summer started in May back in those days. The house my Dad built just a few hundred yards to left of the long white picket fence at 0:11. Behind that fence was a forestry ranger station with hose ladders, equipment and trucks...which was like playland for us. Passing people on the single lane highway in my Dad's big Oldsmobile on our regular trips to church in Nanaimo. Awesome memories! Thanks
Love seeing these videos! Especially the Nanaimo - Qualicum stretch. It's fun to pick out landmarks like the Temple Foods Store (Parksville) and the Shady Rest (Qualicum). Thanks for posting!
So good to hear! Thanks for watching!
The hi way still follows basically the same route but so much is built up now. Great to watch.
Damb you guys 8-) A long time family friend and close friend of my beloved Aunt in Comox was Road Foreman in the Courtenay Highways District. What you see in this one and the one to follow to Kelsey Bay is his highway. Many landmarks, you can see where they started the alignment over the Oyster River, the highway curved to the right and crossed Oyster River at Saratoga Beach. Courtenay Hotel, turn right to Comox and the being built Little River ferry terminal for the Comox Queen. Gold River back then was only accessible by logging road. You can also see the wood bridge at Sayward, part of which was taken out in a flood. Travelled that strech of Hwy 19 from Nanaimo to Courtenay many times. Watched with moist eyes as many fond memories of being with my Aunt, Bill Gaze the Road Foreman (who was a character) and being able to be at my "second home" during the summer. Many thanks. 8-)
Paul - it's comments like this that keep us going! Thank you! We are so happy to hear your wonderful memories.
Oyster River Bridge was built in late 1966.
This is so neat!
There was a CBC television "20 years ago today" segment based around this time, up near Black Creek. The guy had a dog that would spin around, in one spot, on the side of the highway whenever a car drove by. Love his last comment made with the camera on the dog looking up and down the highway for a car:- "Sometimes on summer weekends we have to tie him up in the backyard because we get a few cars."
Pooch is excited about transportation. Good dog!
It's amazing how much has stayed the same. Unfortunately we had to put up with that old highway for far too long.
Great Video.
0.25 speed makes it pretty good to watch
It would be cool to see it at normal speed.
I moved here in August of 96. Traffic was bumper to bumper from Victoria to Courtenay.
I still prefer the old highway
A step back in time!
been her since 1972 what changes!!!
4 lanes all way from Cambell river to mill Bay
You forgot to put 1966 after the BC Road Trip Time Machine: Parksville to Campbell River on title.
So good! Any chance we could see a slowed down trip through Courtenay?
Glad you enjoyed it! You can change the speed in settings, bottom right.
OK .... need some help her at the 2:16 mark the car approached a railway track then has to make a sharp left.... Think this was the infamous dipsy doodle spot... any idea where this is ???
I'm curious of what vehicle they were driving for this
Courtenay House: 7:39
I found my house!
So cool! Yay!
Too fast!
Hi Joe. You can control the speed in settings.
@@MinistryofTranBC Holy crap, you can!! 😂