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Island Highway Inland Island Highway | ||||
Highway 19 highlighted in red. | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure | ||||
Length | 403 km (250 mi) | |||
Existed | 1953–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() | |||
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North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Canada | |||
Province | British Columbia | |||
Regional districts | Nanaimo, Comox Valley, Strathcona, Mount Waddington | |||
Major cities | Nanaimo, Parksville, Campbell River | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Highway 19 is the main north–south thoroughfare on Vancouver Island from Nanaimo to Port Hardy. It forms part of the Island Highway along with Highway 1 and Highway 19A. A highway has existed on the Island since about 1912. Originally gravel and rough, the highway was an essential link together with the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway. The paved highway first opened in 1953, replacing a stretch of Highway 1 between Nanaimo and Campbell River, finally being extended to the northern tip of the island in the late 1970s. The total length of the highway is 403 kilometres (250 mi).