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The Island branch of Highway 1, known locally as the Island Highway (a name shared with Highway 19), is the main thoroughfare on the south Island. The highway was first given the "1" designation in 1941, and originally went between Victoria and Kelsey Bay , a small coastal community north of Campbell River. Highway 1 on the Island was shortened to terminate in the downtown core of the city of Nanaimo in 1953, with the section north of Nanaimo being re-numbered 19. When the ferry route between Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver was taken over by BC Ferries in 1961, Highway 1 on the Island was extended to the Departure Bay ferry dock.
The Island section of highway 1, which is 117 km in total length, begins at the intersection of Douglas Street and Dallas Road in Victoria, where a large "mile zero" sign is erected. Highway 1 proceeds north through the city of Victoria for 4 km, passing by the southern terminus of Highway 17, before leaving the city at Tolmie Avenue. Once out of Victoria, highway 1 heads west on a 14-km long four-lane freeway, with three interchanges along its length, one of which leads to the start of Highway 14. The highway narrows to two lanes upon its entry into Goldstream provincial park . The highway from this point is known locally as the Malahat .
From the southern entrance to Goldstream park, the Malahat section of the highway, which is known for its steep grades, goes north for 20 km, becoming three lanes on its exit from Goldstream park, until it reaches the community of Mill Bay . North of Mill Bay, Highway 1 once again widens out into four lanes. The highway travels north for 29 km, past a junction to Shawnigan Lake and the communities of Cobble Hill , Cowichan Bay and Duncan before reaching a junction with Highway 18. The highway then proceeds north for 10 km to a junction with Chemainus .
From the Chemainus junction, Highway 1 travels 11 km northwest into the city of LadysmithLadysmith is a town in the Canadian province of British Columbia. As of 2001, the population was 6,581. The area of the town was 8. 43 square kilometres. Total private dwellings were 2,833. Population density was 781. 6 people per square kilometres. It is, and northwest for another 13 km to a junction with the community of Cassidy . 6 km north of the Cassidy junction, Highway 1 enters the city of Nanaimo, where Highway 19 merges onto the highway from the B.C. Ferry terminal at Duke Point. 2 km north, Highway 1 and Highway 19 split off at a junction with Cedar Road. Highway 19 proceeds west, while Highway 1 continues north. Highway 1 proceeds through the city of Nanaimo for 8 km north to the B.C. Ferry terminal at Departure Bay, where the Island section of Highway 1 terminates. B.C. Ferries then takes Highway 1 across the Strait of GeorgiaThe Strait of Georgia (also known as Georgia Strait and the Gulf of Georgia is a 240 km (150 mi)-long strait between Vancouver Island (as well as its nearby Gulf Islands) and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The southern end of the for 57 km to its Horseshoe BayHorseshoe Bay is a small village area within the city of West Vancouver. It has a population of about 1,000 permanent residents. Situated right on the western tip of West Vancouver, at the entrance to Howe Sound, the village marks the western end of Highw terminal.