New Brunswick Route 8

New Brunswick Route 8 is a major highway in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is 261 kilometres (162 mi) long and connects Fredericton to the south with Miramichi and Bathurst to the north.

Route 8
Route 8 highlighted in red.
Route information
Maintained by New Brunswick Department of Transportation
Length	260.4 km (161.8 mi)
Existed	1920s–present
Major junctions
South end	Route 2 (TCH) near Fredericton
Major intersections	Route 7 in Fredericton Route 10 in Fredericton Route 11 in Miramichi
North end	Route 11 in Bathurst
Location
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
Counties	York, Northumberland, Gloucester
Major cities	Fredericton, Miramichi, Bathurst
Highway system
Provincial highways in New Brunswick Former routes
← Route 7 → Route 10

Route 8 in Fredericton

Route description

Route 8 begins at Trans-Canada Highway 2 in Fredericton. It uses the old alignment of the TCH between there and Route 7 before heading north on the Princess Margaret Bridge.

After a roundabout with Route 105, Route 8 becomes a two-lane limited access highway. First named the Barkers Point Bypass, it becomes the Marysville Bypass following the intersection with Route 10.

After the Marysville Bypass, Route 8 generally follows the Southwest Miramichi River up until Miramichi, where it has an overlap with Route 11 on the Centennial Bridge before heading north on its own as a two-lane expressway, later ending at Route 11 in Bathurst.

History

Route 8 was one of the original New Brunswick routes in the 1920s. Its route saw little changes until bypasses were constructed in the Fredericton area in the 1980s and 1990s. It would also see an extension south on part of the old Trans-Canada Highway 2 bypass of Fredericton in 2001.

In 2006, Route 8 was realigned on a two-lane bypass of part of Newcastle in Miramichi.

On January 12, 2008, a van carrying the basketball team from Bathurst High School collided with a semi-trailer truck on Route 8 near Bathurst, killing eight and injuring four. This prompted the government of New Brunswick to ban the use of 15-passenger vans for student transport.

Marysville Bypass

A bypass for the Fredericton suburbs of Marysville and South Portage, north of Taymouth, was started in 2007 before officially opening August 26, 2014. The estimated cost of the bypass was CA$124 million. The old alignment of Route 8 became Route 148 upon completion of the bypass.

Major intersections

From south to north:

County	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
York	​	0.0	0.0		Route 2 (TCH) – Edmundston, Moncton, Saint John	Exit 280 on Route 2; eastbound exit, westbound entrance
				South end of Fredericton Bypass
	Fredericton	3.6	2.2	3	Route 640 (Hanwell Road) to Route 102
		5.4	3.4	(5)	Smythe Street, Bishop Drive	Roundabout
		5.9– 6.9	3.7– 4.3	6	Route 101 (Regent Street) – New Maryland	Signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north)
				7	Route 7 south to Route 2 (TCH) east – Fredericton Airport, Oromocto, Saint John, Moncton
		8.7	5.4	9	Forest Hill Road
		8.9– 10.0	5.5– 6.2	Princess Margaret Bridge crosses the Saint John River
		10.1	6.3	10	Route 105 south (Riverside Drive) – Jemseg	South end of Route 105 concurrency
				North end of Fredericton Bypass
		10.7	6.6		Route 105 north (Riverside Drive)	North end of Route 105 concurrency
				South end of Barkers Point Bypass
		12.5	7.8	(13)	Route 10 east (Greenwood Drive) – Minto
				North end of Barkers Point Bypass • South end of Marysville Bypass
		16.0	9.9	(17)	To Route 148 west / Bridge Street
	Penniac	23.7	14.7	23	Route 628 north (Penniac Road)
	Durham Bridge	33.5	20.8	33	To Route 628 / Route 148 / Lower Durham Road – Durham Bridge
	Nashwaak Bridge	46.7	29.0	(47)	Route 107 west – Nashwaak Bridge, Nashwaak
	​	50.8	31.6	(52)	Route 148 south – Nashwaak Bridge
				North end of Marysville Bypass
Northumberland	Boiestown	75.8	47.1		Route 625 west – Parker Ridge
	Doaktown	101.8	63.3		Route 123 south – Chipman, Minto
		102.6	63.8	Crosses the Southwest Miramichi River
	Renous-Quarryville	146.4	91.0	139	Route 108 – Renous, Tobique Valley
		151.1	93.9		Route 415 – Red Rock, Quarryville
	Miramichi	170.3	105.8	163	Route 108 south / Route 420 west – Red Bank, Millerton
		170.6– 171.1	106.0– 106.3	Crosses the Northwest Miramichi River
		171.8	106.8	164	Route 425 west / Curtis Road – Sunny Corner
		175.4	109.0		Route 430 north – Wayerton	Roundabout; south end of Route 430 concurrency
		177.5– 178.1	110.3– 110.7	170	King George Highway	North end of Route 430 concurrency; south end of Route 126 concurrency
		178.5– 179.1	110.9– 111.3	Miramichi Bridge crosses the Miramichi River
		179.7	111.7		Route 126 south (Nelson Street) / Water Street – Nouvelle-Arcadie	Roundabout; north end of Route 126 concurrency
		187.6	116.6	119	Route 11 south – Moncton Route 117 north (University Avenue)	South end of Route 11 concurrency
		189.0	117.4	120	Church Street
		189.1– 190.1	117.5– 118.1	Centennial Bridge crosses the Miramichi River
		190.2	118.2	179	King George Highway (Route 11 north) – Tracadie-Sheila	North end of Route 11 concurrency
		192.5	119.6	180	McKinnon Road
	​	216.5	134.5		Route 450 east – Lavillette, Neguac
Gloucester	​	228.8	142.2		Route 134 north – Allardville
	Allardville	244.1	151.7	231	Route 160 east / Route 360 west to Route 134 – Allardville, Hautes-Terres, Brunswick Mines
	Bathurst	260.4	161.8		Route 11 to Miramichi Avenue (Route 134) – Campbellton, Caraquet	Exit 301 on Route 11
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• List of New Brunswick provincial highways