The 1960s saw the construction of several major realignments and upgrades along the highway. In 1961, the Rossland-Sheep Lake Highway was completed, linking to the new Christina Lake-Castlegar section through Bonanza Pass (opened in 1962 with the completion of the Paulson Bridge), replacing a gravel mountain road that had connected Cascade City and Rossland. The Kootenay Skyway from Salmo to Creston through Kootenay Pass opened in 1964, reducing the distance from to , bypassing Nelson and Kootenay Lake Ferry. As part of the Kootenay Skyway project, the bypassed section of Highway 3 became Highway 3A, while the bypassed section of Highway 3 between Trail and Castlegar became part of Highway 22. Highway 3A between Trail and Salmo, as well as the new Rossland-Sheep Lake Highway, became Highway 3B. In 1965, the Richter Pass section between Keremeos and Osoyoos opened (the bypassed section became Highway 3A), along with the Kinnaird Bridge in Castlegar, bypassing the final ferry crossing. In the morning hours of January 9, 1965, one of the largest landslides occurred in Canadian history occurred near Hope, killing four people; known as the Hope Slide. As a result, the highway has to be rerouted around and over the base of the slide's debris field.