Alberta Highway 1
Trans-Canada Highway | ||||
Route information | ||||
Length: | 534 km[1] (332 mi) | |||
Existed: | 1941[2] – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: |
B.C. border near Lake Louise continues west as ![]() | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
East end: |
Saskatchewan border near Walsh continues east as ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Specialized and rural municipalities: | I.D. No. 9, Bighorn No. 8 M.D., Kananaskis I.D., Rocky View County, Wheatland County, Newell County, Cypress County | |||
Major cities: | Calgary, Brooks, Chestermere, Medicine Hat | |||
Towns: | Banff, Canmore, Strathmore, Bassano, Redcliff | |||
Highway system | ||||
Provincial highways in Alberta
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Alberta Provincial Highway No. 1,[3] or Trans-Canada Highway 1, is the main east-west highway traversing southern Alberta, Canada. It is designated a core route in Canada's National Highway System[4] and spans approximately 534 km (332 mi) from Alberta's border with British Columbia in the west to its border with Saskatchewan in the east.[1][5] As of 2014, the route is divided throughout the province (twinning of the final 8.5 km (5.3 mi) of Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the British Columbia border was completed by Parks Canada and opened to traffic on June 12), with a minimum of two lanes in each direction.[1][6]
Route description
Banff National Park
British Columbia Highway 1 becomes Alberta Highway 1 as it crosses Kicking Horse Pass into Alberta.[1] It generally travels in a southeast direction along the Bow River through Banff National Park (Improvement District No. 9), passing by the Hamlet of Lake Louise and the Town of Banff.[5] The segment of Highway 1 through the national park is maintained by the Government of Canada.[7]
Banff National Park to Calgary
Upon exiting Banff National Park, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 91 km (57 mi) until it reaches the City of Calgary.[5][8] This segment of the highway generally travels in an east direction through the rural municipalities of the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 and Rocky View County.[9] It also briefly crosses a portion of Kananaskis Improvement District.[9] For urban communities, this segment passes by the Hamlet of Harvie Heights, through the Town of Canmore, and by the hamlets of Dead Man's Flats and Lac des Arcs.[5] Highway 1A, the original Highway 1 from Canmore to Calgary, is an alternate route to this segment of Highway 1, providing access to the Hamlet of Exshaw, the Summer Village of Ghost Lake, and the Town of Cochrane.[5]
Calgary
Within Calgary, Highway 1 is named 16 Avenue North[1] and maintained by the City of Calgary. Certain stretches of 16 Avenue North function as either a freeway or an expressway, while other stretches function as an urban arterial road, particularly between Bow River and Bowness Road and between Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail where there are numerous at-grade intersections. As a result, speed limits on 16 Avenue North drop as low as 50 km/h (31 mph). The recently completed northwest and northeast legs of Stoney Trail (Highway 201) provide an alternate higher speed route across the city. The length of Highway 1 within Calgary is 27 km (17 mi).
Calgary to Medicine Hat
Upon exiting Calgary, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 273 km (170 mi) until it reaches the City of Medicine Hat.[5][8] This segment of the highway generally travels in a southeast direction through the rural municipalities of Rocky View County, Wheatland County, the County of Newell, and Cypress County.[9] For urban communities, this segment passes through the City of Chestermere and the Town of Strathmore, by the Town of Bassano, the City of Brooks, and the Hamlet of Suffield, and through the Town of Redcliff.[5] Highway 1A, the original Highway 1 from Calgary to Chestermere, is an alternate route to initial portion of this segment of Highway 1.[5]
Medicine Hat
Within the City of Medicine Hat, Highway 1 is named Trans Canada Highway and maintained by Alberta Transportation.[8] Stretches of the highway function as a freeway, while stretches between the South Saskatchewan River and Seven Persons Creek function as an urban arterial road. One at-grade intersection exists beyond 13 Avenue SE at Dunmore Road/South Boundary Road before exiting the city. The length of Highway 1 within Medicine Hat is 13 km (8.1 mi).[5]
Medicine Hat to Saskatchewan
Upon exiting Medicine Hat, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 48 km (30 mi) until it enters the Province of Saskatchewan,[5][8] continuing as Saskatchewan Highway 1.[1] This segment of the highway generally travels in an east direction through Cypress County.[9] For urban communities, this segment passes through the Hamlet of Dunmore and by the hamlets of Irvine and Walsh.[5]
History
A review of historical Alberta Official Road Maps shows that Highway 1 was numbered Highway 2 prior to 1941 (while Highway 2 as it is known today was numbered Highway 1 prior to 1941).[2]
Exit numbering along Highway 1 began in 2005.[10][11] As of March 2010, only the stretch of Highway 1 between Banff National Park and Calgary had been assigned exit numbers.[5]
Future
Parks Canada has completed twinning the final 8.5 km (5.3 mi) of Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the British Columbia border, with the new alignment opened to traffic on June 12, 2014.[6]
Planning is underway to realign Highway 1 around the Town of Strathmore.[12] Strathmore is the only low-speed signalized section of the highway between Calgary and Saskatchewan without a bypass plan.[13] The route under consideration for the realignment begins northwest of Gleichen, continuing west to run south of Eagle Lake and then continuing northwest where it will rejoin the existing alignment near Cheadle, between Highway 24 and Strathmore. The proposed plan also contemplates a link to the Highway 22X corridor.[13]
Construction of an interchange at Dunmore Road / South Boundary Road in Medicine Hat is expected to start in the fall of 2012, with completion estimated by the summer of 2014.[14]
Major intersections
Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km[1][5] | mi | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preceded by ![]() | |||||||
Improvement District No. 9 (Banff National Park) | 0 | 0 | Alberta – British Columbia border Kicking Horse Pass (el. 1627 m, 5339 ft) | Enters Banff National Park | |||
6 | 4 | Crosses Bow River | |||||
7 | 4 | ![]() | Interchange![]() ![]() | ||||
Lake Louise | 10 | 6 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
12 | 7 | Crosses Bow River | |||||
Castle Junction | 35 | 22 | ![]() To ![]() | Interchange Hwy 93 concurrency ends | |||
56 | 35 | Sunshine Road to Sunshine Village | Interchange | ||||
59 | 37 | Crosses Bow River | |||||
59 | 37 | ![]() | Interchange | ||||
Banff | 65 | 40 | Mt. Norquay Road | Interchange | |||
69 | 43 | Banff Avenue | Interchange | ||||
81 | 50 | East gate of Banff National Park | |||||
M.D. of Bighorn No. 8 | Harvie Heights | 83 | 52 | 83 | Harvie Heights Road | Interchange | |
Canmore | 86 | 53 | 86 | Bow Valley Trail / Palliser Trail / Harvie Heights Road | Interchange | ||
86 | 53 | Mountain Avenue | Eastbound exit and entrance. | ||||
89 | 55 | 89 | Palliser Trail | Interchange | |||
91 | 57 | 91 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
92 | 57 | Crosses Bow River | |||||
93 | 58 | 93 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
Dead Man's Flats | 98 | 61 | 98 | George Biggy Sr. Road | Interchange | ||
105 | 65 | 105 | Lac Des Arcs | Interchange | |||
Kananaskis Improvement District | 114 | 71 | 114 | ![]() ![]() | Interchange Hwy 40 concurrency begins (unsigned) | ||
↑ / ↓ | 115 | 71 | Crosses Kananaskis River | ||||
Stoney Indian Reserve | 118 | 73 | 118 | ![]() | Interchange Hwy 40 concurrency ends (unsigned) | ||
124 | 77 | 124 | Interchange | ||||
Morley | 131 | 81 | 131 | Morley Road | Interchange | ||
137 | 85 | 137 | Bear Hill Road | Interchange | |||
Rocky View County | 143 | 89 | 143 | ![]() | Interchange | ||
156 | 97 | 156 | Jumping Pound Road | Interchange | |||
161 | 100 | 161 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
Springbank | 169 | 105 | 169 | Range Road 33 – Calaway Park | Interchange | ||
172 | 107 | 172 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
City of Calgary | 176 | 109 | Valley Ridge Boulevard / Crestmont Boulevard | Interchange | |||
177 | 110 | 177 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
179 | 111 | Canada Olympic Drive / Bowfort Road – Canada Olympic Park | Interchange under construction | ||||
180 | 112 | Sarcee Trail To ![]() | Interchange | ||||
Freeway ends | |||||||
181 | 112 | Crosses Bow River | |||||
183 | 114 | Shaganappi Trail / Memorial Drive / Bowness Road | Interchange | ||||
183.5 | 114.0 | ![]() | Interchange | ||||
184 | 114 | ![]() | |||||
185 | 115 | University Drive – McMahon Stadium, University of Calgary To Crowchild Trail south | Interchange | ||||
186 | 116 | Banff Trail To ![]() | |||||
187 | 116 | 14 Street NW – City Centre | |||||
188 | 117 | 10 Street NW | |||||
189.5 | 117.7 | Centre Street N | |||||
190 | 118 | Edmonton Trail | |||||
192 | 119 | ![]() ![]() | Hwy 2 exit 258 | ||||
Expressway begins | |||||||
194 | 121 | Barlow Trail | Interchange | ||||
195 | 121 | ![]() | Interchange | ||||
197 | 122 | 52 Street NE | Interchange | ||||
199 | 124 | 68 Street NE | Interchange | ||||
200 | 124 | ![]() | |||||
Rocky View County | Chestermere | 208 | 129 | Chestermere Boulevard (Former Hwy 1A) | |||
212 | 132 | ![]() | |||||
219 | 136 | ![]() ![]() | Interchange | ||||
Wheatland County | 228 | 142 | ![]() | ||||
Strathmore | 238 | 148 | ![]() | ||||
248 | 154 | ![]() | |||||
260 | 162 | ![]() | |||||
Gleichen | 278 | 173 | ![]() | ||||
282 | 175 | ![]() | |||||
292 | 181 | ![]() | |||||
308 | 191 | ![]() | |||||
Newell County | Bassano | 324 | 201 | 11th Street | Eastbound exit only. | ||
327 | 203 | 6th Avenue | |||||
330 | 205 | ![]() | |||||
364 | 226 | ![]() | |||||
Brooks | 373 | 232 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
376 | 234 | ![]() | Interchange | ||||
385 | 239 | ![]() | |||||
394 | 245 | ![]() | |||||
Cypress County | Suffield | 439 | 273 | ![]() | |||
465 | 289 | ![]() | |||||
Redcliff | 470 | 292 | Mitchell Street | ||||
471 | 293 | Broadway Avenue | |||||
City of Medicine Hat | 476 | 296 | Box Springs Road | Interchange | |||
477 | 296 | 3 Street NW | Interchange | ||||
478 | 297 | Crosses South Saskatchewan River | |||||
478 | 297 | 1 Street SW | Proposed interchange | ||||
480 | 298 | Gershaw Drive![]() ![]() | Interchange | ||||
482 | 300 | College Avenue / South Ridge Drive | Interchange | ||||
483 | 300 | 13 Avenue SE | Interchange | ||||
485 | 301 | Dunmore Road / South Boundary Road | Interchange | ||||
Cypress County | Dunmore | 492 | 306 | Eagle Butte Road | |||
494 | 307 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ||||
510 | 317 | ![]() | Hwy 41 concurrency ends | ||||
Irvine | 514 | 319 | Wilhelm Street | ||||
Walsh | 531 | 330 | 4 Avenue | ||||
534 | 332 | Alberta – Saskatchewan border | |||||
Succeded by ![]() | |||||||
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Photo gallery
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Wildlife overpass, eastbound in the Banff National Park
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Westbound to the Rocky Mountains
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Eastbound near Canmore
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (2011 ed.). Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. § L–3, L-4, L–5, L–6, M–6, M–7, M–8, and N–8.
- 1 2 Department of Public Works (1939). "Highway Map of Province of Alberta Canada" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-04-14.
- ↑ Provincial Highways Designation Order, Alberta Transportation, p. 1
- ↑ "National Highway System". Transport Canada. 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2010 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2005. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- 1 2 "Crews complete twinning of Trans-Canada through Banff National Park". CTV Calgary. 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ↑ "The Trans-Canada Highway". Transport Canada. 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- 1 2 3 4 "August 2009 Contract Maintenance of Provincial Highways" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- 1 2 3 4 "Alberta Provincial Highway Projects". Alberta Transportation. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ↑ "Exit Numbering – Recommended Practices" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. November 2004. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ↑ "TSB Newsletter – Volume 4, Issue 1" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2005. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ↑ "Highway 1 Alignment and Area Network East of Calgary, Highway 842 to Highway 797, Planning Study". Alberta Transportation. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
- 1 2 "Open House #1 - Highway 1 Alignment and Area Network, Highway 842 to Highway 797 Planning Study" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
- ↑ "Dunmore Road interchange drives forward in Medicine Hat". Government of Alberta. 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
External links
- 2010 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart (map, 8 MB) by Alberta Transportation.
Preceded by BC Highway 1 |
Trans-Canada Highway Highway 1 |
Succeeded by SK Highway 1 |
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