Alberta provincial highway 63

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Highway 63 is the main highway from a point on Alberta provincial highway 28 about 6 km (4 miles) southwest of the hamlet of Radway to Fort McMurray and further north to Fort Mackay, both of which are part of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Much of the highway passes through boreal forest, although aspen parkland and farmland is predominant up to Lac La Biche.

The highway sees an increasingly high volume of traffic due to the booming oilsands industry in northern Wood Buffalo, causing potentially serious transportation-related problems. Not surprisingly, many residents in Fort McMurray and others who frequently use the highway view this as an issue that needs to be dealt with in a timely manner. Trucks carrying large oilsands mining equipment can delay the traffic greatly, since they can be large enough to occupy two traffic lanes. Most of Highway 63 is two-lane undivided highway, with the exception of just a few kilometres south of and through Fort McMurray to roughly 25 km (15 miles) north of Fort McMurray. It is also the only all-weather road leading out of Fort McMurray, which makes it a critical link.

After years of both public and political pressure, the provincial government has announced in February 2006 ^[1] that it would begin twinning the entire two-lane portion of the highway to a four-lane divided standard from Atmore to just south of Fort McMurray. The twinning will begin in 2006 and take at least five years to complete. It is the one of the deadliest highways in Alberta, and has claimed several lives.^[2].

[edit] Mile by mile

This table does not include the section of Highway 63 between Highway 28 and Atmore.

0 km	Begins at Atmore on Highway 55 and branches north	54°49′05.66″N, 112°34′24.14″W
39 km	Passes by Breynat	55°07′38.52″N, 112°30′51.80″W
45 km	Passes by Wandering River	55°11′38.12″N, 112°28′13.36″W
141 km	Passes by Mariana Lake	55°57′14.49″N, 112°0′54.82″W
225 km	Highway 881 branches to the east	56°31′07.65″N, 111°18′54.73″W
241 km	Reaches Fort McMurray, where Highway 69 branches to the east	56°39′28.25″N, 111°20′32.30″W
310 km	The Fort McKay Access Road branchess off to the north.	57°07′26.18″N, 111°37′35.17″W
340 km	Terminates at an oil sands facility about 90 km north of downtown Fort McMurray	57°22′06.30″N, 111°38′49.94″W

[edit] References

[edit] See also

			Alberta Provincial Primary Highways v • d • e
1	1A	1X	2	2A	3	3A	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	11A	12	13	13A	14	15	16	16A	17	18	19
20	20A	21	22	22X	23	24	25	26	27	28	28A	30	31	32	33	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	41A	42	43	44
45	47	49	50	52	53	54	55	56	58	59	60	61	62	63	64	64A	66	68	69	72	88	93	93A	100	201	216

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