Alberta provincial highway 1A
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alberta Highway 1A is the name of three main spurs off the Alberta portion of the Trans-Canada Highway. However, it is not the only name used for spurs off Highway 1 - Alberta provincial highway 1X is another such designation. These highways, however, are not part of the Trans-Canada Highway network, and only have Alberta's provincial primary highway shields instead of the ones used for the Trans-Canada Highway.
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[edit] Lake Louise to Banff
The westernmost of the 1A routes is also known as the Bow Valley Parkway. It begins near Lake Louise within Banff National Park, and runs eastward, paralleling the main Highway 1 to the north, though it provides more immediate access to attractions such as Castle Mountain, Johnston Canyon. This spur terminates at its junction with Highway 1 a few kilometres west of Banff.
This spur has a reduced speed limit of 60 km/h (40 mph), and is closed to vehicular traffic for part of the year as it also serves as an important wildlife corridor.
[edit] Canmore to Calgary
The second of the 1A routes, known as the Bow Valley Trail, begins on its western end in Canmore, off of the Trans-Canada Highway turnoff near Palliser Trail and Harvie Heights Road, both major roads in Canmore. While in Canmore, it carries "Bow Valley Trail" as the name of the street as well as the highway itself. There, it heads eastbound (passing the Trans-Canada Highway once), along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, until it reaches the town of Exshaw. From there, the Bow Valley Trail heads to the northeast, past the northern end of Highway 1X, to the southern end of the northern Highway 40. Then it proceeds towards the east, and then slightly to the southeast, before reaching the town of Cochrane, where it intersects with Highway 22. There, the highway proceeds a short distance to the southeast and later widens to 4 lanes until it reaches Calgary, where it is known as Crowchild Trail, a major north-south expressway (although initially travelling in a southeasterly direction) through the northwest part of the city. While inside Calgary, it passes through Stoney Trail (Highway 201) and proceeds through a number of major roads before reuniting with the Trans-Canada Highway (known as 16th Avenue North in Calgary) well within its urban center. Although Crowchild Trail extends to the south past this point into southwest Calgary (mostly as a full freeway), it does not carry any highway designations beyond this point.
[edit] Calgary to Chestermere
The other Highway 1A also begins at the city of Calgary. It is currently disputed as to the location of the western terminus, and different maps will either have a short version of this Highway 1A which begins at Deerfoot Trail (Highway 2) and 17th Avenue South (an east-west principal arterial road leading into east Calgary), or a longer version which begins at the intersection of 16th Avenue North (Trans-Canada Highway) and 14th Street West (a north-south principal arterial road leading into north Calgary). Some maps also indicate that the Canmore-Calgary and Calgary-Chestermere routes form one single highway. Although real-world evidence seems to indicate that the shorter version is indeed correct, the longer version will be described here.
The highway begins southbound on 14th Street West and continues past the Bow River to 9th Avenue South (eastbound) or 6th Avenue South (westbound), and continuing through the city's downtown core. After the highway passes Blackfoot Trail, it becomes 17th Avenue South (International Avenue), passing Deerfoot Trail (and the short version terminus), which continus on an easterly route through east Calgary and eventually out of the city. After the road leaves Calgary, it is known as Township Road 242 (continuing in an easterly direction) until reaching the town of Chestermere, where it takes a turn to the northeast. Within Chestermere it retains the 17th Avenue South street name used in Calgary (even though it is no longer in that place in the grid). Highway 1A then ends when it meets up with the Trans-Canada Highway on the eastern edge of Chestermere.
[edit] Highway 1X
Midway between Cochrane and Canmore, a spur highway called Alberta provincial highway 1X runs south from 1A to join with the Trans-Canada. This spur passes through the Morley area and is primarily an access point for the First Nations lands in the area, as well as a shortcut between Highway 1 and 1A. Only a few kilometres in length, it is one of Alberta's shortest provincial-grade highways.
