Alberta Highway 1

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.^[5][2] As of 2010, all but less than 20 km (12 mi) of the route was divided, with a minimum of two lanes in each direction.^[2]

Route description

Banff National Park

British Columbia Highway 1 becomes Alberta Highway 1 as it crosses Kicking Horse Pass into Alberta.^[2] 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.^[6]

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.^[7][5] 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.^[8] It also briefly crosses a portion of Kananaskis Improvement District.^[8] 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^[2] 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.^[7][5] 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.^[8] For urban communities, this segment passes through the towns of Chestermere and 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.^[7] 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,^[7][5] continuing as Saskatchewan Highway 1.^[2] This segment of the highway generally travels in an east direction through Cypress County.^[8] 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).^[1]

Exit numbering along Highway 1 began in 2005.^[9][10] 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 is in the midst of twinning Highway 1 between Lake Louise and Castle Junction, with final construction being completed in 2011.^[11] Twinning of the final leg of Highway 1 from the Icefields Parkway to the British Columbia border will begin in Spring 2011, with completion anticipated by Fall 2012.^[11]

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 between Highway 24 and Strathmore. The proposed plan also contemplates a link to the Highway 22X corridor.^[13]

Major intersections

The following is a list of major intersections along Alberta Highway 1 from west to east, including exit numbers where applied.^[5][2]

Photo gallery

See also

• Trans-Canada Highway

References

External links

• 2010 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart (map, 8 MB) by Alberta Transportation.