Question: How long is the Alberta Provincial Highway No. 2?

Alberta Highway 2

Route map: Attached KML Error: KML file not foundTemplate:Attached KML/Main PageKML is not from Wikidata


Alberta Provincial Highway No.2, commonly referred to as Highway2 or the Queen ElizabethII Highway,[lower-alpha 2] is a major highway in Alberta, Canada that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Prairie.  Running primarily north to south for approximately 1,273 kilometres (791mi), it is the longest and busiest highway in the province carrying nearly 170,000 vehicles per day in central Calgary.  Between Edmonton and Fort Macleod, the highway forms a portion of Alberta's Export Highway and the CANAMEX Corridor.  More than half of Alberta's 4million residents live in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor created by Highway2.
U.S. Route 89 enters Alberta from Montana and becomes Highway2, a two-lane road that traverses the foothills of southern Alberta to Fort Macleod where it intersects Highway3 and becomes divided.  In Calgary, the route is a busy freeway named Deerfoot Trail that continues into central Alberta as the Queen ElizabethII Highway, bypassing Red Deer.  In Edmonton, it is briefly concurrent with freeway sections of Highways216 and 16 before bisecting the city of St.Albert and reverting to two lanes en route to Athabasca.  It bends northwest along the south shore of Lesser Slave Lake as the Northern Woods and Water Route into High Prairie, before turning north to Peace River, west to Fairview and finally south to Grande Prairie where it ends at Highway43.
Originally numbered as Highway1, Highway2 is the oldest major highway in Alberta and the first to stretch north into the Peace Country.  It was historically known as the Calgary and Edmonton Trail, Sunshine Trail, and the Blue Trail.  Major changes include the construction of a divided freeway between Calgary and Edmonton in the 1960s, realignment along Deerfoot Trail in the 1980s, and twinning south of Calgary in the 1990s.  A Highway43 realignment in 1998 shortened Highway2 by nearly 90km (56mi) to its current northern terminus in Grande Prairie; it previously extended west to British Columbia Highway 2 at the border.  Several projects including median widening and interchange upgrades have been undertaken in the 2010s to increase the safety of the highway's busier sections, with further improvements either under construction or awaiting funding.  Bypasses of Fort Macleod, Claresholm, and Nanton are planned as part of Alberta's effort to make its portion of the CANAMEX Corridor free-flowing from border to border.

Route description
Overview
Highway2 is a core route in the National Highway System of Canada. The speed limit along most parts of the highway between Fort Macleod and Morinville is 110km/h (68mph) and in urban areas, such as through Claresholm, Nanton, Calgary and Edmonton, it ranges from 50km/h (31mph) to 100km/h (62mph). During the winter, accidents are common on the stretch of the highway between Calgary and Edmonton as the weather can change rapidly and drivers underestimate the conditions, overwhelming emergency services attempting to respond.[3] As the main north-south access in Alberta, Highway 2 is the preferred path of the CANAMEX Corridor.[4] Between Fort Macleod and Edmonton, Highway 2 maintains no fewer than four lanes of traffic and is largely a freeway between Okotoks and Edmonton, with improvements underway to eliminate the at-grade crossings that remain.[5]

Southern Alberta
Foothills
Highway2 begins at the United States border, as the two lane U.S. Route 89 crosses into Canada at Carway.[6] The road proceeds north through the Rocky Mountain Foothills to a brief concurrency with Highway501, before bisecting the town of Cardston.[7] At the north end of town, the highway enters Blood Indian Reserve No. 148 and Highway5 splits west to Waterton Lakes National Park; it is briefly concurrent with Highway 2 before splitting east to cross the St. Mary River en route to Magrath and Lethbridge. Highway2 continues north to another short concurrency with Highway505 during which it crosses the Waterton River to StandOff, continuing across the Belly River to Fort Macleod in the Municipal District of Willow Creek.[5]
Less than 1km before meeting Highway3 southeast of Fort Macleod, Highway2 becomes a divided highway.[5] Highway3 splits east to Lethbridge, and the combined Highways2 and 3 turn due west through town as a divided highway at a speed limit of 50km/h. West of town, the highways diverge at an interchange; Highway3 continues west as the Crowsnest Highway to Pincher Creek and British Columbia, and Highway 2 turns north across the Oldman River as a divided highway.[8] It continues approximately 25km (16mi) north to Granum from which Highway 519 splits to the east. In tandem with Highway23, Highway519 is often used by CANAMEX traffic to bypass Fort Macleod.[9] Further north on Highway 2, the towns of Claresholm and Nanton are each bisected at a reduced speed limit of 50km/h. The highway is concurrent with Highway533 for its brief distance through Nanton.[10]
North of Nanton, the highway continues into the Municipal District of Foothills to a major junction with Highways23 and 2A at High River, after which it veers northwest to cross the Highwood River.[8] On the other side of the river, a second interchange provides access to Okotoks via Highways 7 and 2A, and Highway2 continues north across the Sheep River to DeWinton where Highway2A splits into southwest Calgary as Macleod Trail, and Highway2 veers northeast toward the Bow River valley and southeast Calgary.[11]

Calgary

From its split with Macleod Trail, Highway2 becomes a major freeway named Deerfoot Trail that descends to cross the Bow River before entering Calgary city limits. In the city it crosses the river twice more, jogging back and forth between its east and west bank.[11][12] The freeway intersects the Stoney Trail ring road at the south end of Calgary, with signage recommending that traffic en route to Calgary International Airport, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat use eastbound Stoney Trail as a bypass.[13] Deerfoot Trail then merges with the major routes of Anderson Road and Bow Bottom Trail. Crossing Glenmore Trail (Highway8), Memorial Drive (access to downtown Calgary) and 16 Avenue NE (Highway1), Deerfoot Trail continues into north Calgary past the Calgary International Airport en route to a second interchange with Stoney Trail at the Calgary city limit. The Deerfoot Trail designation is dropped, and the highway carries on north into Rocky View County.[14]

Central Alberta
Queen Elizabeth II Highway


Highway2 exits north Calgary as a six-lane freeway called the Queen ElizabethII Highway, a name it retains until the southern city limit of Edmonton.[14]  It passes the major shopping centre of CrossIron Mills, bisecting the city of Airdrie several kilometers later.[7]  North of Airdrie, the route extends to Highway72 before bypassing Crossfield and entering Mountain View County, continuing north past interchanges at Highways 581 and 582 leading to the communities of Carstairs and Didsbury, respectively. The highway meets Highway27 at a cloverleaf interchange near Olds, approximately halfway between Calgary and Red Deer. Highway2 enters Red Deer County and proceeds to interchanges with Highway587 at Bowden, Highways 54 and 590 at Innisfail, and Highway42 near Penhold prior to the city of Red Deer. South of the city, from McKenzie Road to 19Street, the highway widens to six lanes through an area known as Gasoline Alley.  It is a popular stop for travellers and truckers including fuel stations and food establishments on either side of the highway, accessible via the interchange at McKenzie Road.[16] Continuing north the highway again reduces to four lanes, veering left to bypass Red Deer to the west while Gaetz Avenue splits north into the city.[17]
West of Red Deer, Highway2 passes Red Deer College and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum before descending into the valley of the Red Deer River.[8]  It crosses the river alongside a railroad bridge, then curves north to interchanges with Highways 11 and 11A, leading west to Rocky Mountain House and Sylvan Lake, respectively.[18] North of 11A, the highway crosses the Blindman River into Lacombe County to an interchange with Highway597 at Blackfalds, curving slightly northeast to an interchange at Highway12 at Lacombe.[7]

North of Lacombe, Highway2 is again briefly concurrent with Highway2A before reaching Highway53 near Ponoka just after crossing the Battle River.[19] The four lane highway continues approximately 30km (19mi) through gentle rolling hills of aspen parkland in Ponoka County to an interchange at Highway611 where it enters Wetaskiwin County.[20] Near Bearhills Lake, the highway meets Highway13, providing access east to Wetaskiwin and Camrose, and west to Pigeon Lake. North of an interchange with Highway616 the highway enters Leduc County, bending northeast toward the city of Leduc.[7]
After entering Leduc city limits, Highway2 meets Highway2A, which proceeds southeast through Leduc's southern suburbs as a four lane arterial road. Highway 2 immediately travels over Highway 39 at a diamond interchange, serving as the main access to central Leduc and ultimately leading west to Drayton Valley. Now six lanes wide, Highway2 curves slightly to the northeast to pass on the east side of Edmonton International Airport, still 13km (8.1mi) south of Edmonton city limits.[20] The grass median significantly widens to over 100m (330ft), and access to the airport and Nisku is provided by an interchange at Airport Road.[21] Traffic levels increase as commuters travel to and from the Leduc area to Edmonton, and the highway meets a second interchange at Highway19/625 which serves the airport. The highway curves slightly to the northeast to an interchange at 41AvenueSW, marking the Edmonton city limit and the end of the Queen ElizabethII Highway designation.[22]
Edmonton and Sturgeon County

Five separately named routes are designated as Highway2 in the cities of Edmonton and St. Albert, denoted by varying levels of signage. At the south end of Edmonton, the highway significantly widens to five lanes each way. The northbound lanes become Gateway Boulevard and the southbound lanes Calgary Trail, and the two carriageways diverge to pass Gateway Park, located in the median of the highway and accessible from both directions.[22] North of the park, the two directions of travel come back together, now at a reduced speed limit of 90km/h (56mph), to meet at the major east-west arterial of Ellerslie Road, providing access to Edmonton's southern residential areas of Heritage Valley, Ellerslie, and Summerside. This diamond interchange is intertwined with the major cloverstack interchange at Anthony Henday Drive (Highway216) which immediately follows. Henday is a ring road that surrounds Edmonton, connecting Highway2 to Highway16. Signage directs traffic destined for Lloydminster to use the southeast portion of Henday to reach Highway16 north of Sherwood Park. Traffic destined for Jasper, Cold Lake, and Fort McMurray are directed onto the southwest portion of Henday to reach Highway16 at Edmonton's west end.[23]

The freeway ends as three lanes of Gateway Boulevard eventually widen to four, travelling north past South Edmonton Common through south Edmonton as a busy urban street to Whitemud Drive.[22] Calgary Trail carries the southbound lanes of Highway2 approximately 225m (738ft) to the west of Gateway Boulevard. The designation of Highway2 turns west onto Whitemud Drive and it becomes a freeway once again, though now only at 80km/h (50mph), unlike the 100km/h limit of the highway through Calgary.[24]
Whitemud Drive descends to cross Whitemud Creek before curving north to span the North Saskatchewan River on the Quesnell Bridge.[22] It then turns back west to meet Anthony Henday Drive again, now in the vicinity of West Edmonton Mall. Henday assumes the designation of Highway2 for a 6.7km (4mi) stretch to Yellowhead Trail (Highway16), though the concurrency is unsigned. Yellowhead Trail continues east into Edmonton as a six lane freeway, again unsigned as Highway2, until St. Albert Trail which proceeds northwest through light industrial and commercial areas before crossing Anthony Henday Drive to exit Edmonton into St. Albert.[22] The six lane road is the main artery of the city with a speed limit of 60km/h (37mph), and crosses the Sturgeon River before exiting the city to the north into Sturgeon County as a divided highway approximately 5km (3mi) beyond the Sturgeon River. North of the city, the highway intersects Highway37 before an interchange at Highway642 west of Morinville, the main access for the town.[22]
Northern Alberta
Westlock County and Athabasca


Highway2 reduces to a two lane highway immediately after Morinville, extending north past Manawan and Haley Lakes into Westlock County and a three-way intersection with Highway18 near Clyde and Westlock.[26] The highway turns due east, briefly concurrent with Highway18 for 1km, before turning northeast through increasingly wooded areas and a short concurrency with Highway663 to Athabasca.[7][27] The highway descends through the town at 50km/h as 50 Street toward the Athabasca River valley, before turning west to parallel the river as 50 Avenue.[28] From this point until its split with Highway49 over 200km (120mi) to the west, Highway2 is designated as the Northern Woods and Water Route.[29][30]
The speed limit returns to 100km/h as the highway climbs from the valley toward Baptiste Lake.[31] At the lake, the two lane Highway2 turns north to follow the west bank of the Athabasca River for approximately 35km (22mi) before turning west at Lawrence Lake toward the unincorporated community of Hondo. There, it meets the northern terminus of Highway44 before crossing the river and continuing northwest for 50km to the southern terminus of Highway88 in Slave Lake. Highway88 follows the east bank of Lesser Slave Lake before a long journey north to Fort Vermilion.[8]  In Slave Lake, Highway2 bisects the town at a limit of 60km/h, before returning to 100km/h west of Caribou Trail, following the scenic southern shore of Lesser Slave Lake to Highway33  near Kinuso, which leads south to Swan Hills.  At Driftpile the highway crosses a river of the same name en route to High Prairie at the west end of Lesser Slave Lake.[7][32]
Peace Country
14km (8.7mi) west of High Prairie, the highway turns north past Winagami Lake to the town of McLennan on the south shore of Kimiwan Lake. It carries on west to a junction with Highway49, locally known as 'Donnelly Corner'.[33] The two lane highway proceeds north through aspen parkland past Lac Magloire to the town of Nampa,[34] after which it crosses the Heart River, a tributary of Peace River. The highway then curves to the northwest and descends along the steep east bank of the Heart River into the town of Peace River.[35] A passing lane aids eastbound traffic climbing from the valley.

The two lane highway continues west through the town of Peace River before crossing the river of the same name. Climbing on the west bank of the river, it widens to four lanes and meets Alberta Highway 684 (Shaftesbury Trail) before exiting Peace River, reducing to two lanes, and passing north of Peace River Airport. 5km (3.1mi) east Cardinal Lake, Highway2 meets Highway35, the Mackenzie Highway. Highway2 turns south to Grimshaw, while Highway35 turns north, following the Peace River to High Level.[36] Highway2 bisects Grimshaw as 51 Street, then exits the town before turning west shortly thereafter, winding through the aspen parkland of the Peace Country to the town of Fairview, in which a campus of Grande Prairie Regional College is immediately south of the highway. The road continues west out of Fairview as Highway 64A, while Highway2 turns south to exit the town, curving west then south again toward the Peace River valley. It again curves west to descend along the river's steep north bank.[36] The highway crosses the Peace River on the Dunvegan Bridge, a suspension bridge over 700m (2,300ft) long.[37][38]:50 Passing lanes assist traffic climbing from the valley on both sides of the river.[36]
The highway continues 20km (12mi) south to the town of Rycroft, where Highway 49 splits west carrying the remainder of the Northern Woods and Water Route to the British Columbia border.[36] Highway2 continues south to Highway59 where it becomes a divided highway before bisecting Sexsmith and continuing to its terminus north of Grande Prairie at Highway43. Prior to highway renumbering in northwestern Alberta, Highway2 followed Highway43's current alignment into British Columbia, where it became Highway2 to Dawson Creek.
Traffic
Volume


Highway2 has a wide range of traffic levels along its length. At the south end, the highway is a lightly travelled two lane road from the United States border to Fort Macleod. It then doubles to four lanes and volume progressively increases until De Winton north of Okotoks, but remains relatively light.[39] Within Calgary, volume climbs exponentially on Deerfoot Trail through the southern suburbs of the city reaching nearly 170,000 vehicles per day at Memorial Drive near downtown, making that stretch of Highway2 the busiest roadway in western Canada. Volume swiftly drops north of Beddington Trail in Calgary, but remains moderate on the Queen ElizabethII Highway until Edmonton where it again increases to nearly 95,000 vehicles per day in the vicinity of Ellerslie Road. Whitemud Drive, Anthony Henday Drive, Yellowhead Trail, and St. Albert Trail are all busy expressways carrying large volumes of local traffic, especially at peak hours. North of St. Albert the drop in traffic is brisk, increasingly so after Morinville where the highway is no longer divided. Volume remains very light through most of the Peace Country before briefly exceeding 20,000 vehicles per day near the northern terminus in Grande Prairie.[39]
Alberta Transportation publishes yearly traffic volume data for provincial highways.[39] The table compares the AADT at several locations along Highway2 using data from 2016, expressed as an average daily vehicle count over the span of a year (AADT).
Enforcement and collisions
The Queen ElizabethII Highway between Calgary and Edmonton is prone to collisions in the winter, sometimes resulting in hours of delay, closures, and redirection of traffic onto sections of the adjacent Highway2A.[40] Deerfoot Trail in Calgary is also prone to a higher than average number of collisions due to its high volume and concentration of interchanges within a relatively short distance.[41]

Alberta Transportation has established several zones on the Queen ElizabethII Highway where the 110km/h speed limit is enforced by aircraft.[42][43] The program is conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and was relaunched in 2013 after being on hiatus due to budget concerns.[44] Several aircraft are used including the Eurocopter AS350 helicopter. The number of tickets written during the operation is generally not enough to negate the cost of operating the aircraft, but police have stated that they are catching drivers committing infractions over a longer stretch of the road.[45] In 2016, Leduc proposed photo radar speed enforcement on Highway2 between the south end of the city and Edmonton's southern limit to catch excessive speeders, pending provincial approval.[46][47] It is already in use within Edmonton and Leduc limits, but it would be the first implementation on Highway2. Some residents complained that revenue was the main objective of the project.[48] The argument was refuted by Leduc mayor Greg Krischke, who stated that the project is not a "cash cow" and the primary objective is to reduce excessive speed and increase safety for first responders.[48] An Alberta Transportation study shows that 100,000 vehicles exceeded 140km/h (87mph) on the stretch in 2015, and Krischke stated that drivers who do not want tickets should abide by the speed limit.[48] However, in 2014, less than 10% of injury collisions in Alberta involved drivers travelling at unsafe speeds.[49] Tailgating was a factor in almost 50% of injury collisions.[49]
History

On May23, 2005, the section between Calgary and Edmonton was renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Highway in honour of Her Majesty's visit to Alberta as part of the province's centennial celebrations; the first road sign was personally unveiled by the Queen. It is the first highway in Canada to be named for the current Queen (Ontario's Queen Elizabeth Way is named for Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother).[50]
A review of historical Alberta official road maps shows that Highway 2 was numbered Highway 1 prior to 1941 (while the current Highway 1 was Highway 2 at the time).[51]
The Claresholm highway massacre took place on Alberta Highway 2 on December 15, 2011. The suspect killed three people then turned the gun on himself in a murder–suicide.
Future
Southern Alberta


Highway2 from Fort Macleod to south Edmonton is part of the CANAMEX Corridor, a divided highway with a combination of interchanges and several at-grade intersections except for a 50km (31mi) fully controlled access freeway section in Calgary. The only set of traffic lights on this CANAMEX section are in central Claresholm;[53] a bypass is proposed that would carry Highway2 to the east of town on a new free-flowing alignment.[54] A similar bypass to the east of Nanton is also proposed.[55] A bypass of Fort Macleod has also been planned, tentatively designated as Highway2X. It would be constructed in conjunction with a Highway3 bypass of the town, making both routes free-flowing through the area.[56] Plans have also been drafted for significant reconstruction of the interchange of Highway2 and Highway23 near High River. The existing cloverleaf interchange was built in 1967 and does not meet the current standards in Alberta's Highway Design Guide.[57]
In Calgary, where Highway2 (Deerfoot Trail) experiences heavy congestion at peak hours, a major planning study is underway to determine the best course of action for upgrades to the freeway.[58] In 2007, a study was completed by Alberta outlining plans for upgrades to the incomplete interchange of Glenmore Trail and Deerfoot Trail, one of the busiest road junctions in the province.[59] Stage1 of the proposed improvements would correct a pinch point on Deerfoot Trail by constructing a new three lane bridge to carry the northbound lanes over Glenmore.[60] The southbound lanes would then be realigned on the existing bridges, such that Deerfoot Trail would be three lanes each way through the interchange, up from two.[59]
Central and northern Alberta
Planning is underway to convert the Queen ElizabethII Highway between Calgary and Edmonton to a freeway.[61] Near Red Deer, traffic levels are close to 50,000 vehicles per day, and Alberta Transportation begins consideration of widening to six lanes when levels exceed 30,000 vehicles per day.[62] South of Airdrie, reconstruction of an existing interchange at Highway566 is proposed,[63] and new interchanges have been planned at Township Roads264 and 265 to support future development in the area.[64] Widening of the highway from four to six lanes between Airdrie and Crossfield is planned,[65] and between Highway42 and Highway597.[66] Work is underway to straighten the alignment of Highway2 at the south end of Red Deer.[67] The project includes demolition of an existing bridge and construction of four new bridges for Highway2. A substandard curve will be removed and straightened, and a left entrance to Highway2 for southbound traffic from Gaetz Avenue will be reconstructed to crossover to the west side of the highway before joining the southbound lanes from the right side in a more conventional configuration.[67] The existing bridges on this section of the highway were built in 1962.[38]:35
Between Edmonton and Leduc, Alberta Transportation has drafted plans to construct a dual freeway system in conjunction with a second ring road approximately 8km (5mi) beyond Anthony Henday Drive.[68] The existing interchange at Highway2A south of Leduc would be closed and reconstructed to modern standards further south. Between Edmonton and 41AvenueSW, the highway would be realigned several hundred meters to the west to facilitate construction of a large interchange with the outer ring road.[69] The existing bridges at Airport Road, Highway19, 41AvenueSW, and Ellerslie Road have all been constructed with sufficient width to allow for construction of two additional sets of lanes.[70] In 2015, a planning study was completed outlining a new interchange at 65Avenue in Leduc.[71] In northwest Edmonton, a planned extension of Ray Gibbon Drive will bypass St. Albert from Anthony Henday Drive to Highway2. Upon completion of this road, Ray Gibbon Drive would be designated as Highway2.[72] An interchange at Cardiff Road is also planned, just south of Morinville.[73]
North of Morinville, Highway2 is a lightly travelled two lane highway carrying well under 10,000 vehicles per day,[39] but in 2012 Alberta Transportation completed a study to plan for extension of twinning from Morinville to north of Highway18 near Clyde.[74] In 2013, a study was completed analyzing possible truck bypasses of Athabasca, to the east and west of the current alignment.[75] A 2010 study assessed twinning of Highway49 from Valleyview to Donnelly, and Highway2 from Donnelly to south of Nampa.[76]

Major intersections



See also

Calgary and Edmonton Trail
CANAMEX Corridor
Pan-American Highway
Transportation in Calgary
Transportation in Edmonton

Notes




 by Alberta Transportation.