Roads and highways

Alberta has more than 41,000 km of paved roads and highways which form an extensive network throughout the province. First class arterial roads and highways connect to similar highways in adjacent provinces and the United States.

North - South Highways

The Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Highway 2) provides a north-south route through both Edmonton and Calgary. It links the Alaska Dempster Highway to Interstate Highway I-15 in Sweetgrass, Montana.

East - West Highways

The province is serviced by two east-west highways, Highway 1 through Calgary and Highway 16 through Edmonton, both of which are part of Canada's coast-to-coast highway system.

Public Roads in Alberta

Responsibility for the 41,000 kilometres of paved roads is shared between the municipalities (26,000 kilometres) and the province (15,000 kilometres). These roads make up the principal arterial network used in both private and commercial motor transport.

There are over 181,000 kilometres of public roads in Alberta – approximately 20% of the total national network. When compared to all other provincial and territorial networks, this infrastructure ranks second only to Saskatchewan. Almost 140,000 kilometres of Alberta's public roads are gravel, treated or earthen, largely falling under municipal jurisdiction.

Roadway System in Canada

There are over 900,000 kilometres of two-lane public roads in Canada, making up the principal infrastructure for the domestic movement of passengers and freight. This vast network enables the annual movement of an estimated 400 million tonnes of freight.

Approximately 318,000 kilometres of this network are paved, with 17,000 kilometres (less than 2%) built to freeway standards.

Almost two-thirds of Canada's public roads (about 585,000 kilometres) are located outside the country's most densely populated areas. These roads are either gravel, treated or of earthen design. Significant to prairie agriculture, almost 400,000 kilometres of these unpaved roads (close to 70%) are located within the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Responsibility for building and maintaining public roads is divided between federal, provincial and municipal governments:

  • The federal government manages less than 2% of this infrastructure
  • Provincial and territorial governments maintain 25%
  • Municipal governments are the largest stakeholders, controlling approximately 73% of roadways
National Highway System of Canada

Map of the National Highway System of Canada
 

The National Highway System includes all principal routes used in both interprovincial and international trade. It totals approximately 24,400 route-kilometres and encompasses the 7,300 kilometre Trans Canada Highway. Approximately 3,600 route-kilometres of Alberta highways are part of this network.

The system uses the most direct routes possible to connect all provincial and territorial capitals (except Nunavut), all major provincial population and commercial centers, and all major ports of entry or exit with the United States highway system.

U.S. - Canada Border

Canadian and U.S. highway systems are connected at 32 border crossings , with 18 of these acting as primary trade gateways.

Related Websites

Date Updated:
RDP-1943