Temporary weekend openings on Trans-Canada project

Travel to and from Alberta is being discouraged at the moment, but the contractor working on the massive Kicking Horse Canyon project, plans to have temporary openings on weekends and through the summer months.

The project includes realigning and widening the final 4.8 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway through the canyon. Crews will realign 13 curves and widen the highway to four lanes with a centre median barrier to divide the opposing lanes of traffic, which will significantly boost safety for travellers. As well, the highway shoulders will be widened to ministry standards to accommodate cyclists.

The company states that the full closures and intermittent lane closures are part of a traffic-management strategy developed in consultation with the community and key stakeholders. This strategy is designed to minimize travel disruptions during the peak travel periods by having as much work as possible done at night and other off-peak periods

Kicking Horse Canyon Constructors (KHCC) has been implementing extended (24-hour, multi-day) closures on Trans-Canada Highway through the Kicking Horse Canyon phase four construction site throughout April and will continue to do so through much of May.

KHCC will move to intermittent daytime lane closures on May 15 and 16, with overnight full closures on those dates. The full extended closure will resume between 7:30 a.m. (MDT) Monday May 17 and noon on Friday May 21.

There will be no closures during the May long weekend (May 22-24), and the full extended closure will be back in effect from noon on May 25 until noon on May 28. On both Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (MDT) intermittent lane closures will be in place.

From June 1 and continuing all summer, there will be no daytime stoppages, but expect overnight closures on weeknights and intermittent evening time lane closures on Friday nights and Saturdays.

Thirty-minute travel delays due to single-lane alternating traffic (intermittent lane closures) at the construction site are expected on the above noted weekends.

The alternative traffic route via Highway 93S and Highway 95, with an additional driving time of approximately 90 minutes, is available.

Please check DriveBC for the latest information on road closures.