Kicking Horse Canyon highway set to open ahead of schedule

The highway through Kicking Horse Canyon east of Golden is going to open to traffic ahead of schedule.

The province has announced that the section of Highway 1 that connects Golden to Lake Louise will be open to travellers at 6 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25.

“As winter approaches, this is reassuring news for residents and travellers passing through Kicking Horse Canyon. Investments in road infrastructure help keep communities safe and connected,” said Harjit Sajjan, federal minister of international development and minister responsible for the pacific economic development agency of Canada, on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, federal minister of intergovernmental affairs, infrastructure and communities.

“Our government has invested more than $215 million in this project, which will help manage traffic flow, improve road safety and reduce travel times. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to invest in more projects like these that create jobs across the country and build more resilient communities.”

The highway was closed Sept. 26 to allow for the construction of new bridges, highway lanes and viaducts along the route.

“Travellers and commercial truckers are set to benefit from these significant upgrades through the Kicking Horse Canyon,” Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, said.

“The old highway’s sharp corners are gone, with new viaducts and structures across sections of the canyon that improve the safety and reliability of this important interprovincial connection.”

The reopening Friday does not signal the end of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project.

More work involving critical transportation safety improvements, including realigning and widening the highway, building four new bridges and constructing nine new viaducts, is expected to begin in spring 2023.

The Kicking Horse Canyon Project is expected to be complete in winter 2023-24.