Alberta Highway 49

Highway 49 shield

Highway 49
Northern Woods and Water Route
Spirit River Highway
Route information
Length 265.9 km[1] (165.2 mi)
Major junctions
West end Hwy 49 at British Columbia border
 
South end Hwy 43 in Valleyview
Location
Specialized
and rural
municipalities		 Saddle Hills County, Spirit River No. 133 M.D., Birch Hills County, Smoky River No. 130 M.D., Greenview No. 16 M.D.
Towns Spirit River, Falher, Valleyview
Villages Rycroft, Donnelly
Highway system

Provincial highways in Alberta

← Hwy 47Hwy 50 →

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 49, commonly referred to as Highway 49, is a highway in northwestern Alberta, Canada. It runs east-west from the British Columbia border to Donnelly, and then north-south to Valleyview.[2] Highway 49 has a total length of 266 kilometres (165 mi).[1]

The portion of Highway 49 from Donnelly to the British Columbia is also known as the Spirit River Highway. It also comprises the westernmost segment of Alberta's portion of the Northern Woods and Water Route. After Donnelly, the Northern Woods and Water Route continues eastward along Highway 2 and then Highway 55.[3][4] Its southernmost section, between Highway 2 and Highway 43, is designated as a core route of Canada's National Highway System.

Route description

Highway 49 begins at the Alberta/British Columbia border (where it continues as British Columbia Highway 49 to the City of Dawson Creek) 8 km (5.0 mi) west of the locality of Bay Tree and is part of the Northern Woods and Water Route. The highway passes through Bay Tree, the locality of Gordondale, the Town of Spirit River, before intersecting Highway 2 in the Village of Rycroft. The highway continues east, passing by the hamlets of Wanham, Eaglesham, Tangent, and Watino before crossing the Smoky River. The highway then passes by the Village of Girouxville and the Town of Falher before again intersecting Highway 2, approximately 2 km (1 mi) west of the Village of Donnelly.[1]

At the Highway 2 intersection, known locally as the 'Donnelly Corner', Highway 49 turns south and becomes part of a core route of Canada's National Highway System while the Northern Woods and Water Route continues eastward along Highway 2. The highway passes Guy and New Fish Creek before entering Valleyview and terminating at an intersection with Highway 43.[3]

History

The southern and easternmost sections of Highway 49 have seen a variety of highway designations.

Prior to 1990, Highway 49 continued east past Donnelly and through the Town of McLennan before terminating at Highway 2 in Triangle, 14 km (8.7 mi) west of the Town of High Prairie, along present-day Highway 2. At the same time, its present-day alignment between Donnelly and Valleyview was designated as Highway 34.[5][6]

In 1990/1991, Highway 34 between Valleyview and Donnelly was renumbered to Highway 43 and Highway 49 between Triangle and Donnelly was renumbered to Highway 2, resulting in Highway 49 terminating at the Donnelly Corner.[6]

Finally, on March 1, 1998, Highway 43 between Valleyview and Donnelly was renumbered to Highway 49 to allow for Highway 43 to travel west from Valleyview to Grande Prairie and the British Columbia border.[7]

Future

Alberta Transportation is conducting planning studies for upgrades along the Highway 2/49 corridor between Peace River and Valleyview,[8][9] which includes twinning the portion of Highway 49 south of Donnelly[9] and constructing a bypass around Valleyview.[10] There is no timeline for construction.

Major intersections

Rural/specialized municipalityLocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Saddle Hills County​0.00.0Alberta – British Columbia border
Continues as Hwy 49 west (NWWR) – Dawson Creek
13.28.2 Hwy 719 north – Bonanza
52.432.6 Hwy 725 north – Blueberry Mountain
↑ / ↓​68.642.6 Hwy 727 north
M.D. of Spirit River No. 133Spirit River78.248.6 Hwy 731 south
Rycroft88.454.9 Hwy 2 south – Grande Prairie
Hwy 2 north – Fairview, Peace River		NWWR follows Hwy 2 north
Birch Hills CountyWanham108.767.5 Hwy 733 south – Bezanson
​140.787.4 Hwy 739 north – Eaglesham
153.695.4 Hwy 740 north – Tangent
↑ / ↓Watino157.197.6Crosses the Smoky River
M.D. of Smoky River No. 130​176.5109.7 Hwy 744 north – Girouxville
Falher185.0115.0Main StreetAccess road to Falher
Donnelly189.4117.7 Hwy 2 north – Peace River
Hwy 2 east – McLennan, High Prairie, Edmonton		Hwy 49 branches south; directional signage changes
​202.4125.8 Hwy 679 east – Kathleen
208.8129.7UAR 212 east – Guy
218.5135.8 Hwy 2A east – High Prairie, Edmonton
220.3136.9Crosses the Little Smoky River
226.5140.7 Hwy 676 west
M.D. of Greenview No. 16​254.6158.2Township Road 713AFormer Hwy 34A north
262.7163.2 Hwy 669 east – Sunset House
Valleyview265.9165.2 Hwy 43 – Whitecourt, Edmonton, Grande PrairieFormer Hwy 34 west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Route transition

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ "2015 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart" (pdf). Alberta Transportation. March 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  3. 1 2 Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (2015 ed.). City of Edmonton Transportation Services for Alberta Culture and Tourism. § F–1, F–2, F–3, F–3, G–3.
  4. ↑ "Northern Woods and Water Route, Canada". PlanetWare Inc. 1995–2009. Archived from the original on 2009-10-26.
  5. ↑ Province of Alberta Canada 1989 Official Road Map (Map). Alberta Tourism and Small Business. § F-3, G-3.
  6. 1 2 Province of Alberta Canada 1990 Official Road Map (Map). Alberta Tourism and Small Business. § F-3, G-3.
  7. ↑ "Primary Highway renumbering to take place in the Peace Region". Government of Alberta. 1998-02-24. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  8. ↑ "Northwest Provincial Highway Projects". Highway 2. Alberta Transportation. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  9. 1 2 "West Provincial Highway Projects". Hwy 2 and Hwy 49. Alberta Transportation. 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  10. ↑ "West Provincial Highway Projects". Hwy 43 and Hwy 49. Alberta Transportation. Retrieved 2016-03-30.

Route map:

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