Alberta Highway 1

Wildlife overpass, eastbound in the Banff National Park

British Columbia Highway 1 becomes Alberta Highway 1 as it crosses Kicking Horse Pass into Alberta.[3] It generally travels in a southeast direction along the Bow River through Banff National Park (Improvement District No. 9), passing by the Hamlet of Lake Louise and the Town of Banff.[5] The segment of Highway 1 through the national park is maintained by the Government of Canada.[6]

Upon exiting Banff National Park, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 91 km (57 mi) until it reaches Calgary.[5][7] This segment of the highway generally travels in an east direction through the rural municipalities of the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 and Rocky View County.[8] It also briefly crosses a portion of Kananaskis Improvement District.[8] For urban communities, this segment passes by the Hamlet of Harvie Heights, through the Town of Canmore, and by the hamlets of Dead Man's Flats and Lac des Arcs.[5] Highway 1A, the original Highway 1 from Canmore to Calgary, is an alternate route to this segment of Highway 1, providing access to the Hamlet of Exshaw, the Summer Village of Ghost Lake, and the Town of Cochrane.[5]

In Calgary, Highway 1 is 16 Avenue N and maintained by the City of Calgary. Certain stretches of 16 Avenue N function as either a freeway or an expressway, while other stretches function as an urban arterial road, particularly between Bow River and Bowness Road and between Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail where there are numerous at-grade intersections.[3] As a result, speed limits on 16 Avenue N drop as low as 50 km/h (30 mph). Stoney Trail (Highway 201) provides an alternate controlled-access freeway route across the city. The length of Highway 1 within Calgary is 27 km (17 mi).

Upon exiting Calgary, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 273 km (170 mi) until it reaches the City of Medicine Hat.[5][7] This segment of the highway generally travels in a southeast direction through the rural municipalities of Rocky View County, Wheatland County, the County of Newell, and Cypress County.[8] For urban communities, this segment passes through the City of Chestermere and the Town of Strathmore, by the Town of Bassano, the City of Brooks, and the Hamlet of Suffield, and through the Town of Redcliff.[5] Chestermere Boulevard (formerly Highway 1A), the original Highway 1 from Calgary to Chestermere, is an alternate route to initial portion of this segment of Highway 1.[5]

Within Medicine Hat, Highway 1 is a controlled access highway with maintained by Alberta Transportation.[7] The majority of the highway is a freeway; however, a section between the South Saskatchewan River and Seven Persons Creek still has a few at-grade intersections. The length of Highway 1 within Medicine Hat is 13 km (8 mi).[5] East of Medicine Hat, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 48 km (30 mi) until it enters the Province of Saskatchewan,[5][7] continuing as Saskatchewan Highway 1.[3] This segment of the highway generally travels in an east direction through Cypress County.[8] For urban communities, this segment passes through the Hamlet of Dunmore and by the hamlets of Irvine and Walsh.[5]

Alberta Transportation has plans for a bypass around the Town of Strathmore.[16] Initial proposals included a realignment northwest of Gleichen, continuing west to run south of Eagle Lake and then continuing northwest where it will rejoined the existing alignment near Cheadle, between Highway 24 and Strathmore, as well as a link to the Highway 22X corridor.[17] The final proposal is a more scaled back realignment around Strathmore to the south, bypassing approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) of existing Highway 1,[1][16] and the right-of-way is currently designated as Highway 1X.[5] There is no timeline for construction.

The Trans-Canada Highway has a few remaining signalized intersections within Medicine Hat, and Alberta Transportation is studying both a long-term realignment of Highway 1, as well as possible upgrades to the existing alignment. The realignment would bypass Redcliff, Medicine Hat and Dunmore to the south, bypassing approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) of existing Highway 1,[1][18] and the right-of-way is also currently designated as Highway 1X.[5] Possible upgrades to the existing alignment include a new interchange at 1 Street SW and intersection closures at 6 Street SW and 16 Street SW.[19][20] There is no timeline for the bypass construction or any upgrades to the existing alignment.