THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY
The Trans-Canada Highway is the world's longest national road. It extends east-west across Canada between Victoria, British Columbia and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, passing through all ten Canadian provinces and linking Canada's major cities. Car ferries link both Newfoundland and Vancouver Island to the mainland.
Construction of the Trans-Canada Highway began in 1950 under the authority of
the Trans-Canada Highway Act. This act authorized the Government of Canada and
provincial governments to build a national highway on a cost-shared basis.
Together, they funded construction of the highway outside and inside of Canada's
national parks.
In 1962 Prime Minister John Diefenbaker officially opened the
Trans-Canada Highway, although construction continued until 1971. It has since
seen many upgrades, such as twinning busy sections and adding lanes. Since 1971,
some provinces have designated additional road links as part of the Trans-Canada
Highway, even though they were not built under the Trans-Canada
Highway Act.
Today's Trans-Canada Highway is not a single route. It consists of many
routes that cross Canada. Two run from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick, one of
which travels to Prince Edward Island by way of the Confederation Bridge. There
are also two routes that begin west of Montreal and several routes through
Ontario. Travelling west, the main Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) passes
through Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Banff. It then takes the highly scenic
Kicking Horse Pass through the Canadian Rockies and continues through Kamloops
to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
In 1970, a northern route called Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) was
officially opened across Western Canada. Highway 16 splits from the main
Trans-Canada Highway just west of Winnipeg at Portage La Prairie and then passes
through Saskatoon, Edmonton, Hinton and Jasper. It takes the Yellowhead Pass
through the Rocky Mountains all the way to the town of Tête Jaune Cache, British
Columbia. The highway continues west to Prince George, and reaches the Pacific
Ocean at Prince Rupert.
Today, most highway and road construction is a provincial responsibility.
Provinces decide on the design, construction, safety standards and financing of
highways under their jurisdiction. The Government of Canada, however, is solely
responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Trans-Canada Highway inside
national parks
Transport Canada recognizes the value of these routes to our nation's economy
and is helping the provinces finance the upgrades needed in this age of
increasing traffic volumes. In fact, the Government of Canada has committed over
$808 million in funding to improve segments of the Trans-Canada Highway since
2001.
Why? Because the efficient transport of people and goods plays a vital role
in the health of our nation's economy. The ongoing repair and maintenance of the
Trans-Canada Highway improves safety and accessibility, reduces accidents,
decreases travel time, increases trade opportunities, attracts tourism and
creates jobs.
April 2007
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