National Highway System (Canada)
National Highway System | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 38,021 km (23,625 mi) |
| Existed | 1988–present |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Highway system | |
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The National Highway System in Canada is a federal designation for a strategic transport network of highways and freeways.[1] The system includes but is not limited to the Trans-Canada Highway,[1] and currently consists of 38,021 kilometres (23,625 mi) of roadway designated under one of three classes: Core Routes, Feeder Routes, and Northern and Remote Routes.[1]
History
The system was first designated in 1988 by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, a council consisting of the federal and provincial Ministers of Transport.[1] A total of 24,500 kilometres (15,200 mi) of highway were originally designated as part of the system. Highways selected for the system were existing primary routes that supported interprovincial and international trade and travel, by connecting major population or commercial centres with each other, with major ports of entry or exit with the United States, or with other transport modes directly accessible from the highway route, such as a ferry terminal.[1]
The system was further expanded in the 2000s, with the addition of approximately 14,000 kilometres (8,700 mi) of highway that was not part of the original 1988 designation.[1] It was in this era that the current "core", "feeder" and "Northern or remote" classes of route were established.[1] In a few locations, such as the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area, the National Highway System may also incorporate city arterial streets to connect highway routes which are part of the system but do not directly interconnect.
Routes within the system continue to be maintained, funded and signed as provincial, rather than federal, highways. However, the Government of Canada provides some funding assistance for important maintenance and expansion projects on designated highways through various cost sharing programs.[2]
The National Highway System has, however, been criticized for lacking a truly comprehensive expansion plan.[3] In many parts of the country, the system relies on two-lane highways, or expressways which are not fully up to international motorway standards; according to Lakehead University economics professor Livio di Matteo, many parts of the system still leave "the nation’s east-west flow of personal and commercial traffic subject to the whims of an errant moose".[3]
Routes
In its current form, the National Highway System includes routes in all Canadian provinces and territories except Nunavut, which has no conventional road connections to any other Canadian province or territory.[1]
Alberta
The system includes 4,384 kilometres (2,724 mi) of highway in Alberta.
- Alberta Highway 1 (C) - Trans-Canada Highway
- Alberta Highway 2 (C) - Fort Macleod to Edmonton
- Alberta Highway 3 (C) - Crowsnest Highway
- Alberta Highway 4 (C) - Coutts to Lethbridge
- Alberta Highway 9 (C)
- Alberta Highway 16 (C) - Yellowhead Highway
- Alberta Highway 28 (F)
- Alberta Highway 35 (C)
- Alberta Highway 43 (C)
- Alberta Highway 58 (N)
- Alberta Highway 63 (C)
British Columbia
The system includes 7,032 kilometres (4,369 mi) of highway in British Columbia.
Manitoba
The system includes 2,093 kilometres (1,301 mi) of highway in Manitoba.
New Brunswick
The system includes 1,825 kilometres (1,134 mi) of highway in New Brunswick.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The system includes 7,032 kilometres (4,369 mi) of highway in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Northwest Territories
The system includes 1,423 kilometres (884 mi) of highway in the Northwest Territories.
Nova Scotia
The system includes 1,199 kilometres (745 mi) of highway in Nova Scotia.
Ontario
The system includes 6,836 kilometres (4,248 mi) of highway in Ontario.
Prince Edward Island
The system includes 396 kilometres (246 mi) of highway in Prince Edward Island.
Quebec
The system includes 5,649 kilometres (3,510 mi) of highway in Quebec.
Saskatchewan
The system includes 2,688 kilometres (1,670 mi) of highway in Saskatchewan.
- Saskatchewan Highway 1 (C) - Trans-Canada Highway
- Saskatchewan Highway 2 (N)
- Saskatchewan Highway 7 (C)
- Saskatchewan Highway 10 (C)
- Saskatchewan Highway 11 (C)
- Saskatchewan Highway 16 (C) - Yellowhead Highway
Yukon
The system includes 2,027 kilometres (1,260 mi) of highway in Yukon.
- Yukon Highway 1 (C)
- Yukon Highway 2 (C)
- Yukon Highway 5 (N)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h National Highway System. Transport Canada, December 20, 2011.
- ^ "Core National Highway System in Saskatchewan to be Improved". Government of Saskatchewan, February 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Livio di Matteo and Wayne Simpson, "Fix No. 1 Highway". Financial Post, April 26, 2011.
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