Alberta Highway 1

Wildlife overpass on eastbound Alberta Highway 1 in 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 wide and scenic Bow River valley through Banff National Park (Improvement District No. 9) crossing the Bow river 3 times. After a scenic descent from the pass with great views of Mount Temple it crosses the Bow River. Its first junction is an interchange with Highway 93 north (the Icefields Parkway), which runs concurrent with Highway 1 for the next 25km. Shortly after that Highway 1/93 crosses the Pipestone River passes through a single Interchange servicing the Hamlet of Lake Louise, the Lake Louise Ski Resort and access to Lake Louise itself as well as Moraine Lake. From there the highway crosses the Bow River and travels along the west bank of the river passing by several trail heads until reaching the Interchange for Highway 93 south (Banff-Radium Highway) which contributes a significant amount of eastbound traffic and is also a mid point access to the Bow valley Parkway. From there the highway continues past several more trailheads turn offs (all at grade) with great views of the Sawback range from the highway. After passing a Interchange for the Banff Sunshine Ski Area the highway bends to the west and approaches the town of Banff. The Highway climbs up from the river and scales the side of a cliff above the town. A pullout at the top of the small climb allows visitors to overlook Town of Banff,[5]Vermilion Lakes and Mount Rundle. The highway then passes 2 Interchanges servicing Banff and surrounding attractions. From there the highway bends to the south and leaves the park. The entire segment of Highway 1 through the national park is maintained by the Government of Canada,[6] all sections of Banff Park Highway have wildlife fences and overpasses to keep animals off the road. The speed limit on most park sections is 90km/h.

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, It also briefly crosses a portion of Kananaskis Improvement District.[8] Shortly after leaving Banff Park the highway passes through the Hamlet of Harvie Heights and the mountain town of Canmore which is serviced by 4 Interchanges. Since many people from Canmore commute to Calgary weekly, traffic levels pick up after passing the town. From there the highway travels by the hamlets of Dead Man's Flats and Lac des Arcs each serviced by its own interchange. A popular rest area on the shore of Lac des Arcs provides access to the water. From there the highway exits the mountains passing the Interchange for Highway 1X, a 1 km connection to Highway 1A and access to Bow Valley Provincial Park. It then crosses the Kananaskis River and enters the Morley Reserve and passes a relatively busy Interchange for Alberta Highway 40, the main access to the Kananaskis region of the Alberta Rockies. From there the highway passes across the Morley Reserve climbs up a steep hill to a highpoint at Jack Lake Summit before descending to the prairies. From there it continues due east across level terrain and agricultural lands. As it approaches Calgary the highway passes an Interchange at Highway 22 servicing the town of Cochrane and Bragg Creek[5] where Traffic volumes double. Traffic continues to pick up as it passes through the Springbank semi rural area until it arrives at the edge of Calgary itself. The speed limit on most Alberta transportation maintained segments of Highway 1 is 110km/h. 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]

Highway 1 and 1X interchange and with crossing of the Kananaskis River visible.

In Calgary, Highway 1 is 16 Avenue N and maintained by the City of Calgary. Plans for a crosstown Highway 1 freeway were cancelled long ago leaving the city section of Highway 1 mainly a slow moving Urban Boulevard with small fragmented freeway sections near the edges of the city. The section between Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail in particular has numerous at-grade intersections and a gauntlet of 21 signal lights, the speed limit is 50km/h.[3] Stoney Trail (Highway 201) provides an alternate controlled-access freeway route around the north side of the city and is the signed bypass of 16 Avenue. Despite being a longer distance Highway 201 takes less time. Using Sarcee Trail, Glenmore Trail and Deerfoot Trails to access Highway 22X E which connects back to Highway 1 near Gelichen is another bypass of 16 Avenue and is commonly used by truckers to get through the city. It is shorter and faster than Stoney or 16th Avenue most times of the day, however it involves travels on freeways that are sometimes congested during rush hour. The length of Highway 1 (16 Avenue) 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] The speedlimit on the highway East of Calgary is 110km/h for the most part however the highway speedlimit does drop when passing through some towns.

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.