Kicking Horse Canyon

Project overview

The area known as the Kicking Horse Canyon — Highway 1 between Golden and Yoho National Park — is among the most breathtaking, scenic stretches on the Trans-Canada Highway. While this mountain route is the major east-west connection between B.C. and Alberta, it has seen little improvement over the past few decades

Revitalizing this portion of the national highway system is critical to strengthening the province as Canada’s gateway to the world. Commercial carriers make up a large proportion of traffic along this section of the TransCanada Highway, and it is also the favoured route for tourists. A significant transportation corridor historically, this part of Highway 1 is also a critical link to ports and southern routes

Project objectives

The Ministry of Transportation’s overall goal is to improve safety and operating efficiency for the travelling public along the corridor. The corridor is a strategic link connecting communities, and serves as a major trade corridor providing access to Canadian gateways ports and terminals. In the longer term, it is anticipated that highway improvements will serve multiple needs: population growth, economic development in the surrounding region, and the increased demand for goods movement, tourism traffic and access for residents

The project involved upgrading approximately 26 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from the junction of Highway 95 in Golden to the western boundary of Yoho National Park to a modern fourlane standard, including bridge replacements.