Trans-Canada Highway: British Columbia Project Near Alberta Enters Final Phase, Closures Planned | The Canadian News

If you plan to travel between Alberta and BC on the Trans-Canada Highway, add some time to your trip.

As of Monday, construction in progress on the Kicking Horse Canyon Project will increase, with closures of several days and 24 hours until December 1.

According to the British Columbia Ministry of Transport, the final phase of the project is complex and “traffic disruptions and complete road closures during certain times are necessary to safely carry out the necessary excavation and construction.”

“Extended multi-day closures, such as those in spring 2021, will take place this fall.”

Traffic stoppages in the canyon earlier this month included single lane, alternating traffic, half-hour daytime and nighttime stoppages and nighttime closures.

Now, with the highway about to close, traffic will be diverted onto Highways 93 and 95.

The ministry says the route change will add 1.5 hours of travel time and that traffic signs will provide advance notification of the closure.

The ministry has also set up a calendar as to when the road will be closed and opened.

There will be exceptions to closures where the canyon will reopen to traffic:

September 25-26

• The shutdown will be suspended, but shorter shutdowns and night shutdowns may apply.

Thanksgiving holiday long weekend.

• The road will be fully open day and night.

The Kicking Horse Canyon project will create 4.8 kilometers of four-lane highway and involves other highway improvements. It is also part of a four-lane program from Kamloops to Alberta.

The provincial government says the stretch of highway carries more than 10,000 vehicles a day during the summer.

For more information on the Kicking Horse Canyon project, which is expected to be completed by winter 2023-24, visit the BC Department of Transportation website.