Trans-Canada Highway
|
Trans Canada Highway over Canada Map |
The
Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten
provinces of
Canada. The system (not a single roadway — the
Yellowhead Highway is also part of the system, for example) was approved by the Trans-Canada Highway Act of
1948, opened in
1962, and completed in
1970. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green
maple leaf route markers.
Unlike the
American Interstate highway system, not all of the Trans-Canada Highway uses limited-access
freeways, or even four-lane roads, making it more similar to the
U.S. Highway system. Canada does not have a comprehensive national highway system, as decisions about highway and freeway construction are entirely under the jurisdiction of the individual provinces. In
2000 and
2001, the government of
Jean Chrétien considered funding an infrastructure project to have the full Trans-Canada system converted to freeway. Although freeway construction funding was made available to some provinces for portions of the system, the government ultimately decided not to pursue a comprehensive highway conversion. Opposition to funding the freeway upgrade was due to low traffic levels in parts of the Trans-Canada; provinces preferred the money going towards improving vital trade routes (often not inter-provincial) and border crossings with the
United States.
 |
Example of Trans-Canada Highway marker shield. The name of the province is printed in the ribbon below the number. In Quebec, instead of "Trans-Canada" it reads "Transcanadienne." |
Route numbering on the Trans-Canada Highway is also handled by the provinces. The Western provinces have coordinated their highway numbers so that the main Trans-Canada line is designated Highway 1 throughout the region. However, from the Manitoba-Ontario border east, highway numbers change at each provincial boundary. As the Trans-Canada is in many places composed from parts of other important highways with their own separate identities (these highways already existed before the Trans-Canada), and the province of
Quebec, in particular, is unlikely to change its geographically-based highway numbering system to conform to a cross-Canada numbering scheme, the Trans-Canada Highway will most likely never have a uniform designation across the whole country.
Victoriaâ€"Winnipeg
The highway, designated as Highway 1 in the four western provinces, begins in
Victoria, British Columbia and passes northward along the east coast of
Vancouver Island for 99 km to
Nanaimo; a 57 km-long ferry route (see
BC Ferries) connects the highway to
West Vancouver, whence it passes through the
Vancouver metropolitan area, heading 170 km east to
Hope, then turns north for 186 km toward
Cache Creek, then east for 79 km through to
Kamloops, then 483 km east to
Banff, 101 km to
Calgary, 293 km to
Medicine Hat, 403 km east to
Moose Jaw, 79 km to
Regina, 372 km to
Brandon, 119 km to
Portage La Prairie, and 84 km east to
Winnipeg. Winnipeg's
Perimeter Highway (the southern half of which,
Manitoba Provincial Highway 100, is officially part of the Trans-Canada) gives
highway drivers a way of bypassing the city completely.
Through the western provinces, the speed limit is generally 100 km/h on the Trans-Canada, though
controlled-access portions in Alberta and Saskatchewan may have higher limits of 110 km/h.
It is in the B.C.-to-Manitoba part of Canada that the
Yellowhead Highway, an ancillary branch of the TCH, runs its course along Highways 16 and 5.
For more information, see also:
*
British Columbia highway 1*
Alberta Highway 1*
Saskatchewan Highway 1*
Manitoba Highway 1Winnipegâ€"Ottawa
The highway continues east from Winnipeg for another 205 km to
Kenora. The existing branch from Kenora continues east for 136 km to
Dryden. A new branch begins at
Rainy River, which goes east for 92 km to
Fort Frances. The two branches converge 288 km east of Dryden (which is also 282 km east of Fort Frances). The united highway proceeds southeast for 65 km to
Thunder Bay. The highway proceeds northeast for 115 km to
Nipigon, where it once again splits into two routes. The northern route is designated as Highway 11, and the southern branch is designated as Highway 17. From Nipigon, Highway 11 extends through the north of
Ontario for 401 km east to
Hearst and another 213 km east through
Cochrane. The highway proceeds southeast for 218 km to
New Liskeard, then south for 153 km to
North Bay, where it meets highway 17.
A section of the Trans-Canada between Thunder Bay and Nipigon is named the
Terry Fox Courage Highway. The 83km section marks the spot where Terry was forced to end his cross-Canada
Marathon of Hope run (which was raising money for cancer research). A bronze statue marks the spot where he stopped his run.
From Nipigon, Highway 17 proceeds east along the coast of
Lake Superior for 581 km through to
Sault Ste. Marie and another 291 km east to
Sudbury, where the Trans-Canada Highway splits again. The resulting southern branch follows highways 69 and 400 south for 254 km, then follows Highway 12 southeast for 27 km to
Orillia, then follows Highway 12 south for 58 km along the shore of Lake Simcoe, then follows highway 7 east for 70 km to
Peterborough. The existing northern branch goes east for 151 km to North Bay. The highway then goes east for 216 km before arriving at
Pembroke. The two branches converge at
Ottawa, 244 km east of Peterborough and 123 km east of Pembroke.
Through most of Ontario, the speed limit is generally 90 km/h on the Trans-Canada, though freeway portions may have higher limits of 100 km/h, and much of the Central Ontario Route has an 80 km/h limit. It is notable that the Trans-Canada does not go through Canada's largest city and the Capital of Ontario,
Toronto.
*
Ontario provincial highway 17*
Ontario provincial highway 11*
Ontario provincial highway 69*
Ontario provincial highway 12*
Ontario provincial highway 7*
Ontario provincial highway 115*
Ontario provincial highway 71*
Ontario provincial highway 400*
Ontario provincial highway 417Ottawaâ€"Moncton
From Ottawa, the Trans-Canada Highway proceeds 206 km east to
Montreal. Known as Highway 417 in Ontario and
Autoroute 40 in Quebec, the Trans-Canada also assumes the name "Autoroute MĂ©tropolitaine" or simply "The Met" as it traverses Montreal as an elevated highway. It then follows
Autoroute 25 southbound, crossing the
St. Lawrence River through the
Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge-Tunnel, and proceeds northeast on
Autoroute 20 for 257 km to
LĂ©vis (across from
Quebec City).
East of Levis, the Trans-Canada highway continues on Autoroute 20 following the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River to a junction just south of
Rivière-du-Loup, 173 km northeast of Levis. At that junction, the highway changes designation to
Highway 185, turning southeast for 121 km to
Edmundston,
New Brunswick.
Following the designation of
Highway 2, from Edmundston, the highway follows the
St. John River valley, running south for 170 km to
Woodstock (parallelling the
International Boundary) and then east for another 102 km to pass through
Fredericton. 40 km east of Fredericton, the St. John River turns south whereby the highway crosses the river at
Jemseg and continues heading east to
Moncton another 135 km later. New Brunswick is currently in the process of converting all of its portion of the Trans-Canada highway into four-lane freeways, with the majority of this project already completed.
Monctonâ€"North Sydney
From Moncton, the highway continues southeast for 54 km to a junction at
Aulac on the New Brunswick -
Nova Scotia border (near
Sackville) where the Trans-Canada Highway splits into the main route continuing to the nearby border with Nova Scotia as New Brunswick Highway 2, and a 70 km route designated as
Highway 16 which runs east to the
Confederation Bridge at
Cape Jourimain.
Prince Edward Island
After crossing the
Northumberland Strait on the 13 km-long
Confederation Bridge to
Borden-Carleton, the Trans-Canada Highway follows a 110 km-long route across southern
Prince Edward Island, designated as
Highway 1. After passing through
Charlottetown it ends at
Wood Islands where a 26 km-long ferry route (see
Northumberland Ferries Ltd.) crosses the Northumberland Strait to
Caribou,
Nova Scotia (near
Pictou). From the ferry terminal at Caribou, the highway continues south for another 19 km as
Highway 106 to a junction with the direct Trans-Canada Highway route (
Highway 104) at
Westville (near
New Glasgow).
Nova Scotia
From the New Brunswick border, the main Trans-Canada Highway route continues east into
Nova Scotia, where it follows the designation of provincial
Highway 104. The highway then passes by
Truro, where it links with provincial Highway 102 to Halifax, 117 km east of the New Brunswick border. It should be noted that there is a 30-km stretch of toll highway on this section with the cost $4.00/automobile (different rates for other vehicles).
From Truro, the highway continues east for 57 km to New Glasgow (where it links with provincial Highway 106 — that portion of the Trans-Canada running to the ferry terminal at Caribou), and then northeast for another 112 km to the
Canso Causeway which crosses the
Strait of Canso to
Cape Breton Island near
Port Hawkesbury. From the Canso Causeway, the highway continues east for 144 km using the designation of provincial Highway 105 in Cape Breton, until reaching the
Marine Atlantic ferry terminal at
North Sydney.
Port aux Basquesâ€"St. John's
From North Sydney a 177 km-long ferry route continues the highway to
Newfoundland, arriving at
Channel-Port aux Basques, whereby the Trans-Canada Highway assumes the designation of Highway 1 and runs northeast for 219 km through
Corner Brook, east for another 352 km through
Gander and finally ends at
St. John's, another 334 km southeast.
Although there does not appear to be any nationally-sanctioned "starting point" for the entire Trans-Canada Highway system, St. John's appears to have adopted this designation for the section of highway running in the city by using the term "Mile One" for its sports stadium and convention centre complex,
Mile One Stadium. The Victoria terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway lies at the foot of Douglas Street and Dallas Road at Beacon Hill Park, and is marked by a "mile zero" monument. This is the official western end of the Trans-Canada Highway, though Tofino claims to be the "Pacific Terminus".
Although
B.C. Highway 4 was commissioned in
1953 and is technically not part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, there is also a sign marking the Pacific terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway at
Tofino, British Columbia, where Highway 4 terminates in the west, but it was most likely erected before 1953. Tofino was a strong proponent of a Trans-Canada Highway since the 1920s, when the only roads in the area were gravel, recognizing the need for tourism. The community was bypassed by the official Trans-Canada Highway in the 1950s, when government prioritized the connection of major communities in its budgets, choosing instead to connect Nanaimo with Victoria.
*All the highways designated "1" in the western provinces are designated as "Trans-Canada highway 1" on
road maps.
*Only
Ontario,
Quebec,
Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick lack Highway 1 designations for their sections of the TCH.
*Quebec and Ontario use provincial highway signs to number the highway within their boundaries, but post numberless TCH sheilds alongside them to identify it.
*People across Canada (less so in Ontario and Quebec) generally refer to the highway as "The Trans-Canada Highway" (or Trans-Canada or T-Can) rather than by its number(s).
*
NFB documentary "The Longest Road"*
CBC Digital Archives - Trans-Canada Highway: Bridging the Distance
