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Alberta Provincial Highway No. 16, commonly referred to as Highway 16, is a major east–west highway in central Alberta, Canada, connecting Jasper to Lloydminster via Edmonton. It forms a portion of the Yellowhead Highway, a major interprovincial route of the Trans-Canada Highway system that stretches from Masset, British Columbia, to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, near Winnipeg. Highway 16 spans approximately 634 km (394 mi) from Alberta's border with British Columbia in the west to its border with Saskatchewan in the east.[2][3] As of 2010, all but less than 96 km (60 mi) of the route was divided, with a minimum of two lanes in each direction.[3] It is designated a core route in Canada's National Highway System.[4]
  Highway 16 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowhead Highway Trans-Canada Highway | ||||
 Highway 16 highlighted in red, former sections highlighted in brown | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors | ||||
| Length | 633.5 km[1] (393.6 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  Highway 16 (TCH) at British Columbia border at Yellowhead Pass | |||
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| East end |  Highway 16 (TCH) at Saskatchewan border in Lloydminster | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Alberta | |||
| Specialized and rural municipalities | Jasper, I.D. No. 12, Yellowhead, Parkland, Strathcona, I.D. No. 13, Lamont, Minburn, Vermilion River | |||
| Major cities | Spruce Grove, Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Lloydminster | |||
| Towns | Hinton, Edson, Vegreville, Vermilion | |||
| Villages | Wabamun, Innisfree, Mannville, Kitscoty | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Jasper National Park
British Columbia Highway 16 becomes Alberta Highway 16 as it crosses the Continental Divide and Yellowhead Pass into Alberta, entering Jasper National Park. It travels in an easterly direction through the Municipality of Jasper until it reaches the intersection with Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway) and the west access to the Jasper townsite. East of Highway 93, the highway turns to the north, passes the east access to the Jasper townsite, and continues in a northeast direction along the Athabasca River through Improvement District No. 12. The segment of Highway 16 through Jasper National Park is maintained by the Government of Canada.[5]
Jasper National Park to Edmonton
Upon exiting Jasper National Park, Highway 16 travels through the rural municipalities of Yellowhead County and Parkland County and is maintained by Alberta Transportation until it reaches Edmonton. The highway is a two-lane, undivided highway for 19 km (12 mi) where it becomes a four-lane, divided highway.[1] The highway continues northeast through the Town of Hinton until it reaches the locality of Obed, where it continues east and crosses Obed Summit, the highest point on Yellowhead Highway.[6] The highway passes through the Town of Edson, where the highway splits into parallel one-streets, with eastbound traffic following 2 Avenue and westbound traffic following 4 Avenue.[1] It continues east where it passes by the Hamlets of Niton Junction, Wildwood, Evansburg and Entwistle; through the Hamlet of Gainford and north of Wabamun Lake where it passes by the Summer Village of Seba Beach, Hamlet of Fallis, Hamlet of Wabamun, and Hamlet of Kapasiwin before intersecting Highway 43. The highway intersects Highway 16A (Parkland Highway), which prior to 1997 was part of Highway 16,[7] and passes through the Town of Stony Plain, City of Spruce Grove, and serves as an alternate route into Edmonton. The present alignment bypasses Stony Plain and serves as the northern boundary of Spruce Grove. Highway 16 is part of the CANAMEX Corridor between Highway 43 and its western intersection with Anthony Henday Drive.
Edmonton
Highway 16 passes through Edmonton as a major expressway called Yellowhead Trail, maintained by the City of Edmonton. Most sections of Yellowhead Trail are free-flowing, while a few intersections still exist from 127 Street to 66 Street as of 2024. The city closed access to Yellowhead Trail from 89 Street in 2019, marking the first milestone of the Freeway Conversion Program.
Edmonton to Lloydminster
Highway 16 exits Edmonton and enters Strathcona County just west of its eastern intersection with Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216). The highway travels east and serves as the division between Edmonton and the Urban Service Area of Sherwood Park. The highway continues east past the Hamlet of Ardrossan, through Elk Island National Park, and past the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. The highway then passes through the rural municipalities of Lamont County, County of Minburn, and the County of Vermilion River. The highway continues in a general southeast direction by Town of Mundare and the Town of Vegreville, where Highway 16A passes directly through the Vegreville. The highway continues by Hamlet of Lavoy, Hamlet of Ranfurly, Village of Innisfree, Hamlet of Minburn, Village of Mannville, Town of Vermilion, Village of Kitscoty, and Hamlet of Blackfoot. The highway is maintained by Alberta Transportation, with the exception of the segment through Elk Island National Park which is maintained by the Government of Canada.[5] Highway 16 passes through the City of Lloydminster along Ray Nelson Drive (44 Street) and is maintained by the City of Lloydminster.[1][8] The highway is an arterial street and crosses into Saskatchewan at its intersection with Highway 17 (50 Avenue) where it becomes Saskatchewan Highway 16.
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The Yellowhead Highway is named after the Yellowhead Pass in the Rocky Mountains. During the early 1800s, Pierre Bostonais, an Iroquois-Métis trapper with streaks of blonde in his hair, worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. Because of his hair colour, French-speaking voyageurs referred to him as "Tête Jaune", literally "Yellow Head". By 1819, Bostonais acted as a guide for the company and had explored a route down the Fraser River to the present city of Prince George.[9] Nearly a century later, the Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) constructed lines that the Yellowhead Highway later paralleled.[10] The two lines between Evansburg, Alberta, and Red Pass Junction were combined into a joint route in 1917, with portions of both lines abandoned. The GTP and CNoR both became part of the new Canadian National Railway (CNR) by 1924.
Following World War I, as automobile use increased exponentially, CNR surveyor Fred Driscoll and Edmonton Automobile and Good Roads Association president formed a committee lobbying for the creation of the Yellowhead Highway. Driscoll believed the abandoned railway bed would be an ideal base for a road. The Edmonton Automobile Association offered a gold medal to the first person to travel from Edmonton to Victoria through the gap. Charles Neiymer and Frank Silverthorne left in 4×4 on June 17, 1922. The following week, George Gordon and J. Sims departed Edmonton in a Ford Model T, following the same route. On July 4, both pairs arrived in Victoria and were each awarded gold medals.[10]
However, it would take until World War II for any improvements to be made this overland route. The displacement of many Japanese-Canadians from the Pacific coast to internment camps in the interior led to some developments. 30 km (19 mi) of road was constructed along the railway bed, and an additional 40 km (25 mi) through steep terrain. By 1944, the Tote Road was opened through Jasper and into the Fraser Valley.[10]
In August 1948, a motorcade was organized as a demonstration of the need for the highway. The Trans-Canada Highway Act was enacted in 1949, providing a 90% subsidy to upgrade selected routes to modern standards. However, the Tote Highway was not included under this subsidy.[10] During the same time frame, the Trans Mountain Oil Pipe Line Company began looking at the Tote Road as a potential route for a pipeline between Edmonton and Vancouver. Construction began in 1952, and largely resulted in the destruction of the road along the pipeline's path.[10]
Gradually, work progressed to reconstruct the highway. Elsewhere, the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in 1957.The Yellowhead Highway became eligible for federal funding soon thereafter.[11] By 1969, the Tote Road was generally rebuilt and paved. On August 15, 1970, British Columbia Premier W. A. C. Bennett officially opened the Yellowhead Highway.[12]
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Alberta Transportation has conducted long-term studies to twin Highway 16 between Jasper National Park and Highway 40[13] and freeway upgrades both west and east of Edmonton.[14][15] Highway bypass alignments have also been planned for Hinton, Edson, and Lloydminster, all of which have been designated as Highway 16X.[2][15]
Edmonton has plans to convert Yellowhead Trail to a full freeway by adding interchanges at 127 Street and 121 Street and a partial interchange at 66 Street while a frontage road system will run from 156 Street to at least St. Albert Trail. An interchange at 149 Street was considered but was scrapped in favour of the frontage road system for cost and land reasons. Edmonton is widening the freeway from 50 Street to city limits, which is currently two lanes in each direction, to three lanes in each direction, connecting them to the three-lane twin bridges over the North Saskatchewan River – the Beverly Bridge and Clover Bar Bridge. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed by 2026.[16]
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The following is a list of major intersections along Alberta Highway 16 from west to east, including exit numbers where applied.[2][3]
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km[1] | mi | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of Jasper (Jasper National Park) | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  Highway 16 (TCH/YH) west – Prince George, Kamloops | Continental Divide; continuation into British Columbia | |
| Yellowhead Pass – 1,131 m (3,711 ft) | ||||||
| 3.7 | 2.3 | West gate of Jasper National Park | ||||
| Jasper | 24.6 | 15.3 |  Highway 93 south (Icefields Parkway) / Connaught Drive – Lake Louise, Banff | |||
| 25.8 | 16.0 |  Highway 93A south / Hazel Avenue | ||||
| 28.8 | 17.9 | Connaught Drive / Cottonwood Creek Road | ||||
| | 30.7 | 19.1 | Maligne Lake Road – Jasper Park Lodge, Maligne Lake | |||
| I.D. No. 12 (Jasper National Park) | | 46.6 | 29.0 | Crosses Athabasca River | ||
| Pocahontas | 69.4 | 43.1 | Miette Hot Springs Road – Miette Hot Springs | |||
| | 76.4 | 47.5 | East gate of Jasper National Park | |||
| Yellowhead County | | 96.6 | 60.0 |  Highway 40 north (Big Horn Highway) – Grande Cache, Grande Prairie | West end of Hwy 40 concurrency | |
| Hinton | 98.5 | 61.2 | Highway 40 south (Big Horn Highway) – Cadomin | East end of Hwy 40 concurrency | ||
| 103.2 | 64.1 | Switzer Drive – Hinton Valley District | ||||
| | 125.2 | 77.8 | Obed Summit – 1,163.9 m (3,819 ft) | |||
| 179.5 | 111.5 | 180 |  Highway 47 south – Robb | Eastbound grade separated; westbound at-grade; future Highway 947 north | ||
| Edson | 186.4– 191.2 | 115.8– 118.8 | One-way pair | |||
| 193.1 | 120.0 |  Highway 748 north (25 Street) | ||||
| | 196.5 | 122.1 | Crosses McLeod River | |||
| 221.7 | 137.8 |  Highway 32 north – Peers, Whitecourt | ||||
| Nojack | 247.4 | 153.7 |  Highway 751 north – MacKay | |||
| | 258.0 | 160.3 |  Highway 753 south – Cynthia, Lodgepole | |||
| Wildwood | 270.7 | 168.2 | Range Road 92A | |||
| | 276.9 | 172.1 |  Highway 16A east – Evansburg, Entwistle | |||
| 279.5 | 173.7 |  Highway 22 north (Cowboy Trail) – Mayerthorpe | West end of Hwy 22 concurrency | |||
| Evansburg | 285.2 | 177.2 | UAR 115 north (Range Road 75) | |||
| ↑ / ↓ | 286.5 | 178.0 | Crosses Pembina River | |||
| Parkland County | Entwistle | 287.5 | 178.6 | 289 | Highway 22 south (Cowboy Trail) – Drayton Valley Highway 16A west – Entwistle | Interchange; east end of Hwy 22 concurrency |
| | 296.0 | 183.9 |  Highway 757 north – Magnolia, Sangudo | |||
| Gainford | 301.1 | 187.1 | Range Road 62 | |||
| | 304.4 | 189.1 | 306 |  Highway 31 south to Highway 759 south – Seba Beach, Isle Lake | Interchange | |
| 314.0 | 195.1 |  Highway 765 north – Darwell | ||||
| Wabamun | 322.7 | 200.5 | 324 | Wabamun | Interchange | |
| | 325.7 | 202.4 | 327 | Kapasiwin, Wabamun Lake Provincial Park | Interchange; former Highway 30 south | |
| Manly Corner | 338.4 | 210.3 |  Highway 770 south – Carvel, Warburg | |||
| 338.8 | 210.5 | 340 |  Highway 43 north – Whitecourt, Grande Prairie, Peace River | Interchange; access to Alaska Highway and Mackenzie Highway; west end of CANAMEX Corridor (follows Hwy 43 north) | ||
| | 343.0 | 213.1 | 344 | Highway 16A east (Parkland Highway) – Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Edmonton City Centre | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 353.5 | 219.7 | 355 |  Highway 779 – Stony Plain, Calahoo | Interchange; Fifth Meridian, 114° Longitude | ||
| Spruce Grove | 357.9 | 222.4 | 360 | Campsite Road | Interchange; known as Jennifer Heil Way inside Spruce Grove city limits | |
| 359.4 | 223.3 | Calahoo Road (Highway 788) | Intersection closed; former alignement | |||
| 361.1 | 224.4 | 363 | Century Road | Interchange | ||
| | 366.1 | 227.5 | 368 |  Highway 44 north – Villeneuve, Westlock | Interchange | |
| Acheson | 369.1 | 229.3 | 371 |  Highway 60 south (Devonian Way) – Devon | Interchange; truck bypass to Highway 2 south | |
| City of Edmonton | 374.0 | 232.4 | 376 | Winterburn Road (215 Street) | Interchange | |
| 375.9 | 233.6 | 378 |  Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216) – Cold Lake, Fort McMurray, Calgary | Interchange; Hwy 216 exit 25; east end of CANAMEX Corridor (follows Hwy 216 south) | ||
| 377.4 | 234.5 | 379 | 184 Street – St. Albert | Interchange | ||
| 379.0 | 235.5 | 381 | 170 Street – St. Albert, West Edmonton Mall | Interchange | ||
| 380.8 | 236.6 | 383 | 156 Street – St. Albert | Interchange | ||
| 383.0 | 238.0 | 381 |  St. Albert Trail (Highway 2 north) – St. Albert, Athabasca | Interchange | ||
| 384.0 | 238.6 | 127 Street | Interchange under construction | |||
| 387.3 | 240.7 | 389 |  97 Street (Highway 28 north) – Cold Lake, Fort McMurray | Interchange | ||
| 388.9 | 241.7 | 391 | 82 Street – Northlands | Interchange | ||
| 390.0 | 242.3 | 392 | Fort Road / Wayne Gretzky Drive – Northlands | Interchange | ||
| 390.7 | 242.8 | 66 Street | ||||
| 392.5 | 243.9 | 394 |  50 Street (Highway 15 north) – Fort Saskatchewan, Fort McMurray | Interchange | ||
| 395.0 | 245.4 | 397 | 118 Avenue / Victoria Trail | Interchange | ||
| 395.8 | 245.9 | Crosses North Saskatchewan River Beverly Bridge (eastbound) and Clover Bar Bridge (westbound) | ||||
| 396.4 | 246.3 | 400 | Hayter Road / 17 Street NW | Interchange; signed as exit 400A | ||
| Strathcona County–Edmonton boundary | Sherwood Park | 396.4– 399.4 | 246.3– 248.2 | Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216) – Cold Lake, Fort McMurray, Calgary | Interchange; Hwy 216 exit 54; eastbound signed as exit 400A; westbound signed as exit 400B (north) and 400C (south) | |
| 399.4 | 248.2 | Broadmoor Boulevard / 17 Street NE | Interchange; eastbound signed as exit 400B; westbound signed as exit 400C | |||
| 401.0 | 249.2 | 403 | Sherwood Drive / Range Road 232 | Interchange | ||
| Strathcona County | 402.6 | 250.2 | 405 | Clover Bar Road / Range Road 231 | Interchange | |
| Bremner | 404.2 | 251.2 | 406 |  Highway 21 – Camrose, Fort Saskatchewan | Interchange; eastbound signed as exits 406A (south) and 406B (north) | |
| Ardrossan | 410.7 | 255.2 | 413 |  Highway 824 south | Interchange | |
| | 415.6 | 258.2 |  Highway 830 – Josephburg | |||
| I.D. No. 13 (Elk Island National Park) | | 423.7 | 263.3 | West end of Elk Island National Park | ||
| 431.1 | 267.9 | Elk Island Parkway | To Highway 831 north | |||
| 433.6 | 269.4 | East end of Elk Island National Park | ||||
| Lamont County | | 443.4 | 275.5 |  Highway 834 – Chipman, Tofield | ||
| Mundare | 464.5 | 288.6 | Highway 15 west – Chipman, Lamont, Fort Saskatchewan Highway 855 – Andrew, Holden, Ryley | |||
| County of Minburn No. 27 | | 475.3 | 295.3 |  Highway 631 east | ||
| Vegreville | 479.2 | 297.8 | 481 | Highway 16A east (50 Avenue) – Vegreville | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 488.1 | 303.3 |  Highway 857 – Bruce, Willingdon | ||||
| 490.0 | 304.5 | 492 | Highway 16A west (50 Avenue) – Vegreville | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| | 506.2 | 314.5 |  Highway 36 (Veterans Memorial Highway) – Viking, Two Hills | Interchange proposed (no construction timeline)[17] | ||
| Ranfurly | 515.2 | 320.1 | UAR 199 north (Range Road 122A) | |||
| | 526.3 | 327.0 |  Highway 870 – Innisfree, Morecambe, Kinsella | |||
| 539.6 | 335.3 | UAR 216 north (Range Road 102) – Minburn | ||||
| Mannville | 553.1 | 343.7 |  Highway 881 – Irma, Myrnam, St. Paul | |||
| County of Vermilion River | Vermilion | 574.4 | 356.9 | 577 |  Highway 41 (Buffalo Trail) – Elk Point, Cold Lake, Wainwright | Interchange |
| | 595.0 | 369.7 |  Highway 893 – Islay, Dewberry | |||
| Kitscoty | 610.7 | 379.5 |  Highway 897 – Marwayne, Paradise Valley | |||
| City of Lloydminster | 631.6 | 392.5 | 62 Avenue | Bypass route to Hwy 17 | ||
| 633.5 | 393.6 |   50 Avenue (Highway 17) – Onion Lake, Macklin | ||||
 Highway 16 (TCH/YH) east – The Battlefords, Saskatoon | Continuation into Saskatchewan | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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