Traffic Management

It is well-known that the remaining two-lane canyon section of the Trans-Canada Highway is severely constrained. As a result, the final phase of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project to improve safety, widen and realign the highway will inevitably require traffic disruptions and, at times, full highway closures. The traffic management strategy is designed to minimize and mitigate traffic disruptions while allowing the work to proceed safely and on schedule.

Summer 2023 Hours

“Summer hours” began June 1 and will continue into mid-September. During this period, there will be no daytime stoppages due to construction (except for possible momentary pauses to allow construction vehicles to turn or cross the highway). Half-hour stoppages will still occur most evenings, and overnight closures will continue except for Friday and Saturday nights. There will be no stoppages or closures during holiday long weekends.

See the Highway Status Calendar and DriveBC for details.

Fall 2023

After mid-September, motorists can expect the following:

An extended (24-hours/multiday) closure from noon September 18 to noon September 22
Another extended closure from noon September 25 through noon October 6
Fully open conditions for the Thanksgiving holiday long weekend from noon October 6 to noon October 10
A combination of 30-minute stoppages in the daytime and evenings, along with overnight full closures from 10 pm to 7 am, for the remainder of the fall.
The alternative route of Highways 93S and 95 is available for use during extended and overnight closures

Please note that road closures due to Kicking Horse Canyon Project construction apply only to the 4.8 kilometre construction zone in the canyon itself. The Trans-Canada Highway from Castle Junction to Lake Louise, Field and Beaverfoot will be OPEN even during overnight and multi-day extended closures.

From now until Winter 2023/24

As a rule of thumb, the contractor will be required to abide by the following during the course of the project:

Fall, Winter and Spring

Daytime may see stoppages from 20 minutes to 2 hours.
There may be closures of up to nine hours overnight, which will require significant advance notice.
In addition, there may be multi-day extended closures from April 1 to the end of May and from mid-September to the end of November.
The highway will be kept open for Easter and Thanksgiving long weekends, and there will be two daily peak-hour windows to allow passage for school buses, commuters and other essential local traffic/trips. Extended closures will also require significant advance notice, and the first is now expected to occur in spring 2021.

Summer

During daytime, the highway through the Canyon will remain fully open and free of interruptions, other than momentary traffic control for turning vehicles.
Overnight, interruptions may range from 20 minute stoppages to 8 hour closures. The closures will require significant advance notice.

During any closure travellers would have the option of taking the alternative route using Highways 93 and 95. By limiting extended closures to off-peak periods, the total combined traffic volumes on the alternative route will be comparable to the peaks that Highways 93 and 95 currently experience in the summer.

The schedules below broadly illustrate times that the contractor may apply various types of stoppages and closures of the Trans-Canada Highway through the construction zone. For actual planned usage of these availabilities, please refer to Construction/Traffic Notifications below, the Highway Status Calendar and always check DriveBC for the most current information.

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