Banff National Park of Canada

Park Management

Table of Contents | Introduction | Current Twinning | Highway Fencing & Wildlife Crossings

Trans-Canada Highway Twinning Project
Phase IIIB: May 2006

Printable Version (PDF, 264 Kb)

The highway twinning project east of Lake Louise moved ahead on a number of fronts this past winter. Clearing for the new second lane has occurred from east of Lake Louise to 3 km east of Moraine Creek, a distance of 10 km. The Canadian Pacific Railway overpass, wildlife underpass near the overflow campground, and the Bow River and Moraine Creek bridge areas have also been busy with work to prepare new foundations.

However, the project has not escaped the impact of rising construction costs and the in-demand labour market. The current 50 million dollar budget has been intensively managed to build as much of the original project as possible. But the distance that can be twinned has been decreased 4 km. This deferred 4 km section, along with its associated wildlife fencing and crossing structures, will be built should further funds become available. The commitment to deliver the entire world-class project described in the environmental assessment remains unchanged.

Project Update

• Twinning will extend from just east of Lake Louise to the west side of the Mt. Temple Viewpoint – a distance of 6 km. Clearing for the second lane has been completed 4 km east of this point as part of the original project plan but it won’t be twinned under the current budget. Material removed from the large earth cut by Lake Louise will be deposited as road bed along this section (from Temple Viewpoint to Moraine Creek) as originally planned.
• Though the twinning will now end short of Moraine Creek, the new 25 m wide Moraine Creek bridge will be completed. The design of the new bridge and one of the wildlife underpasses is the same, which brought cost savings. Completing the bridge now ensures further twinning can occur quickly should funds become available.
• All wildlife crossings planned for the section being twinned under the available funding will be built. Highway fencing will still extend west of the twinned section to end on the west side of Lake Louise as originally planned. This fenced section will have a wildlife overpass west of Harry’s Hill and an underpass at the fence end.
• A pedestrian pathway will be built as part of the new Canadian Pacific Railway overpass east of Lake Louise. A second pedestrian crossing, associated with Harry’s Hill residential area, will be built when further funding becomes available.
• The design work for the wildlife overpass west of Lake Louise, and the highway fencing plus Texas gates will be completed and go to tender this fall.
• The design of the wildlife overpass east of Temple Viewpoint will be completed, but won’t go to tender at this stage.

Overview of Twinning Project

TCH construction schedule

Roadwork is underway 24 hours per day, seven days per week from April until the end of July. Expect intermittent five-minute delays around the clock, as well as possible delays of up to 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Construction will shut down over long weekends.

Park Visitor Notes

• Construction work has been arranged to ensure the Bow River boat put-in east of Lake Louise remains accessible this season.
• The Lake Louise Overflow Campground, which is within the construction area, will be open this summer. Campers will be encouraged to use campgrounds along the Icefields and Bow Valley Parkways once the Lake Louise Campground is full. But the Overflow remains available as a camping option.
• The Whyte Museum in Banff is hosting an intriguing exhibit featuring remarkable wildlife images and video clips. The exhibit visually shows results from 10 years of monitoring of the 24 existing highway wildlife crossings. It’s in place until October 9.

For up-to-date road information, check the mountain parks road conditions report at: 403.762.1450.

For more information

• Screening Report for the Trans-Canada Highway Twinning Project Phase IIIB (Executive Summary)
• Highway Mitigation Research in the Mountain Parks

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