Kicking Horse Canyon: Closed highway to reopen one week early

Closed for the past two months due to ongoing construction, BC’s Kicking Horse Canyon will reopen to traffic this week.

The windy section of the Trans-Canada Highway near the mountainous border between BC and Alberta has been undergoing much-needed repair since April 2021.

The highway will reopen at 6 a.m. on Friday morning, November 25, and the latest improvements include new bridges and viaducts along the eastbound lanes, with BC’s government touting the section as now more reliable and efficient.

The latest closure began on September 26 and was originally due to reopen on December 1. Work on the western lanes continues.

During the closures, traffic was diverted, resulting in an additional travel time of approximately 90 minutes.

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Drone footage shows massive construction project in Kicking Horse Canyon

“Travellers and commercial truckers will benefit from these significant upgrades through the Kicking Horse Canyon,” said Rob Fleming, BC’s Minister of Transportation.

“The old highway’s sharp corners are gone, with new viaducts and structures across parts of the canyon improving the safety and reliability of this important interprovincial connection.”

Announcing the early reopening, the province says motorists will see nearly two kilometers of new bridges and structures, with the highway passing through two large rock cuts.

While the early reopening is good news, construction isn’t finished, with another stretch of full closures planned for spring 2023.

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Fall closures scheduled for construction of the Kicking Horse Canyon project

The province says the next phase involves the realignment and widening of 4.8 km, along with four new bridges and nine new viaducts.

The project is expected to be completed during the winter of 2023-2024, and is expected to have a price tag of around $600 million.

For more information, visit the county’s Kicking Horse Canyon website.

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Construction begins next week on the infamous stretch of Highway 1

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