Overview Much of Highway 2 is a core route in the
National Highway System of Canada: between Fort Macleod and Edmonton and between Donnelly and Grimshaw. The posted speed limit along the majority of the highway between Fort Macleod and Morinville is , with a brief section south of
Leduc having a posted speed limit of .. In urban areas, such as through Claresholm, Nanton, Calgary, and Edmonton, it ranges from . During the winter, accidents are common on the stretch of the highway between Calgary and Edmonton as the weather can change rapidly and drivers underestimate the conditions, overwhelming emergency services attempting to respond. As the main north–south access in Alberta, Highway 2 is the preferred path of the CANAMEX Corridor. Between Fort Macleod and Morinville, Highway 2 maintains no fewer than four lanes of traffic and is largely a
freeway between
Okotoks and Edmonton, with improvements underway to eliminate the at-grade crossings that remain.
Southern Alberta Rocky Mountain Foothills Alberta's Highway 2 begins at the United States border, as the two-lane
U.S. Route 89 crosses into Canada at
Carway, Alberta. The road proceeds north through the
Rocky Mountain Foothills to a brief concurrency with
Highway 501, before bisecting the town of
Cardston. West of town, the highways diverge at an interchange; Highway 3 continues west as the
Crowsnest Highway to
Pincher Creek and
British Columbia, and Highway 2 turns north across the
Oldman River as a four-lane, divided highway. It continues approximately north to
Granum from which
Highway 519 splits to the east. In tandem with
Highway 23, Highway 519 is often used by CANAMEX traffic to bypass Fort Macleod. Further north on Highway 2, the towns of Claresholm and Nanton are each bisected at a reduced speed limit of . The highway is concurrent with
Highway 533 for its brief distance through Nanton. The freeway intersects the
Stoney Trail ring road at the south end of Calgary, with signage recommending that traffic en route to
Calgary International Airport, Edmonton, and
Medicine Hat use eastbound Stoney Trail as a bypass. Deerfoot Trail then merges with the major routes of
Anderson Road and Bow Bottom Trail. Crossing
Glenmore Trail (
Highway 8),
Memorial Drive (access to
downtown Calgary) and
16 Avenue NE (
Highway 1), Deerfoot Trail continues into north Calgary, past the
Calgary International Airport en route to a second interchange with Stoney Trail at the Calgary city limit. The Deerfoot Trail designation is dropped, and the highway carries on north into
Rocky View County.
Central Alberta Queen Elizabeth II Highway Highway 2 exits north Calgary as a six-lane freeway called the "
Queen Elizabeth II Highway", a name it retains until the southern city limit of Edmonton. North of Airdrie, the route extends to
Highway 72 before bypassing
Crossfield and entering
Mountain View County, continuing north past interchanges at Highways
581 and
582 leading to the communities of
Carstairs and
Didsbury, respectively. The highway meets
Highway 27 at a cloverleaf interchange near
Olds, approximately halfway between Calgary and Red Deer. Highway 2 enters
Red Deer County and proceeds to interchanges with
Highway 587 at
Bowden, Highways
54 and
590 at
Innisfail, and
Highway 42 near
Penhold prior to the city of Red Deer. South of the city, from McKenzie Road to 19 Street, the highway widens to six lanes through an area known as
Gasoline Alley. It is a popular stop for travellers and truckers including fuel stations and food establishments on either side of the highway, accessible via the interchange at McKenzie Road. Continuing north, the highway again reduces to four lanes, veering left to bypass Red Deer to the west while Gaetz Avenue splits north into the city. West of Red Deer, Highway 2 passes
Red Deer College and the
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame before descending into the valley of the
Red Deer River. North of 11A, the highway crosses the
Blindman River into
Lacombe County to an interchange with
Highway 597 at
Blackfalds, curving slightly northeast to an interchange at
Highway 12 at
Lacombe. The four-lane highway continues approximately through gentle rolling hills of
aspen parkland in
Ponoka County to an interchange at
Highway 611 where it enters
Wetaskiwin County. The grass median significantly widens to over , and access to the airport and
Nisku is provided by an interchange at Airport Road. Traffic levels increase as commuters travel to and from the Leduc area to Edmonton, and the highway meets a second interchange at
Highway 19/625 which serves the airport. The highway curves slightly to the northeast to an interchange at
41 Avenue SW, marking the Edmonton city limit and the end of the "Queen Elizabeth II Highway" designation.
Edmonton and Sturgeon County Five separately named routes are designated as Highway 2 in the cities of Edmonton and St. Albert, denoted by varying levels of signage. At the south end of Edmonton, the highway significantly widens to five lanes each way. The northbound lanes become
Gateway Boulevard and the southbound lanes
Calgary Trail, and the two carriageways diverge to pass Gateway Park, located in the median of the highway and accessible from both directions. The freeway ends as three lanes of Gateway Boulevard eventually widen to four, travelling north past
South Edmonton Common through south Edmonton as a busy urban street to
Whitemud Drive. Whitemud Drive descends to cross
Whitemud Creek before curving north to span the
North Saskatchewan River on the Quesnell Bridge. The highway turns due east, briefly concurrent with Highway 18 for , before turning northeast through increasingly wooded areas and a short concurrency with
Highway 663 to
Athabasca. The highway descends through the town at as 50 Street toward the
Athabasca River valley, before turning west to parallel the river as 50 Avenue. From this point until its split with Highway 49 over to the west, Highway 2 is designated as the Northern Woods and Water Route. The speed limit returns to as the highway climbs from the valley toward
Baptiste Lake. At the lake, the two lane Highway 2 turns north to follow the west bank of the Athabasca River for approximately before turning west at Lawrence Lake toward the unincorporated community of
Hondo. There, it meets the northern terminus of
Highway 44 before crossing the river and continuing northwest for 50 km to the southern terminus of
Highway 88 in
Slave Lake. Highway 88 follows the east bank of
Lesser Slave Lake before a long journey north to
Fort Vermilion.
Peace Country west of High Prairie, the highway turns north past
Winagami Lake to the town of
McLennan on the south shore of Kimiwan Lake. It carries on west to a junction with
Highway 49, locally known as '
Donnelly Corner', where it becomes part of the
Arctic Corridor. The two lane highway proceeds north through aspen parkland past Lac Magloire to the town of
Nampa, after which it crosses the
Heart River, a tributary of
Peace River. The highway then curves to the northwest and descends along the steep east bank of the Heart River into the town of
Peace River. A
passing lane aids eastbound traffic climbing from the valley. The two lane highway continues west through the town of Peace River before crossing the river of the same name. Climbing on the west bank of the river, it widens to four lanes and meets
Alberta Highway 684 (Shaftesbury Trail) before exiting Peace River, reducing to two lanes, and passing north of
Peace River Airport. east
Cardinal Lake, Highway 2 meets
Highway 35, the
Mackenzie Highway. Highway 2 turns south to
Grimshaw, while Highway 35 and Arctic Corridor turn north, following the Peace River to
High Level. Highway 2 bisects Grimshaw as 51 Street, then exits the town before turning west shortly thereafter, winding through the aspen parkland of the Peace Country to the town of
Fairview, in which a campus of
Grande Prairie Regional College is immediately south of the highway. The road continues west out of Fairview as Highway 64A, while Highway 2 turns south to exit the town, curving west then south again toward the Peace River valley. It again curves west to descend along the river's steep north bank. in Grande Prairie, Highway 2 becomes 100 Street.
Traffic Volume Highway 2 has a wide range of traffic levels along its length. At the south end, the highway is a lightly travelled two-lane road from the United States border to Fort Macleod. It then doubles to four lanes and volume progressively increases until De Winton north of Okotoks, but remains relatively light. The table compares the
annual average daily traffic (AADT) at several locations along Highway 2 using data from 2019, expressed as an average daily vehicle count over the span of a year (AADT).
Enforcement and collisions The Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Edmonton is prone to collisions in the winter, sometimes resulting in hours of delay, closures, and redirection of traffic onto sections of the adjacent Highway 2A.
Deerfoot Trail in Calgary is also prone to a higher than average number of collisions due to its high volume and concentration of interchanges within a relatively short distance. Alberta Transportation has established several zones on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway where the speed limit is enforced by aircraft. The program is conducted by the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and was relaunched in 2013 after being on hiatus due to budget concerns. Several aircraft are used including the
Eurocopter AS350 helicopter. The number of tickets written during the operation is generally not enough to negate the cost of operating the aircraft, but police have stated that they are catching drivers committing infractions over a longer stretch of the road. In 2016, Leduc proposed
photo radar speed enforcement on Highway 2 between the south end of the city and Edmonton's southern limit to catch excessive speeders, pending provincial approval. It is already in use within Edmonton and Leduc limits, but it would be the first implementation on Highway 2. Some residents complained that revenue was the main objective of the project. Leduc mayor Greg Krischke said that the project is not a "cash cow" and the primary objective is to reduce excessive speed and increase safety for first responders.
Tailgating was a factor in almost 50% of injury collisions. ==History==