Over the past few years, residents and visitors to Jasper National Park may have noticed Parks Canada has been making investments in park bridges, roads and highways to enhance the visitor experience through improving connections to Jasper’s treasured natural and heritage places.
These improvements have included the replacement of the Cavell Road Bridge, connecting visitors to one of Jasper National Park’s iconic views, the installation of the newly designed, permanent Fifth Bridge, providing year-round pedestrian access to a key access point for a network of hiking trails, and the replacement of the Old Fort Point Bridge.
Parks has also begun to update and replace way-finding signs along trails, major highways and scenic parkways, and there has been paving and rock scaling work on Highway 16, a national transportation corridor, as well as on the Icefields Parkway, one of the premiere scenic drives in Canada.
In the coming weeks, Parks will undertake a variety of highway improvements in Jasper National Park along the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), Highway 93A, and Highway 16. This work is being undertaken now to take advantage of fall weather and minimize impacts to park visitors and the travelling public.
Park visitors can expect speed reductions, reduced lane widths, single lane traffic, and the presence of traffic control personnel until early November.
Icefields Parkway
Rock slope stabilization in the vicinity of the Glacier Skywalk (100 km south of Jasper).
* Ongoing work 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., expect delays of up to 20 minutes.
Paving between Valley of Five Lakes and Athabasca Falls (south of Jasper).
* Sept. 19 to Oct. 31, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days per week, except on Thanksgiving long weekend (Oct. 9–13) when there will be no work taking place.
* Road will be reduced to single lane alternating traffic. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes, occasional stoppages for equipment access, speed reductions and traffic control personnel.
Highway 16
Guardrail replacement from 52.6 km east of Jasper to 24.8 km west of Jasper.
* Beginning Sept. 24, seven days per week; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
* Two-lane traffic will be maintained with reduced width and speed reduced to 50 km/hr. Expect minor delays and traffic control personnel.
Paving 40 km east of Jasper to the East Gate of Jasper National Park.
* Beginning Sept. 22, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days per week, except on Thanksgiving long weekend (Oct. 9-13) when there will be no work taking place.
* Single lane alternating traffic will be maintained throughout the project duration. Expect 20 minute traffic delays, speed reductions and traffic control personnel. Be prepared to stop.
Rehabilitation of two bridges between 9.5 km (Rocky Bridge No.1) and 6.5 km (Rocky Bridge No.2) travelling west on Highway 16 from Miette Hot Springs Road.
* Occurring until Nov. 15, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except on Thanksgiving long weekend (Oct. 9–13) when there will be no work taking place.
* Road will be reduced to single lane with alternating traffic across the bridges. Expect 20-minute delays.
Various Roads
Bridge and culvert inspections on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), Highway 93A, Maligne Lake Road, Jasper Park Lodge Road, Sixth Bridge Campground Road, Snaring River Road, Celestine Lake Road, Miette Hot Springs Road, and Decoigne Warden Station Road.
* Occurring Sept. 14 to Oct. 2, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
* Expect occasional minor delays, speed reductions, single lane traffic, and traffic control personnel.
When visiting or driving through Jasper National Park, please consult the list and map of infrastructure projects on the Jasper National Park website to see if any road or facility work might impact your trip. The list and map can be found at: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/ne/carte-FII-map.aspx#InsfrastructureImprovementList.
Your safety is our priority. Plan your travel, always check ahead:
Visit www.511.alberta.ca, or call 1-855-391-9743 toll-free, or dial 511 (inside Alberta only) for road conditions inside and outside of the mountain parks in Alberta.
Traffic volume and highway conditions outside the park also impact travel times; for B.C. road conditions, check www.drivebc.ca, or call 1-800-550-4997 (toll-free in North America).
Parks Canada appreciates the patience and respect to the safety of work crews that residents and park visitors have demonstrated consistently throughout the construction season. The completion of this work will provide better safety for residents and visitors alike and improve the visitor experience in Jasper’s treasured places for present and future generations.
Parks Canada
Special to the Fitzhugh
