Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten provinces of Canada. The system (not a single roadway — the Yellowhead Highway is also part of the system, for example) was approved by the Trans-Canada Highway Act of 1948, opened in 1962, and completed in 1965. The longest continuous stretch of highway in the Trans-Canada Highway system is recognized as the longest national highway in the world, at 7,821 km, taking into account the distance travelled on ferries. The highway system is best known for its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers.

Related Topics:
Provinces - Canada - Yellowhead Highway - 1948 - 1962 - 1965 - Maple leaf

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Unlike the American Interstate highway system, not all of the Trans-Canada Highway uses limited-access freeways, or even four-lane roads, making it more similar to the U.S. Highway system. Canada does not have a comprehensive national highway system, as decisions about highway and freeway construction are entirely under the jurisdiction of the individual provinces. In 2000 and 2001, the government of Jean Chrétien considered funding an infrastructure project to have the full Trans-Canada system converted to freeway. Although freeway construction funding was made available to some provinces for portions of the system, the government ultimately decided not to pursue a comprehensive highway conversion. Opposition to funding the freeway upgrade was due to low traffic levels in parts of the Trans-Canada; provinces preferred the money going towards improving vital trade routes (often not inter-provincial) and border crossings with the United States.

Related Topics:
American - Interstate highway - Freeway - U.S. Highway - 2000 - 2001 - Jean Chrétien

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Route numbering on the Trans-Canada Highway is also handled by the provinces. The Western provinces have coordinated their highway numbers so that the main Trans-Canada line is designated Highway 1 throughout the region. However, from the Manitoba-Ontario border east, highway numbers change at each provincial boundary. As the Trans-Canada is in many places composed from parts of other important highways with their own separate identities (these highways already existed before the Trans-Canada), and the province of Quebec, in particular, is unlikely to change its geographically-based highway numbering system to conform to a cross-Canada numbering scheme, the Trans-Canada Highway will most likely never have a uniform designation across the whole country.

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