A new wildlife overpass on the Trans-Canada Highway, near Lac des Arcs — about an hour west of Calgary — was officially opened on Friday morning and named in honour of former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed.
Lougheed was instrumental in the establishment of Kananaskis Country, a network of provincial parks and wildlands, a half-century ago.
The 4,000-square-kilometre network area of the eastern Rocky Mountains and foothills also encompasses the area where the wildlife overpass is located.
Construction of the $17.5-million overpass began in 2022 and was completed last year, on time and on budget, according to the province.
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It is the first wildlife overpass to be constructed outside of a national park in Alberta.
The overpass, located on the northern tip of Kananaskis Country, provides a gateway for wildlife to cross the Trans Canada Highway safely.
It is one of the busiest wildlife corridors in the region, as bears, elk, deer, lynx and other animals travel between the mountains, the foothills and valleys below.
The new crossing is expected to reduce collisions with wildlife by an estimated 80 per cent.
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