Stretch of Highway 1 between Golden, B.C. and Alberta to close for 1 month on Tuesday

A 4.8 kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada highway between Golden, B.C., and the Alberta border will close to traffic for a month starting Tuesday.

The closure is for the fourth and final phase of upgrades to Highway 1 through the Kicking Horse Canyon, which include widening and safety upgrades to the most difficult stretch of the route.

When the project is complete about 25 kilometres of narrow, winding two-lane highway will be upgraded to four lanes, with a 100 kilometre-per-hour standard.

The full closure will be in effect from April 19 to May 20, and drivers will need to detour via Highways 93S and 95, adding about 1.5 hours of travel time on a through trip between Golden and Castle Junction near Lake Louise.

1:02 Construction begins next week on notorious stretch of Highway 1

“During the extended closures, arrangements have been made for brief, limited openings to allow escorted passage through the construction zone for school buses, local commuters, selected deliveries and exceptional, urgent local trips permitted at the Province’s sole discretion,” the Ministry of Transportation said.

The ministry says the route will fully reopen for the Victoria Day long weekend, after which there may be another week with daytime stoppages.

0:58 Drone footage shows massive construction project in Kicking Horse Canyon

Further extended closures are expected at some point between Sept. 15 and Nov. 30, however specific dates have yet to be announced.

The project is expected to be completed in the winter of 2023-24.

In the 2021 budget, the B.C. government earmarked $837 million to four-lane all of Highway 1 from Kamloops to Alberta.