Highway 18 is a 161-kilometre (100 mi) highway in Alberta, Canada. It stretches from Highway 43 at the hamlet of Green Court, through the towns of Barrhead and Westlock, to Highway 63 east of the hamlet of Thorhild.[2]
 Highway 18 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors | ||||
| Length | 160.8 km[1] (99.9 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  Highway 43 in Green Court | |||
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| East end |   Highway 63 / Highway 656 near Thorhild | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Alberta | |||
| Specialized and rural municipalities | Lac Ste. Anne County, Barrhead No. 11 County, Westlock County, Thorhild County | |||
| Towns | Barrhead, Westlock | |||
| Villages | Clyde | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
editHighway 18 begins northwest of the town of Mayerthorpe at the junction of Highway 43 at the hamlet of Green Court. It proceeds east for 8 km (5 mi), crossing the terminus of Highway 22 prior to reaching Highway 757. It turns north for a few kilometres and bends east again until it crosses Highway 764, then curves north again.[1]
The jog in the road skirts Thunder Lake Provincial Park to the north. Upon reaching Highway 763, Highway 18 turns east to the Town of Barrhead where it meets Highway 33. The two highways run concurrently to the north for approximately 5 km (3 mi) until a T–intersection north of town. Highway 18 then turns east from this intersection while Highway 33 turns west. Highway 769 branches to the north towards Neerlandia, 2 km (1 mi) east of this intersection.[1]
Highway 18 then crosses Highways 776 and 777 before it reaches Westlock at Highway 44, some 103 km (64 mi) from the starting point. It continues east, crossing Highway 2 at Clyde at an intersection known as "Clyde Corner". The highway goes through Thorhild as it crosses Highway 827 and proceeds west until it reaches Highways 63 and 656 where it ends.[1]
History
editHighway 18 originally was a connection between Highway 2 at Clyde Corner and the towns of Westlock and Barrhead.[3] In the 1940s it was extended northwest from Barrhead to Fort Assiniboine,[4] and then in 1960 to Swan Hills.[5] In c. 1977, the 97 km (60 mi) section of Highway 18 between Barrhead and Swan Hills was renumbered to Highway 33, while Secondary Highway 655 between Barrhead and Thunder Lake Provincial Park, as well as Secondary Highway 656 between Clyde and Highway 46 (present-day Highway 63) west of Thorhild became part of Highway 18.[6][7] Around the same time, gravel roads between Thunder Lake and Green Court were designated as Secondary Highway 918,[7] and was upgraded and paved throughout the 1980s, becoming part of Highway 18 in c. 1987.[8]
Major intersections
editFrom west to east:[9]
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lac Ste. Anne County | Green Court | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 43 – Whitecourt, Grande Prairie, Edmonton | |
| | 6.6 | 4.1 |  Highway 22 south – Mayerthorpe | ||
| 22.7 | 14.1 |  Highway 757 south – Sangudo | |||
| Barrhead County | | 43.7 | 27.2 |  Highway 764 south – Cherhill | Hwy 18 turns north |
| Campsie | 47.7 | 29.6 |  Highway 763 north / PAR 107 west – Fort Assiniboine, Thunder Lake Provincial Park | Hwy 18 branches east | |
| Barrhead | 65.6 | 40.8 |  Highway 33 south (49 Street) / 53 Avenue – Gunn, Edmonton | Hwy 18 branches north; west end of Hwy 33 concurrency | |
| | 68.9 | 42.8 | Highway 33 north – Swan Hills | Hwy 18 branches east; east end of Hwy 33 concurrency | |
| 70.5 | 43.8 |  Highway 769 north – Neerlandia, Vega | |||
| Westlock County | | 85.9 | 53.4 |  Highway 776 north | |
| 89.9 | 55.9 | Crosses the Pembina River | |||
| 91.4 | 56.8 |  Highway 777 south – Highridge | |||
| Westlock | 106.3 | 66.1 |  Highway 44 (104 Avenue) – Slave Lake, High Prairie, Edmonton | ||
| | 117.7 | 73.1 |  Highway 2 south – Edmonton | West end of Hwy 2 concurrency | |
| Clyde | 119.4 | 74.2 | Highway 2 north – Athabasca | Hwy 18 branches east; east end of Hwy 2 concurrency | |
| Thorhild County | Thorhild | 154.3 | 95.9 |  Highway 827 (2nd Street) | |
| | 160.8 | 99.9 | Highway 63 – Lac La Biche, Fort McMurray, Edmonton Highway 656 east to Highway 831 | Continues east as Hwy 656 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Highway 18 in Alberta" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
- ^ "2015 Provincial Highway 1-216 Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ Department of Public Works (1939). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Province of Alberta. §§ D-5, E-5.
- ^ The H.M. Gousha Company (1951). Shell Map of Montana (Map). The Shell Oil Company. Southern Alberta inset. §§ C-4, D-4, D-5.
- ^ Pipeline to the Past : the history of Swan Hills and district. Swan Hills, AB: Swan Hills Historical Society. 1994. pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-55056-153-7.
- ^ Travel Alberta (1976–1977). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). Province of Alberta. §§ H-4, H-5, I-4, I-5, I-6.
- ^ a b Travel Alberta (1978–1979). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). Province of Alberta. §§ H-4, H-5, I-4, I-5, I-6.
- ^ Travel Alberta (1988). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). The Province of Alberta. §§ I-4, I-5.
- ^ Alberta Road Atlas (2005 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. pp. 55, 56, 57.