What was the Trans-Canada Highway?

The Trans-Canada Highway is the 8,030-kilometre national highway running from St. John's, Newfoundland in the east to Victoria, British Columbia in the west. It was authorised by the federal Trans-Canada Highway Act (13 George VI, c. 1) of December 10, 1949, signed by Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent. The highway was substantially completed by 1962 when Prime Minister John Diefenbaker officially opened the route at Rogers Pass, British Columbia on September 3, 1962. Final completion came in 1971 when the last unpaved sections were asphalted. The highway is one of the longest national highways in the world.

The federal Trans-Canada Highway Act provided for federal-provincial cost-sharing of construction. The federal government paid 50 per cent of the cost (later increased to 90 per cent in difficult terrain). Provinces controlled construction within their boundaries. The total federal contribution was about 825 million dollars by 1971. The Trans-Canada Highway was designed as a continuous paved two-lane (later upgraded to four-lane in many sections) all-weather highway. It became the most ambitious federal-provincial infrastructure project of the post-war period.

The route runs through all ten provinces, though it has multiple branches in Ontario, Quebec, and the prairie provinces. The principal route runs from St. John's via Newfoundland's Highway 1, the Newfoundland-Nova Scotia ferry from Port aux Basques to North Sydney, Cape Breton Island via Highway 105, the Canso Causeway, mainland Nova Scotia (Highway 104), New Brunswick (Highway 2), Quebec (Highway 20 and Highway 40), Ontario (Highway 17, with the Highway 11 alternative across northern Ontario), Manitoba (Highway 1), Saskatchewan (Highway 1), Alberta (Highway 1, with the Highway 16 Yellowhead alternative), British Columbia (Highway 1), and ending at Victoria via the BC Ferries from Vancouver. The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) provides a northern alternative through Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.

The Trans-Canada Highway transformed Canadian tourism, regional economies, and national identity. The Trans-Canada became the first year-round all-weather road link between eastern and western Canada (until then, road travel between Ontario and the prairies required passage through the United States). Communities on the route, including Banff, Lake Louise, Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, Thunder Bay, Brandon, Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, and Revelstoke, became established tourism destinations. The September 3, 1962 opening at Rogers Pass marked the completion of the Selkirk Mountains section, the last major gap. Diefenbaker spoke at the ceremony. The highway is marked by the iconic green-and-white maple leaf shield and the 'Trans-Canada / Trans-Canadienne' designation. The Trans-Canada Trail (Great Trail), a parallel multi-use recreational trail, was largely completed in 2017.