List of Canadian highways by province
Encyclopedia
Numbered highways in Canada
are split by province, and a majority are maintained by their province or territory transportation department. All highways in Canada are numbered except for three in the Northwest Territories, and all in Nunavut; one highway in Alberta, one highway in Ontario, two highways in Quebec, and Ontario's 7000 Series, are not marked with their highway number, but have been assigned one by the transportation department. A number of highways in all provinces are better known by locals by their name rather than their number. Some highways have additional letters added to their number, A is typically an alternate route
, B is typically a business route
, and other letters are used for bypass (truck) routes
, connector routes
, scenic route
s, and spur route
s.
The Trans-Canada Highway
system is the only system made up of federally maintained highways.
All provincial highways in Alberta
are 'Primary Highways'. They are divided into two series', and sub-series'.
Varying between west-east and south-north routes, route numbers in British Columbia
span from 1-118, except for Hwy 395 which is a counterpart of US 395
. The 400 series highways were renumbered in 1973.
(ex: Hwy 97)
are divided into two series.
Provincial highways in New Brunswick
are divided into three series'.
are divided into three seres'.
Provincial highways in Nova Scotia
are divided into five series'.
Provincial highways in Ontario
are divided into four classes.
are divided into three series'.
Provincial highways in Quebec
are divided into three classes. Odd numbers refer to routes that are generally perpendicular to the Saint Lawrence River
. Even numbers refer to routes that are generally parallel to the Saint Lawrence River.
are divided into three seres', and sub-series'.
. All eight are named and numbered 1-8. There is also the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road
which extends the Dempster Highway
(Highway 8), the Mackenzie Valley winter road system that extends Northwest Territories Highway 1, the Tlicho winter road system extending from the Yellowknife Highway
and the Ingraham Trail
, and the Dettah Ice Road extending from Yellowknife to the community of Dettah.
, none are yet numbered.
. All fourteen are named and numbered 1-11, 14-15, & 37.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
are split by province, and a majority are maintained by their province or territory transportation department. All highways in Canada are numbered except for three in the Northwest Territories, and all in Nunavut; one highway in Alberta, one highway in Ontario, two highways in Quebec, and Ontario's 7000 Series, are not marked with their highway number, but have been assigned one by the transportation department. A number of highways in all provinces are better known by locals by their name rather than their number. Some highways have additional letters added to their number, A is typically an alternate route
Alternate route
An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Route system and various state route systems...
, B is typically a business route
Business route
A business route in the United States and Canada is a short special route connected to a parent numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or town, and finally reconnecting with the same parent numbered highway again at its...
, and other letters are used for bypass (truck) routes
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
, connector routes
Connector (road)
A connector is a highway or freeway road that connects to another highway or freeway. It can be part of an interchange such as the MacArthur Maze or a longer roadway such as the 13 mi Interstate 635 ....
, scenic route
Scenic route
A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty...
s, and spur route
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
s.
Classifications
This is a breakdown of the classifications of highways in each province, and an example shield of each classification where available.Trans-Canada
The Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
system is the only system made up of federally maintained highways.
- Trans Canada (Main) Route
- Yellowhead Route (ex:Hwy 5)
Alberta
All provincial highways in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
are 'Primary Highways'. They are divided into two series', and sub-series'.
- 1-216 Series — core highway network
- Hwy 1-100 — intercity (Hwy 100 is unmarked, ex:Hwy 2)
- Hwy 201, 216 — orbital routes (ex:Hwy 216)
- 500-986 Series — local highways
- Hwy 500-699 — west-east routes (ex:Hwy 501Alberta Highway 501Alberta Provincial Highway No. 501 is a highway in the province of Alberta, Canada. It runs west-east from Highway 5 east of Mountain View as gravel to Cardston, then pavement through Del Bonita and Milk River to Highway 879, then gravel again to the Saskatchewan border.It is also known as 9 Avenue...
) - Hwy 700-899 — south-north routes (ex:Hwy 881Alberta Highway 881Alberta Provincial Highway No. 881 is a highway in the province of Alberta, Canada. It runs south-north in two sections, from Highway 13 in Hardisty to Highway 55, then from Highway 55 in Lac La Biche to Highway 63 south of Fort McMurray. There is a break between the two sections, where Highway 55...
) - 900 and X series — potential realignments and extensions (ex:Hwy 986Alberta Highway 986Alberta Provincial Highway No. 986 is an east-west highway in northern Alberta, Canada. It spans approximately from Highway 35 to Highway 88 ....
)
- Hwy 500-699 — west-east routes (ex:Hwy 501
British Columbia
Varying between west-east and south-north routes, route numbers in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
span from 1-118, except for Hwy 395 which is a counterpart of US 395
U.S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border near Laurier, where the road becomes Highway 395 upon entering British Columbia. At one time, the...
. The 400 series highways were renumbered in 1973.
(ex: Hwy 97)
Manitoba
Provincial Trunk Highways (PTH) in ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
are divided into two series.
- PTH 1-199 — primary routes
- PTH 1-89 — intercity (ex:PTH 75)
- PTH 100, 101, 110 — loop routes (ex:Perimeter HighwayPerimeter Highway (Winnipeg)Provincial Trunk Highways 100 and 101 form a beltway around Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Perimeter is approximately long...
)
- PR 200-699 — secondary routes
New Brunswick
Provincial highways in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
are divided into three series'.
- Route 1-99 — arterial highways (ex:Route 11New Brunswick Route 11Route 11 is a provincial highway in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada. The 430-kilometre long road runs from Shediac to the Quebec border near Campbellton at the Interprovinciale Bridge, following the province's eastern and northern coastlines....
) - Route 100-199 — collector highways (ex:Route 108New Brunswick Route 108Route 108 is a highway in New Brunswick, Canada; running from Trans-Canada Highway exit 75 near Grand Falls to Route 8 exit 163 at Derby Junction ; a distance of 202.9 kilometres.- Routing :...
) - Route 200-999 — local highways (ex:Route 275New Brunswick Route 275Route 275 is a local highway in northeast New Brunswick, Canada .-Communities along Route 275:* Glencoe* Val-Melanson* Saint-Arthur* McKendrick* Maltais* Blair Athol* Upper Balmoral* Balmoral* Selwood* Eel River Crossing* Darlington...
)
Newfoundland and Labrador
Provincial highways in Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
are divided into three seres'.
- Main highways
- Routes 1, 210, 230, 320, 330, 340, 360, 410, 430, 480, 500, and 510
- Regional roads are numbered by region
- Route 2-203 — Avalon Peninsula
- Route 204-205, 230-239 — Bonavista Peninsula
- Route 210-222 — Burin Peninsula
- Route 301-346 — Kittiwake Coast, Fogo Island, & Twillingate
- Route 350-371 — Exploits River Valley & Bay d'Espoir
- Route 380-392, 410-419 — Baie Verte
- Route 401, 420-438 — Great Northern Peninsula
- Route 402-407, 440-490 — Western Newfoundland
- Route 500-520 — Labrador
- Local highways are based on intersecting primary routes and numbered with extension (i.e. 210-1)
Nova Scotia
Provincial highways in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
are divided into five series'.
- 100 Series — arterial highways (ex:Hwy 102Nova Scotia Highway 102Highway 102 is a north-south freeway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia that runs from Halifax to Truro. It is the busiest highway in Atlantic Canada....
) - Trunk Highways (ex:Trunk 4)
- Route 200-399 — collector highways (ex:Route 221Nova Scotia Route 221Route 221 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in Kings County and Annapolis County in the Annapolis Valley and connects Kingsport to Spa Springs....
) - Scenic Routes are unnumbered
- Local roads are unnumbered
Ontario
Provincial highways in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
are divided into four classes.
- Hwy 2-148, 400-427 — King's (primary) highways
- Hwy 2-148 — intercity (ex:Hwy 11Highway 11 (Ontario)King's Highway 11 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province after Highway 17. Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie, and arches through northern Ontario, around Lake Superior, to the Ontario–Minnesota border...
) - 400-series400-series highways (Ontario)The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the British Motorway...
highways (Hwy 451 is unmarked, ex:Hwy 401Highway 401 (Ontario)King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
)
- Hwy 2-148 — intercity (ex:Hwy 11
- Hwy 500-699 — secondary highways (ex:Hwy 540)
- Hwy 800-813 — tertiary highways (ex:Hwy 811Highway 811 (Ontario)Tertiary Highway 811, commonly referred to as Highway 811, is the longest of Ontario's tertiary highways, and the highest posted route number in the province. The route encounters no named roads along its route, aside from its eastern terminus at Secondary Highway 527. It extends westward into the...
) - 7000-series — resource & industrial roads (unmarked)
Prince Edward Island
Provincial highways in Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
are divided into three series'.
- Route 1-4 — primary highways
- Route 4-25 — secondary highways
- Local highways are numbered by county
- Route 101-199 — Prince County
- Route 201-299 — Queens County
- Route 301-399 — Kings County
Quebec
Provincial highways in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
are divided into three classes. Odd numbers refer to routes that are generally perpendicular to the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. Even numbers refer to routes that are generally parallel to the Saint Lawrence River.
- Autoroutes — expressways (Route 920 & Route 973 are unmarked, ex:Autoroute 20Quebec Autoroute 20Autoroute 20 is a major Quebec Autoroute, following the Saint Lawrence River through one of the more densely-populated parts of Canada, and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway. At , it is the longest Autoroute in Quebec...
)- Route numbers for bypasses and spurs take on a prefix (4nn-9nn)
- 100-series — primary highways (ex:Route 138Quebec route 138Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the Saint Lawrence River past Montreal to the eastern terminus in Natashquan on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal...
) - Secondary routes
- 200-series — south of the Saint Lawrence River (ex:Route 263Quebec route 263Route 263 is a two-lane north/south highway on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its northern terminus is in the community of Gentilly, part of Bécancour at the junction of Route 132, and the southern terminus is at the junction of Route 161 close to...
) - 300-series — north of the Saint Lawrence River (ex:Route 348Quebec Route 348Route 348 is a provincial highway located in the Lanaudière and Mauricie regions of Quebec. It runs from the junction of Route 125 just west of Rawdon and ends at Route 138 in Louiseville...
)
- 200-series — south of the Saint Lawrence River (ex:Route 263
Saskatchewan
Provincial highways in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
are divided into three seres', and sub-series'.
- Hwy 1-99 — primary highways (ex:Hwy 11Saskatchewan Highway 11Highway 11 is a major north-south highway in Saskatchewan, Canada that connects the province's three largest cities: Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. It is a structural pavement major arterial highway which is approximately long. It is also known as the Louis Riel Trail after the 19th century...
) - Hwy 100-399 — secondary highways which are spurs of primary highways
- Hwy 102-167 — northern routes
- Hwy 201-271 — routes to recreational areas
- Hwy 301-397 — routes to minor communities
- Hwy 600-799, 900-999 — minor highways
- Hwy 600-699 — south-north highways
- Hwy 700-799 — west-east highways
- Hwy 900-999 — northern or isolated roads
Northwest Territories
There are currently eight territorial highways in the Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. All eight are named and numbered 1-8. There is also the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road
Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road
The Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road is an ice road on frozen Mackenzie River delta channels and the frozen Arctic Ocean between the Northwest Territories communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, in Canada. It exists in the winter only...
which extends the Dempster Highway
Dempster Highway
The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon, Canada to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta...
(Highway 8), the Mackenzie Valley winter road system that extends Northwest Territories Highway 1, the Tlicho winter road system extending from the Yellowknife Highway
Yellowknife Highway
Highway 3, known more commonly as the Yellowknife Highway, but also the Great Slave Highway, connects Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Highway 1, from a junction north of the Alberta border. Built in 1968, the highway is now completely paved and realigned after years of work concluded in...
and the Ingraham Trail
Ingraham Trail
Highway 4, known more commonly as the Ingraham Trail, extends from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Tibbitt Lake, approximately east of Yellowknife...
, and the Dettah Ice Road extending from Yellowknife to the community of Dettah.
Nunavut
There are a number of roads and highways in NunavutNunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, none are yet numbered.
Yukon
There are currently fourteen territorial highways in YukonYukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. All fourteen are named and numbered 1-11, 14-15, & 37.