 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 inGreen Court | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| East end |   Highway 63 /Highway 656 nearThorhild | |||
| 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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Highway 18 is a 161-kilometre (100 mi) highway inAlberta, Canada. It stretches fromHighway 43 at the hamlet ofGreen Court, through the towns ofBarrhead andWestlock, toHighway 63 east of the hamlet ofThorhild.[2]
Highway 18 begins northwest of the town ofMayerthorpe at the junction of Highway 43 at the hamlet of Green Court. It proceeds east for 8 km (5 mi), crossing the terminus ofHighway 22 prior to reachingHighway 757. It turns north for a few kilometres and bends east again until it crossesHighway 764, then curves north again.[1]
The jog in the road skirtsThunder Lake Provincial Park to the north. Upon reachingHighway 763, Highway 18 turns east to the Town ofBarrhead where it meetsHighway 33. The two highways runconcurrently 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 towardsNeerlandia, 2 km (1 mi) east of this intersection.[1]
Highway 18 then crossesHighways 776 and777 before it reachesWestlock atHighway 44, some 103 km (64 mi) from the starting point. It continues east, crossingHighway 2 atClyde at an intersection known as "Clyde Corner". The highway goes through Thorhild as it crossesHighway 827 and proceeds west until it reaches Highways 63 and656 where it ends.[1]
Highway 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 toSwan Hills.[5] Inc. 1977, the 97 km (60 mi) section of Highway 18 between Barrhead and Swan Hills was renumbered toHighway 33, whileSecondary Highway 655 between Barrhead and Thunder Lake Provincial Park, as well asSecondary Highway 656 between Clyde andHighway 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 asSecondary Highway 918,[7] and was upgraded and paved throughout the 1980s, becoming part of Highway 18 inc. 1987.[8]
From 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 | Highway 18 western terminus |
| | 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 | |
| Campsie | 47.7 | 29.6 |  Highway 763 north /PAR 107 west –Fort Assiniboine,Thunder Lake Provincial Park | ||
| Barrhead | 65.6 | 40.8 |  Highway 33 south (49 Street) / 53 Avenue –Gunn,Edmonton | West end of Highway 33 concurrency | |
| Barrhead County | | 68.9 | 42.8 | Highway 33 north –Swan Hills | East end of Highway 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 thePembina River | |||
| 91.4 | 56.8 |  Highway 777 south –Highridge | |||
| Westlock | 106.3 | 66.1 |  Highway 44 (104 Avenue) –Slave Lake,High Prairie,Edmonton | ||
| Westlock County | | 117.7 | 73.1 |  Highway 2 south –Edmonton | West end of Highway 2 concurrency |
| Clyde | 119.4 | 74.2 | Highway 2 north –Athabasca | East end of Highway 2 concurrency | |
| Thorhild County | Thorhild | 154.3 | 95.9 |  Highway 827 (2nd Street) | |
| | 160.8 | 99.9 | Highway 63 –Lac La Biche,Fort McMurray,EdmontonHighway 656 east | Highway 18 eastern terminus; continues as Highway 656 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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