 Highway 28A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Highway 28A highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofHighway 28 | ||||
| Maintained by Alberta Transportation | ||||
| Length | 17.71 km[1] (11.00 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  Highway 15 inEdmonton | |||
| Major intersections |  Highway 37 nearFt. Saskatchewan Highway 643 inGibbons | |||
| North end |  Highway 28 near Gibbons | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Alberta | |||
| Specialized and rural municipalities | Sturgeon County | |||
| Major cities | Edmonton | |||
| Towns | Gibbons | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
| National Highway System | ||||
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 28A, commonly referred to asHighway 28A, is an 18-kilometre (11 mi) highway inAlberta, Canada that connectsHighway 15 in northeastEdmonton toHighway 28 nearGibbons. It is numbered 17 Street NE within Edmonton and forms an alternate route to Highway 28 into the city from the north. As the southernmost component of the Edmonton–Fort McMurray corridor, the highway is designated as a core route of Canada'sNational Highway System for its entire length.
Highway 28A began as a gravel road in the 1930s, formerly designated asHighway 37 which it now intersects at the north Edmonton city limit.Alberta Transportation has plans to upgrade Highways 28 and 28A to adivided highway, with long term plans for afreeway between Edmonton and Fort McMurray.
Like most rural two-lane highways in Alberta, Highway 28A is not acontrolled-access highway, as numerous driveways and local roads intersect it at-grade. Nevertheless, it forms part of the Edmonton-Fort McMurray corridor and is designated as a core route of the National Highway System.[2] The highway begins at an intersection in northeast Edmonton where it splits to the north from Manning Drive (Highway 15) near 227 Avenue.[3] As 17 Street NE, the two-lane highway proceeds through rural residential and agricultural lands north of Edmonton for approximately 3.5 km (2 mi)toHighway 37, crossing intoSturgeon County.[1] It continues north to the town of Gibbons in which it intersects 50 Avenue andHighway 643 (53 Avenue), approximately 37 km (23 mi) north of downtown Edmonton.[4] A bridge carries a branch of theCanadian National Railway over the highway before the road crosses theSturgeon River on aculvert. While crossing the river, the road briefly widens to a divided highway then immediately terminates at atrumpet interchange with Highway 28.[3]
Highway 28A had been in place as a gravel road since at least 1940, then signed as Highway 37 running from Highway 15 to north of Gibbons.[5] At this time, Highway 28 terminated nearBon Accord and did not connect to present day Highway 28A. A route from Mundare toCold Lake viaBrosseau andSt. Paul had already been built by 1930, which later comprised portions of Highway 28 by the mid-1950s.[6][7] The culvert over the Sturgeon River was built in 1970. The railway overpass in Gibbons was constructed in 1973, followed by the Highway 28 interchange in 1974.[8]
Another 46 km (29 mi) section formerly existed betweenAshmont andHoselaw as a bypass ofSt. Paul, forming a shorter route to Cold Lake than Highway 28. As part of an effort to simplify highway route numbering, this section was re-signed as Highway 28 in 2006, when Highway 28 through St. Paul was re-signed asHighway 29.[9]
Alberta Transportation ultimately intends to upgrade the entire Edmonton-Fort McMurray corridor to a divided highway.[10] A functional study which included public consultation was completed in 2011 to develop plans for interchanges and access management along Highway 28A.[4] It calls for potential modifications to the existing interchange at Highway 28, and new interchanges at Highway 643 in Gibbons and Township Road 554 to the south. The highway would be realigned slightly east of Gibbons to allow for widening, necessitating new bridges over the Sturgeon River and a relocation of the Canadian National Railway overpass in Gibbons.[4]
Starting from the south end of Highway 28A:
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km[3] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City ofEdmonton | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 15 (Manning Drive) –Fort Saskatchewan | Begins as 17 Street NE | |
| Sturgeon County | | 3.4 | 2.1 | Highway 37 –Onoway,Fort Saskatchewan | Traffic signals |
| Gibbons | 16.4 | 10.2 | Highway 643 east / 53 Avenue | ||
| 17.7 | 11.0 | Highway 28 –Cold Lake,Fort McMurray,Bon Accord,Edmonton | Trumpet interchange | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Alberta Transportation plans to twin Highway 28 and Highway 28A, running all the way into Edmonton. Functional alignment studies have been completed on all of 28A, and on Highway 28 between Gibbons and Highway 63 as well as from Edmonton to Highway 642, with the last remaining section expected soon.
