 Highway 3A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofHighway 3 | ||||
| Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors | ||||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Alberta | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Highway 3A is the designation of fouralternate routes ofHighway 3 in southernAlberta, Canada.[1] All four segments are former alignments of Highway 3, also known as theCrowsnest Highway.
Highway 3A | |
|---|---|
| Location | M.D. Pincher Creek No. 9 |
| Length | 3.6 km[2] (2.2 mi) |
| Existed | 1967– |
From west to east, the first segment of Highway 3A begins west of the Highway 3 intersection withHighway 22, east ofBurmis, and ends east of the same intersection with Highway 22, west ofLundbreck. This 3.6 km (2.2 mi) segment crosses theCrowsnest River and provides a viewing opportunity ofLundbreck Falls.[2] The highway was formed in 1967 when Highway 3 was realigned across a new bridge over Crowsnest River.
Highway 3A | |
|---|---|
| Location | M.D. Willow Creek No. 26 |
| Length | 6.8 km[2] (4.2 mi) |
| Existed | 1996– |
The second segment is 6.8 km (4.2 mi) in length, beginning 21 km (13 mi) east ofFort Macleod. Highway 3A splits to the north from Highway 3 and runs through the Hamlet ofMonarch along theCanadian Pacific Railway tracks, before merging withHighway 23 and rejoining Highway 3 at a point 19 km (12 mi) west ofLethbridge.[2] The highway was commissioned in 1996 when Highway 3 was twinned and realigned in the area.
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.D. of Willow Creek No. 26 | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  Highway 3 –Lethbridge,Fort Macleod | |
| M.D. of Willow Creek No. 26–Lethbridge County boundary | | 1.5 | 0.93 | CrossesOldman River | |
| Lethbridge County | Monarch | 5.5 | 3.4 |  Highway 23 north –Vulcan | Interchange; west end of Highway 23 concurrency |
| 6.8 | 4.2 | Highway 3 east –Lethbridge | Partial interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; east end of Highway 23 concurrency | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Highway 3A | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lethbridge County |
| Length | 0.65 km[2] (0.40 mi; 2,100 ft) |
| Existed | 1966– |
The third segment of Highway 3A provides access toWest Lethbridge. It diverges from Highway 3 southeast ofCoalhurst, in the form of aY interchange running for only 650 m (2,130 ft) in theLethbridge County before ending atLethbridge city limits and continuing as Westside Drive;[2] essentially the area inside the provincially maintained interchangeright-of-way,[1] and is unsigned. It is a remnant of a larger 6 km (4 mi) route that followed present-day Westside Drive and Bridge Drive and was the original western approach the Highway 3 bridge over theOldman River; it was commissioned in 1966 when Highway 3 twinned and realigned.[3][4] All but the extreme western portion of the route was decomissied when the area was annexed by the City of Lethbridge in the mid-1980s.[5]
Highway 3A | |
|---|---|
| Location | Taber M.D. |
| Existed | 2000– |
The fourth and easternmost segment is also an original alignment of Highway 3, passing through the centre ofBarnwell. The town was bypassed to the south in 2000 whentwinning of Highway 3 was extended toTaber.[6][2]
In 2000, Alberta Transportation completed a bypass of the community by relocating Highway 3 to the south of the community which has removed a significant amount of traffic from the Village.
