Alberta Provincial Highway No. 55, commonly referred to as Highway 55, is a long east–west highway in northeast
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada.
It extends from the
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
border in the east through the
Cold Lake,
Lac La Biche, and
Athabasca
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may a ...
where it ends at
Highway 2. In Saskatchewan, it continues as
Saskatchewan Highway 55.
The entire length of Highway 55 comprises the easternmost segment of Alberta's portion of the
Northern Woods and Water Route
The Northern Woods and Water Route is a route through northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada. As early as the 1950s, community groups came together to establish a northern travel route; this was proposed ...
(NWWR). West of Athabasca, the Northern Woods and Water Route continues westward along Highway 2 and then
Highway 49.
History
The original designation Highway 55 was a long north-south highway that appeared on maps in the mid-1950s and connected
Fort Saskatchewan
Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmo ...
with
Highway 16, just east of
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
.
In 1973, Alberta established its secondary highway system along mostly existing unimproved roads, with ''
Secondary Highway 662'' running between
Highway 36 and Cold Lake, and ''
Secondary Highway 664'' running between Athabasca and
Donatville.
The idea of a northern highway corridor between
Dawson Creek, British Columbia and
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
was originally lobbied by George Stevenson, a retired
CN employee who lived in
McLennan, Alberta
McLennan is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is approximately north of High Prairie on Highway 2.
Named after John K. McLennan, vice president of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway on what used to be a community known as ...
. The communities along the proposed corridor supported his idea and eventually resulted in the incorporation of the Northern Woods and Water Route Association in the
western provinces
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada– ...
1974.
As part of establishing the corridor in northeastern Alberta, two secondary highways (662 and 664), along with
Highway 28X and a portion of
Highway 46 were renumbered to Highway 55 in , matching Saskatchewan Highway 55, while the original route east of Edmonton became part of
Highway 21.
Highway 55 was paved throughout the 1980s.
;Former Highways
Major intersections
From west to east:
References
External links
Northern Woods and Water Route
{{Alberta Provincial Highways, Hwy=yes
055
Northern Woods and Water Route
Athabasca, Alberta
Cold Lake, Alberta