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Part of Central region

Highway 2 improvements in the Red Deer area

This project will widen sections of Highway 2 (QE2) in and around the City of Red Deer.

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Central region

Overview

Highway 2, also known as the Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) highway, is the busiest provincial highway in central Alberta. This highway is a major component of the Edmonton-Red Deer-Calgary corridor, which serves millions of Albertans. This project includes various improvements to approximately 11 km of Highway 2 in the Red Deer area. This work will support enhanced highway capacity and improve safety.

Project map of the Highway 2 improvements in Red Deer.
Figure 1. Project map: Highway 2 Improvements – Red Deer

Project details

The project will be completed in 3 sections, which are in various stages of development.

  • Section A: Replacing the overpass over the Canadian National (CN) railway line

    This section includes replacing the existing Highway 2 overpass over the Canadian National (CN) railway line, north of Red Deer. Two new,  3-lane bridges will replace the existing pair of two-lane bridges built in the early 1960s. The new bridges will be built to the outside of the existing bridges. The highway will be realigned onto the new bridges and widened to three lanes in each direction.

  • Section B: Widening: 4 to 6 lanes, north of Highway 11 interchange

    This section includes widening the highway from 4 lanes to 6 (3 in each direction) from the north side of Highway 11 interchange up to 2 kilometres, north of the Highway 11A interchange. 

  • Section C: Widening: 4 to 8 lanes (32 to 67 Street) and replacing the Red Deer River bridges

    This section is the largest and most complex part of project. In addition to widening the highway between the 32 Street and 67 Street interchanges, the two existing Red Deer River bridges will be replaced. These 2-lane river bridges were built in the early 1960s and will be replaced by two new, wider structures, both to be located east of the existing bridges. 

    This stretch of the highway will be realigned with the new bridges with 3 travel lanes and an additional auxiliary lane in each direction, between the 32 Street and 67 Street interchanges, for a total of 8 lanes. The new highway alignment will feature gentler horizontal and vertical curves for better sightlines, providing a smoother and safer drive through the river valley. The Highway 11 westbound bridge will also be replaced as part of this work.

Timeline

Section A

  • Design is complete and tendering is anticipated to be complete in 2025.
  • Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2025 and take about a year to complete.

Section B

  • Design is currently underway and anticipated to conclude in 2026.
  • Construction is not yet on the Provincial Construction Program.

Section C

  • Design is currently underway and anticipated to conclude in 2027.
  • Construction is not yet on the Provincial Construction Program.

Public engagement

If you are interested in learning more about this project, join the project team at an upcoming Public Information Session:

Tuesday, July 15 at 7 pm
iHOTEL & Conference Centre
6500 67 Street, Red Deer

View the information session presentation.

Contact

Connect with the project team:
Email: [email protected]

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