Alberta Highway 13
 Highway 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Highway 13 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Alberta Transportation, the City of Wetaskiwin, and the City of Camrose | ||||
| Length | 366.0 km[1] (227.4 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Range Road 74 near Alder Flats | |||
| ||||
| East end |  Highway 14 near Hayter at the Saskatchewan border | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Alberta | |||
| Specialized and rural municipalities | Wetaskiwin No. 10 County, Camrose County, Flagstaff County, Provost No. 52 M.D. | |||
| Major cities | Wetaskiwin, Camrose | |||
| Towns | Daysland, Killam, Sedgewick, Hardisty, Provost | |||
| Villages | Bittern Lake, Bawlf, Lougheed, Amisk, Hughenden | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Highway 13 is an east–west highway through central Alberta. It runs from Alder Flats, 7 km (4 mi) west of Highway 22, to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, where it becomes Saskatchewan Highway 14.[2] Highway 13 is about 366 kilometres (227 mi) long.[1] East of the City of Wetaskiwin, it generally parallels the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Prairie North Line.
Route description
[edit]From the west, Highway 13 begins at Alder Flats before intersecting Highway 22.[3] It continues east, passing south of Buck Lake and Winfield before crossing Highway 20.[1] The highway then passes south of Battle Lake, the headwaters of the Battle River, before crossing the river between Highway 20 and Westerose. The Battle River drains approximately 30,000 km² of central Alberta and Saskatchewan and is the largest tributary of the North Saskatchewan River;[4] it was named after battles between Cree and Blackfoot peoples along its banks.[5] The highway continues south of Pigeon Lake, passing through the hamlets of Westerose and Falun prior to intersecting Highway 2 (Queen Elizabeth II Highway), approximately 51 km (32 mi) south of Edmonton.[6][1]
East of Highway 2, Highway 13 enters Wetaskiwin as 40 Avenue and turns north along Highway 2A (56 Street). At the north side of Wetaskiwin, it turns east and passes north of Gwynne through Bittern Lake. After crossing Highway 21, it enters Camrose as 48 Avenue.[6]
East of Camrose, Highway 13 travels generally southeast, passing by Ohaton, Bawlf, Daysland and Strome prior to an intersection with Highway 36 (Veterans Memorial Highway) in Killam. The highway continues southeast passing by Sedgewick, Lougheed, and Hardisty. East of Hardisty, it crosses the Battle River a second time. Hardisty is home to a major crude oil terminal that can store up to 16 million barrels and handles approximately 3.5 million barrels per day, served by several major pipelines including the Enbridge Mainline and the Athabasca Pipeline.[7] The highway continues past Amisk and Hughenden, crossing Highway 41 north of Czar. The road travels by Metiskow, through Provost, and by Hayter. Upon entering Saskatchewan, Highway 13 continues as Saskatchewan Highway 14 to Saskatoon.[6][1]
History
[edit]The section of Highway 13 from Wetaskiwin to Winfield was originally designated as Highway 19, but was renumbered in the late 1960s.[8][9] Highway 13 was extended further west to Alder Flats in c. 1979 when Highway 612 was renumbered, coinciding with the commissioning of Highway 22 north of Cremona.[10][11]
Major intersections
[edit]From west to east:[12]
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County of Wetaskiwin No. 10 | Alder Flats | 0.0 | 0.0 | Range Road 74 / Township Road 460 | Western terminus |
| | 6.5 | 4.0 |  Highway 22 – Drayton Valley, Rocky Mountain House | ||
| 11.3 | 7.0 | Range Road 63 – Buck Lake | |||
| 20.6 | 12.8 |  Highway 761 north | |||
| Winfield | 39.1 | 24.3 | UAR 175 north | ||
| | 39.9 | 24.8 |  Highway 20 – Breton, Rimbey | ||
| 59.3 | 36.8 | Crosses Battle River | |||
| 63.7 | 39.6 |  Highway 771 – Pigeon Lake Provincial Park | |||
| Westerose | 69.7 | 43.3 |  Highway 13A east – Ma-Me-O Beach | ||
| | 74.6 | 46.4 | Highway 13A west – Ma-Me-O Beach | ||
| Falun | 82.0 | 51.0 |  Highway 795 – Calmar | ||
| | 92.3 | 57.4 |  Highway 2 – Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary | Interchange; Highway 2 exit 295 | |
| City of Wetaskiwin | 109.5 | 68.0 |  56 Street (Highway 2A south) – Ponoka 40 Avenue (Highway 613 east) | West end of Highway 2A concurrency; former Highway 13A east | |
| 112.7 | 70.0 | Highway 2A north – Leduc, Edmonton | East end of Highway 2A concurrency | ||
| 114.3 | 71.0 |   Highway 814 north / 47 Street – Beaumont | Former Highway 13A west; passes Wetaskiwin Hospital | ||
| County of Wetaskiwin No. 10 | | 124.9 | 77.6 |  Highway 822 | |
| Gwynne | 126.0 | 78.3 | UAR 189 south | ||
| Camrose County | Bittern Lake | 136.0 | 84.5 | ||
| Ervick | 143.4 | 89.1 |  Highway 21 – Edmonton, Three Hills | Roundabout | |
| City of Camrose | 149.8 | 93.1 | 68 Street (Highway 13A east) – Thru Traffic | Bypass route | |
| 151.8 | 94.3 |  51 Street (Highway 833 north) | |||
| 153.7 | 95.5 |  Highway 26 east – Viking | |||
| 155.9 | 96.9 | Highway 13A west (Camrose Drive) – Thru Traffic | Bypass route | ||
| Camrose County | | 160.8 | 99.9 |  Highway 56 – Tofield, Stettler | Roundabout; former Highway 834 north |
| Ohaton | 164.4 | 102.2 | Range Road 192 – Round Hill | ||
| Bawlf | 180.3 | 112.0 |  Highway 854 – Ryley, Rosalind | ||
| Flagstaff County | Daysland | 194.5 | 120.9 |  Highway 855 north – Holden | West end of Highway 855 concurrency |
| | 196.2 | 121.9 | Highway 855 south – Heisler, Forestburg | East end of Highway 855 concurrency | |
| Strome | 209.0 | 129.9 |  Highway 856 south – Forestburg | ||
| Killam | 223.7 | 139.0 |  Highway 36 – Viking, Castor | ||
| Sedgewick | 234.3 | 145.6 |  Highway 869 north | ||
| Lougheed | 246.5 | 153.2 |  Highway 870 north – Kinsella | ||
| | 257.7 | 160.1 |  Highway 872 south – Coronation | ||
| Hardisty | 263.6 | 163.8 |  Highway 881 north – Irma | ||
| | 265.6 | 165.0 | Crosses Battle River | ||
| M.D. of Provost No. 52 | Amisk | 284.4 | 176.7 |  Highway 884 south – Veteran | |
| Hughenden | 294.1 | 182.7 |  Highway 603 west / UAR 86 east | ||
| | 305.1 | 189.6 |  Highway 41 – Czar, Consort, Wainwright | ||
| 320.4 | 199.1 | UAR 87 south – Metiskow | |||
| 332.9 | 206.9 | Range Road 41 – Cadogan | Former UAR 108 south | ||
| Provost | 348.0 | 216.2 |  Highway 899 north – Ribstone Highway 600 west – Cadogan | West end of Highway 899 concurrency | |
| 349.6 | 217.2 | Highway 899 south – Bodo | East end of Highway 899 concurrency | ||
| Hayter | 358.6 | 222.8 | |||
| | 366.0 | 227.4 | Highway 14 east – Macklin, Saskatoon | Continuation into Saskatchewan | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Highway 13A
[edit]Alberta Provincial Highway No. 13A is the designation of the following two current and one former alternate routes of Highway 13.[1]
- Ma-Me-O Beach
 Highway 13A | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ma-Me-O Beach |
| Length | 7.4 km (4.6 mi) |
From 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Westerose to 5.6 km (3.5 mi) west of Falun, the first segment of Highway 13A travels 7.4 km (4.6 mi) through Pigeon Lake Indian Reserve 138A. It provides access to the Summer Village of Ma-Me-O Beach on the southern shore of Pigeon Lake. This segment, which runs north of Highway 13, formed the original Highway 13 alignment prior to it being realigned to bypass the Indian reserve and summer village to the south in the 2000s.
Pigeon Lake covers 96.7 square kilometres (37.3 sq mi) and has a maximum depth of 9.1 m.[13] Pigeon Lake Indian Reserve 138A was established in 1896 on the southeast shore of the lake for members of the Ermineskin, Louis Bull, Samson, and Montana bands, providing access to fishing and trapping.[14] In 1923, 180 acres were removed from the reserve and subdivided for public sale to form Ma-Me-O Beach, whose name derives from the Cree wapiski-mimew, meaning "white pigeon."[15] The community was incorporated as a summer village in 1948.[15]
- Camrose
Highway 13A (68 Street, Camrose Drive) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Camrose |
| Length | 8.2 km (5.1 mi) |
The second segment of Highway 13A is a southern bypass of Camrose and is 8 km (5.0 mi) in length. Commissioned in 1989,[16] the route follows 68 Street south from Highway 13 (48 Avenue) for 2.4 km (1.5 mi) and then turns east and becoming Camrose Drive, reconnecting with Highway 13 on the eastern ends of Camrose.[1] Highway 13A serves as the main dangerous goods route through Camrose, as dangerous good are prohibited on Highway 13 (48 Avenue) through the centre of the city, and is maintained by the City of Camrose.[17]
- Wetaskiwin
Highway 13A is a former alternate route of Highway 13 through Wetaskiwin. From the present Highway 13 (west) / Highway 2A intersection, Highway 13A used to proceed east along 40 Avenue for 1.6 km (0.99 mi), then turned north and followed 47 Street for 3.2 km (2.0 mi) and reconnected with Highway 13 at the present-day Highway 13 / Highway 814 intersection.[18] The route was decommissioned in mid-1980s.[19]
Construction and improvements
[edit]Alberta Transportation's 2023 and 2024 provincial construction programs included several projects on Highway 13.[20][21] A widening project for the highway was in planning and engineering as of 2024. A roundabout at the intersection of Highway 13 and Highway 56, east of Camrose, was in design in both years.
Several sections were identified for repaving. A 20 km section between 1 km east of Highway 761 and Highway 20 was in design in 2023 and moved to construction in 2024. Additional segments in design included 16 km between 2 km east of Highway 814 and 2 km west of Bittern Lake, 2 km between Highway 2A and Highway 814 in Wetaskiwin, and 16 km between Highway 899 and 16 km east of Provost. A replacement cattlepass 4 km west of Camrose was also in design as of 2023.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Highway 13 in central Alberta" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ "2015 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ↑ "2016 Provincial Highway 1-216 Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "Our Watersheds". Battle River Watershed Alliance. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ↑ "Battle River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- 1 2 3 Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (2016 ed.). Alberta Culture and Tourism. § J-5, J-6, J-7, K-7, K-8.
- ↑ "For the Canadian oil industry, Hardisty is the hub". Enbridge. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ↑ Travel Alberta (1967). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). The Province of Alberta.
- ↑ Travel Alberta (1970). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). The Province of Alberta.
- ↑ Travel Alberta (1978–1979). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). The Province of Alberta. § J-5.
- ↑ Travel Alberta (1980). Alberta Official Road Map (Map). The Province of Alberta. § J-5.
- ↑ Alberta Road Atlas (2005 ed.). Oshawa, ON: MapArt Publishing Corp. pp. 63, 64, 65, 66, 67.
- ↑ "Lakes". Wetaskiwin County. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ↑ "1896 – Establishment of Indigenous Reserve Land". Pigeon Lake Watershed Association. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- 1 2 "Pigeon Lake, Alberta: a brief history" (PDF). Crystal Springs Resort. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ↑ Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (1989 ed.). Alberta Culture and Tourism. § Camrose.
- ↑ "City of Camrose Map". City of Camrose. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ↑ Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (1982 ed.). Alberta Culture and Tourism. § Westaskiwin.
- ↑ Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (1988 ed.). Alberta Culture and Tourism. § Westaskiwin.
- ↑ "2023 Provincial Construction Program" (PDF). Government of Alberta. 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ↑ "2024 Provincial Construction Program" (PDF). Government of Alberta. 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-30.