Alberta Provincial Highway No. 56, commonly referred to as Highway 56, is a north-south highway in central Alberta, Canada. It begins near the locality of Crowfoot, 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Bassano, at Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway). It continues through Drumheller and Stettler before ending at Highway 26, 6 km (4 mi) east of Camrose.[2][3]

Highway 56 marker
Highway 56
Route information
Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors
Length249.8 km[1] (155.2 mi)
Major junctions
South end Highway 1 (TCH) near Crowfoot
Major intersections
North end Highway 26 near Camrose
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Specialized and rural municipalitiesWheatland County, Starland County, Stettler No. 6 County, Camrose County
TownsStettler, Drumheller
Highway system
Highway 55 Highway 58

History

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Intersection of Highway 56 and Highway 10

In the early 1990s, there was talk of extending Highway 56 from the Highway 1 to the US border. This was due in large part to then Alberta Premier Don Getty, who at the time was also the MLA for Stettler. All talk of this endeavor stopped once Getty retired from politics and was succeeded as Premier by Ralph Klein.

In September 2021, a 4.0 km (2.5 mi) section of Highway 834 was renumbered to Highway 56, extending its northern terminus from Highway 13 to Highway 26. The renumbering was a response to local requests to align the numbering of the short portion of highway with the pre-existing portions of Highway 56.[3] It also rendered the 5.2 km (3.2 mi) Highway 26 / Highway 834 concurrency obsolete.

Major intersections

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Starting from the south end of Highway 56:

Rural/specialized municipalityLocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Wheatland County0.00.0  Highway 1 (TCH) – Calgary, Medicine HatHwy 56 southern terminus; continues as Range Road 201 to Crowfoot Ferry
19.512.1  Highway 561 eastSouth end of Hwy 561 concurrency
Hussar22.714.1  Highway 561 west – StandardNorth end of Hwy 561 concurrency
39.424.5  Highway 564
Dalum52.432.6  Highway 569
Town of Drumheller64.740.2  Highway 10 east (Hoodoo Trail) – East CouleeSouth end of Hwy 10 concurrency
66.141.1  Highway 10X south – WayneRosedale
72.845.2  Highway 10 ends
  Highway 9 west / 5 Street SE – Calgary
North end of Hwy 10 concurrency; south end of Hwy 9 concurrency
73.745.8  Highway 575 west (South Dinosaur Trail) / 2 Street SW – Nacmine
74.346.2Crosses Red Deer River
74.846.5  Highway 838 west (North Dinosaur Trail) – Royal Tyrrell Museum
75.146.7  Highway 576 east
Starland CountyMunson85.453.1Township Road 302
95.059.0  Highway 9 east – Hanna, Saskatoon
  Highway 27 west – Morrin, Three Hills
North end of Hwy 9 concurrency
117.773.1  Highway 585 – Rumsey, Trochu
County of Stettler No. 6130.681.2  Highway 589 east – Byemoor, Endiang
Big Valley137.085.1  Highway 590 west – Innisfail
138.686.1UAR 55 west
156.497.2  Highway 863 west
Town of Stettler170.0105.6  Highway 12 – Lacombe, Consort
County of Stettler No. 6180.8112.3  Highway 601 – White Sands, Red Willow
↑ / ↓200.2124.4  Highway 53 – Bashaw, Donalda, Forestburg
Camrose CountyMeeting Creek212.4132.0UAR 210 east
223.8139.1  Highway 609 west – Edberg, FerintoshSouth end of Hwy 609 concurrency
224.1139.2Crosses Battle River
227.0141.1  Highway 609 east – RosalindNorth end of Hwy 609 concurrency
245.6152.6  Highway 13 – Camrose, ProvostFormer Hwy 56 northern terminus; formerly Hwy 834
249.8155.2  Highway 26 – Camrose, VikingHwy 56 northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ a b "Highway 56 in Alberta" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  2. ^ "2016 Provincial Highway 1-216 Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Renumbering the Portion of Highway 834 Between Highways 13 and 26 To Highway 56" (PDF). Camrose County Outlook. Camrose County: 7. October 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2024. Effective mid-September the 2.5 mile portion of Highway 834 between Highways 13 and 26 was renumbered to Highway 56.