Highway 17 (Alberta–Saskatchewan)

Highway 17 is a highway in Canada that straddles and criss-crosses the Alberta–Saskatchewan provincial border. The portion from the provincial border at Dillberry Lake Provincial Park to the provincial border 800 metres (2,600 ft) north of the North Saskatchewan River is designated as Alberta Provincial Highway No. 17 by Alberta Transportation, commonly referred to as Highway 17.

Highway 17
Highway 17, highlighted in red, straddles the Alberta–Saskatchewan border
Route information
Length	158.7 km[1] (98.6 mi)
Major junctions
South end	SK 14 near Macklin, SK
	AB 14 near Roros, AB AB 16 / SK 16 in Lloydminster AB 45 / SK 3 near Alcurve, AB
North end	AB 641 near Onion Lake, SK
Location
Provinces	Alberta, Saskatchewan
Major cities	Lloydminster
Highway system
Provincial highways in Alberta Provincial highways in Saskatchewan ← Hwy 16A → Hwy 18 ← Hwy 16B → Hwy 18

Highway 17 is considered a part of both provincial highway systems. The entire length of the highway is maintained jointly by the respective provincial governments.

Route description

Alberta-Saskatchewan border markers and city hall along Highway 17 (50 Avenue) in Lloydminster.

In the south, Highway 17 begins in Saskatchewan at Saskatchewan Highway 14 near Macklin, 3.6 km (2.2 mi) east of Alberta. Saskatchewan Highway 14 is the continuation of Alberta Highway 13.[2]

The highway first enters Alberta before reaching Dillberry Lake Provincial Park.[3][2] A short distance later, it intersects with Alberta Highway 610 and Saskatchewan Highway 680 before reaching Alberta Highway 14, which becomes Saskatchewan Highway 40. For 2.5 km (1.6 mi), Highway 17 runs east concurrently with Alberta Highway 14. The concurrency ends 0.8 km (0.50 mi) shy of the provincial border.[2]

From Alberta Highway 14 to Lloydminster, Highway 17 crosses the Battle River, passes by the Hamlet of Rivercourse, intersects Saskatchewan Highway 688, and intersects Alberta Highway 619. Its alignment runs concurrently with the provincial border from north of Saskatchewan Highway 688 to north of Saskatchewan Highway 798, crossing the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) within Lloydminster.[2]

North of Saskatchewan Highway 798, prior to its intersection with Alberta Highway 45 and Saskatchewan Highway 3, Highway 17 briefly weaves into Saskatchewan and then Alberta before returning to the provincial boundary alignment. Further to the north, prior to crossing the North Saskatchewan River, it weaves back and forth between the two provinces again.[2] After crossing the river, the highway again returns to the provincial boundary alignment and then ends at Onion Lake where it intersects with Alberta Highway 641.[4][5]

In Lloydminster, Highway 17 runs along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. It is named 50 Avenue and is historically called Meridian Avenue. Despite Lloydminster's size and 50 Avenue functioning as one of the primary north–south routes in the city, the highway is an undivided two-lane road for most of its course through the city.[2]

History

Highway 17 was originally part of Saskatchewan Highway 21, which ran parallel to the Alberta border between Onion Lake and the South Saskatchewan River west of Empress, Alberta, then turning east to Leader, Saskatchewan, and following its present alignment to Saskatchewan Highway 13 near Robsart.[6] In the 1930s, the section north of Empress was renumbered to Saskatchewan Highway 17;[7] however, the section south of Macklin was decommissioned in the 1940s.[8]

The original alignment of Alberta Highway 17 ran from Highway 16 west of Edmonton to Onoway,[7] but was renumbered to Alberta Highway 43 so the Alberta designation could coincide with Saskatchewan Highway 17.[9][10]

Future

In 2011, the City of Lloydminster commenced a project to add lanes to Highway 17. Under the project, 50 Avenue will be widened in the southern part of the city. Through downtown, where widening is not feasible, the northbound lanes of Highway 17 will run along 49 Avenue within Saskatchewan, resulting in a couplet or one-way pair of streets.[11]

Major intersections

Province	Rural Municipality	Location	km[2]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Saskatchewan	Eye Hill No. 382	Macklin	0.0	0.0	Hwy 14 to Hwy 13 west – Unity, Saskatoon, Provost, Camrose	Hwy 17 southern terminus Signed as SK 17 AB 13 begins 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to the west 52.347170°N 109.960104°W
	Senlac No. 411	​	16.2	10.1	Township Road 410 – Senlac	52.492855°N 109.959187°W
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	25.2	15.7	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	Cosigned as AB 17 / SK 17 52.568480°N 110.004989°W
Alberta	M.D. of Wainwright No. 61	​	27.0	16.8	Passes Dillberry Lake Provincial Park	52.579096°N 110.024356°W
			40.8	25.4	Hwy 610 west / To Hwy 680 east – Chauvin, Edgerton	SK Hwy 680 begins 3.2 km (2.0 mi) to the east 52.696694°N 110.053234°W
			57.0	35.4	Hwy 14 west – Wainwright, Edmonton	Hwy 17 branches east; south end of AB 14 concurrency 52.842132°N 110.053327°W
			59.4	36.9	Hwy 14 east to Hwy 40 – Cut Knife, The Battlefords	Hwy 17 branches north; north end of AB 14 concurrency SK 40 begins 800 m (2,600 ft) to the east 52.841669°N 110.017930°W
	↑ / ↓	​	61.2	38.0	Crosses the Battle River	52.856817°N 110.019003°W
	Vermilion River County	Rivercourse	79.1	49.2	Township Road 470 – Paradise Valley	53.016172°N 110.029431°W
		​	82.9	51.5	Hwy 688 east – Lone Rock	53.045953°N 110.008781°W
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	83.2	51.7	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	53.048741°N 110.006469°W
Saskatchewan	Wilton No. 472	​	95.8	59.5	Hwy 619 west – Viking	53.161632°N 110.005301°W
	City of Lloydminster		106.7	66.3	25 Street	Functions as Hwy 17 bypass 53.259597°N 110.005404°W
			108.5	67.4	42 Street (Future one-way transition)[11]	Northbound traffic will transition east to 49 Avenue 53.276103°N 110.005423°W
			108.8	67.6	Ray Nelson Drive (Hwy 16 (TCH)) – Edmonton, The Battlefords, Saskatoon	AB 16 west / SK 16 east 53.2780888°N 110.005441°W
			110.4	68.6	57 Street (Future one-way transition)[11]	Northbound traffic will transition back to 50 Avenue 53.293114°N 110.005459°W
			112.0	69.6	67 Street	Functions as Hwy 17 bypass 53.307165°N 110.005423°W
	Britannia No. 502	​	115.3	71.6	Hwy 774 east	53.336199°N 110.004879°W
			125.0	77.7	Hwy 798 east	53.424479°N 110.004867°W
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	129.0	80.2	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	53.458747°N 110.005575°W
Alberta	Vermilion River County	No major junctions
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	132.3	82.2	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	53.487562°N 110.005828°W
Saskatchewan	Britannia No. 502	​	135.0	83.9	Hwy 45 west / Hwy 3 east – Marwayne, Prince Albert	53.511713°N 110.005403°W
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	142.8	88.7	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	53.580185°N 110.005644°W
Alberta	Vermilion River County	​	145.9	90.7	Crosses the North Saskatchewan River	53.603661°N 110.010952°W
↑ / ↓	↑ / ↓	​	146.6	91.1	Alberta – Saskatchewan border	53.609537°N 110.005723°W
Saskatchewan	Frenchman Butte No. 501	​	148.1	92.0	Hwy 797 east – Frenchman Butte	53.623020°N 110.005026°W
	Makaoo I.R. 120 Seekaskootch I.R. 119	Onion Lake	158.7	98.6	Hwy 641 west – Tulliby Lake	Hwy 17 northern terminus 53.717493°N 110.005746°W
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Route transition       Unopened

See also

• Route 54 (Delaware–Maryland), a highway that similarly straddles a state line border in the United States
• State Line Avenue in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas

References

1. "Length of Highway 17" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
2. Google (November 4, 2016). "Highway 17 in Alberta and Saskatchewan" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
3. "2016 Provincial Highway 1-216 Progress Chart" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. March 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
4. Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (2015 ed.). Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. § I–8, J–8, and K–8.
5. Saskatchewan Official Road Map (Map) (2015/2016 ed.). Saskatchewan Government. § A–4 and A–5.
6. Province of Saskatchewan (1926). Highway Map (Map). Department of Highways.
7. Rand McNally (1940). Road map of Western and Central Canada (Map). Rand McNally and Company.
8. The H.M. Gousha Company (1951). "Saskatchewan & Manitoba" (Map). Shell Highway Map of Western United States. The Shell Oil Company.
9. Province of Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (1942 ed.). Department of Public Works.
10. Province of Alberta Official Road Map (Map) (1946 ed.). Department of Public Works.
11. "North-South Corridor Project". City of Lloydminster. Retrieved July 16, 2019.