Alberta Highway 3A

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 3A, commonly referred to as Highway 3A, is the designation of four alternate routes of Highway 3 in southern Alberta, Canada.[1] All four segments are former alignments of Highway 3, also known as the Crowsnest Highway.

Highway 3A
Route information
Auxiliary route of Hwy 3
Highway system
Provincial highways in Alberta ← Hwy 3 → Hwy 4

Lundbreck

Highway 3A near Lundbreck

Highway 3A
Location	M.D. Pincher Creek No. 9
Length	3.6 km[2] (2.2 mi)
Existed	1967–

From west to east, the first segment of Highway 3A begins west of the Highway 3 intersection with Highway 22, east of Burmis, and ends east of the same intersection with Highway 22, west of Lundbreck. This 3.6 km (2.2 mi) segment crosses the Crowsnest River and provides a viewing opportunity of Lundbreck Falls.[2] The highway was formed in 1967 when Highway 3 was realigned across a new bridge Crowsnest River.

Monarch

Highway 3A
Location	M.D. Willow Creek No. 26
Length	6.8 km[2] (4.2 mi)
Existed	1996–

Highway 3A near Monarch

The second segment is 6.8 km (4.2 mi) in length, beginning 21 km (13 mi) east of Fort Macleod. Highway 3A splits to the north from Highway 3 and runs through the Hamlet of Monarch along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, before merging with Highway 23 and rejoining Highway 3 at a point 19 km (12 mi) west of Lethbridge.[2] The highway was commissioned in 1996 when Highway 3 was twinned and realigned in the area.

Major intersections

Rural/specialized municipality	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
M.D. of Willow Creek No. 26	​	0.0	0.0	Hwy 3 – Lethbridge, Fort Macleod
↑ / ↓	​	1.5	0.93	Crosses Oldman River
Lethbridge County	Monarch	5.5	3.4	Hwy 23 north – Vulcan	Interchange; west end of Hwy 23 concurrency
		6.8	4.2	Hwy 3 east – Lethbridge	Partial interchange; westbound exit, eastbound entrance; east end of Hwy 23 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Lethbridge

Highway 3A near Lethbridge

Highway 3A
Location	Lethbridge County
Length	0.65 km[2] (0.40 mi)
Existed	1966–

The third segment of Highway 3A provides access to West Lethbridge. It diverges from Highway 3 southeast of Coalhurst, in the form of a Y interchange running for only 650 m (2,130 ft) in the Lethbridge County before ending at Lethbridge city limits and continuing as Westside Drive;[2] essentially the area inside the provincially maintained interchange right-of-way,[1] and is unsigned. It is a remnant of a larger 6 km (4 mi) route that followed present-day Westside Drive and Bridge Drive and was the original western approach the Highway 3 bridge over the Oldman River; it was commissioned in 1966 when Highway 3 twinned and realigned.[3][4] All but the extreme western portion of the route was decomissied when the area was annexed by the City of Lethbridge in the mid-1980s.[5]

Barnwell

Highway 3A near Barnwell

Highway 3A
Location	Taber M.D.
Existed	2000–

The fourth and easternmost segment is also an original alignment of Highway 3, passing through the centre of Barnwell. The town was bypassed to the south in 2000 when twinning of Highway 3 was extended to Taber.[6][2]

References

1. "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.
2. Google (December 16, 2016). "Southern Alberta" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
3. Travel Alberta (1983). "Lethbridge" (Map). Official Alberta Road Map. Province of Alberta.
4. "Alberta to build new bridge on Highway 3 in Lethbridge". Crane and Hoist Canada. March 19, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
5. Travel Alberta (1988). "Lethbridge" (Map). Official Alberta Road Map. Province of Alberta.
6. "Village of Barnwell Municipal Development Plan" (PDF). Village of Barnwell. Oldman River Regional Services Commission. February 2013. p. 6. Retrieved October 23, 2020. In 2000, Alberta Transportation completed a bypass of the community by relocating Highway 3 to the south of the community which has removed a significant amount of traffic from the Village.