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Lake Louise Drive Rehabilitation and Modernization
Banff National Park
Construction on Lake Louise Drive is now complete.
Lake Louise Drive is a very popular roadway, hosting about 1 million vehicles per year. The road connects the community of Lake Louise to upper Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, which are two of the most visited destinations in Banff National Park. Over the last ten years vehicle traffic on Lake Louise Drive has risen by roughly 70%.
The Lake Louise Area Strategy, in the Banff National Park Management Plan (2022), has identified this road as a major opportunity to improve ecological integrity and visitor experience in the Lake Louise area.
Traffic updates and project impacts
Construction is now complete. More information about visiting the Lake Louise area.
Project outline
Improvements to Lake Louise Drive are necessary to maintain and upgrade infrastructure for transit, vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians on a roadway that now hosts over one million vehicles each year.
2024 construction and repairs included:
- Asphalt resurfacing and road repairs.
- Roundabout at the intersection at Sentinel Road, Fairview Drive, and Lake Louise Drive.
- Changes to traffic flow routes that connect St. Piran, Chateau Lake Louise, and Upper Lake Louise parking. This will ensure pedestrian safety and improve efficiency.
- Improvements to Fairview day-use area, including measures to reduce disruption to traffic flow and improve parking efficiency.
- Updated signage, line painting, lights, and arrows to improve pedestrian crossings and sharing of the road.
Conceptual drawings
Frequently Asked Questions
About the project
Why didn’t the construction include a dedicated bike lane?
The construction on Lake Louise Drive focused on repair and rehabilitation of the pavement, with improvements to wayfinding and pedestrian safety. A dedicated bike lane was not in the scope of this project.
The roadway repairs and improvements were made within the existing roadway footprint. Expanding the roadway footprint to include a standard cycling lane would require pushing back the steep slope next to the roadway. This would significantly increase costs and require an extensive environmental impact analysis.
Parks Canada will explore optimizing the existing scenic trail network between the community of Lake Louise and the lakeshore, while reducing the impact to the environment and wildlife movement.
Will there be multiple lanes, with one dedicated to bus / tour transit?
With the exception of key intersections, the existing roadway footprint and lane configuration of Lake Louise Drive remains the same.
Why do the plans involve a roundabout at the intersection of Sentinel Road, Fairview Drive, and Lake Louise Drive, rather than a traffic light?
Many options were discussed for this location including traffic lights, a two-way stop, and leaving it as is. The main issue in this location is the resulting congestion impacts during peak flows if no flaggers are present. Roundabouts are shown to significantly reduce traffic incidents and crashes in comparison to traditional intersections with traffic lights.
Key benefits with a roundabout include:
- significantly reduced flagging requirements
- improved safety
- improved traffic flow
- reduced maintenance and operations costs
- permitting the opportunity to turn vehicles around easily if desired or in an emergency
This roundabout location is complete with all required signage, markings, and line painting to direct both vehicles and pedestrians.
Have more questions or comments about this project?
Email llykmedia@pc.gc.ca
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