Alberta Starts 120 km/h Speed Limit Test on Highway 2
Alberta began testing a 120 km/h speed limit Wednesday on a 22-kilometre stretch of Highway 2 south of Leduc. The province says the pilot runs south of the Leduc Commercial Vehicle Inspection Station and extends in both directions.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the area being tested is one of the busiest highway sections in the province. The new limit is the fastest posted speed limit in Alberta and is tied with British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway for the fastest posted speed limit in the country.
Highway 2 south of Leduc
The test applies to a section of the Queen Elizabeth II highway where the posted speed limit is now 120 km/h, while the rest of the route remains at 110 km/h. Alberta Transportation said it will monitor that stretch and the five km to the north and south of it as part of the trial.
The province has said the 120 km/h limit is intended for ideal road conditions. Drivers are still expected to slow down when roads are wet or icy, or when visibility is reduced.
Alberta Transportation survey
Alberta Transportation said almost 70 per cent of respondents to a recent survey agreed the speed limit should be increased on rural divided highways to 120 km/h. The province said the test is part of a trial to see whether more stretches of divided highway should allow a higher speed limit.
That trial follows transportation upgrades that were recently completed in Leduc County and the County of Wetaskiwin, including longer ramps for overpasses. Earlier this spring, the province also increased penalties for dangerous driving, raising fines for careless driving, excessive speeding, stunting and racing by 50 per cent and most other traffic penalties by 30 per cent.
What Alberta will watch
Alberta said it expects to gather significant data before considering changes on other divided highways. For drivers on Highway 2, the immediate change is simple: the 120 km/h zone now covers 22 kilometres south of Leduc, and the province is measuring how that section performs against the adjoining five km on each side.
