Alberta Highway 686

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 686, also known as Highway 686, is an east–west highway in northern Alberta, Canada. It has two sections; the main section is a gravel highway that spans approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Highway 88 (Bicentennial Highway) near Red Earth Creek to Trout Lake, and a two-kilometre-long (1.2 mi) developing freeway section in Fort McMurray which connects Highway 63 with the new neighbourhood of Parsons Creek known as Parsons Access Road.[1]

Highway 686 marker

Highway 686

Route information
Maintained by Alberta Transportation
Length91.72 km[1] (56.99 mi)
Main segment
Length89.55 km (55.64 mi)
West end Hwy 88 at Red Earth Creek
East endTrout Lake
Fort McMurray segment
(Parsons Access Road)
Length2.17 km (1.35 mi)
West endNorth Parsons Gateway (road)
East end Hwy 63 in Fort McMurray
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Specialized and rural municipalitiesM.D. of Opportunity No. 17
R.M. of Wood Buffalo
Major citiesFort McMurray
Highway system
    ← Hwy 685→ Hwy 688

    Highway 686 comprises the western segment of the partially constructed Northern Alberta East–West Highway Corridor.[2]

    History

    Highway 686 used to continue west from Red Earth Creek to the Mackenzie Highway (Highway 35), approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) northwest of Peace River; the highway was renumbered to Highway 986 in the mid-1990s.[3][4]

    In 2015, the Parsons Access Road was opened in Fort McMurray which connected Highway 63 to the developing residential neighbourhood Parsons Creek, with interchanges at Highway 63 (known as the Parsons Creek Interchange) and the access road currently referred to as the North Parsons Gateway.[5]

    Future

    East–West Connector

    In 2009, the provincial government completed a study on a 218 km (135 mi)} east–west highway connection between Fort McMurray and Red Earth Creek, connecting with Highway 686 north of Peerless Lake.[6] As part of the highway, the Fort McMurray portion would be a short freeway with connections to Parsons Creek and Confederation Way/Thickwood Boulevard.[7] The Parsons Creek Interchange at Highway 63 was staged to accommodate an eastern extension across the Athabasca River.[8] In April 2023, the province signed agreements with Loon River First Nation, Peerless Trout First Nation and Bigstone Cree Nation to begin work on the extension, as well as paving of the existing segment between Red Earth Creek and Trout Lake.[9]

    East Clearwater Highway

    Following the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council unanimously voted in support of a second highway that would serve as an alternate evacuation route tentatively called the "East Clearwater Highway".[10] It would run east of Fort McMurray as an extension of Highway 881 near Anzac, crossing the Clearwater River and continue north towards Fort MacKay. As part of the project, Highway 686 would continue east across the Athabasca River and connect with the new highway.[11]

    Major intersections

    Starting from the west end of Highway 686:

    Rural/specialized municipalityLocationkm[12]miDestinationsNotes
    M.D. of Opportunity No. 17Red Earth Creek0.00.0 Hwy 88 (Bicentennial Highway) – Fort Vermilion, Slave Lake
    To Hwy 986 west – Peace River
    ​53.433.2roadFuture Hwy 686 extension
    Peerless Lake64.239.9
    Trout Lake89.655.7
    200-kilometre (120 mi) gap in Hwy 686
    R.M. of Wood BuffaloFort McMurray0.00.0North Parsons GatewayInterchange
    2.11.3 Hwy 63 – Fort MacKay, EdmontonInterchange
    1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

    References
    1. 2017 Provincial Highways 500 - 986 Progress Chart (PDF) (Map). Alberta Transportation. March 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
    2. "Northern Highways Strategy – Building for Tomorrow Today ... Advancing the Alberta Economy" (PDF). Northern Alberta Development Council. October 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
    3. Province of Alberta Canada Official Road Map (Map) (1994 ed.). Alberta Economic Development and Tourism. § F-3 & F-4.
    4. Province of Alberta Canada Official Road Map (Map) (1995 ed.). Alberta Economic Development and Tourism. § F-3 & F-4.
    5. "Parsons Creek interchange opens at noon". Fort McMurray Today. November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
    6. Stantec (2009). "E/W Connector: Hwy 686 to Hwy 63 Functional Planning Study Recommended Alignment" (PDF). Alberta Transportation. Government of Alberta.
    7. "3.3 Review of Planned Improvements and Proposed Development". Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Transportation Master Plan - Stage 2 (PDF) (Report). HDR / iTrans. March 2011. pp. 3–24.
    8. Biller, Roy; Pestano, Ian (2014). "3.3 Review of Planned Improvements and Proposed Development". The Highway 63 / Highway 686 Parsons Interchange (PDF) (Report). ISL Engineering and Land Services. p. 19.
    9. McDermott, Vincent (April 27, 2023). "Fort McMurray, Peerless Lake to be linked with 218 KM Highway 686 expansion". Fort McMurray Today. Postmedia. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
    10. Wong, Julia (October 28, 2016). "Fort McMurray wildfire: Calls for 2nd highway after '88K near misses' during mass evacuation". Global News. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
    11. Thurton, David (May 4, 2017). "Fort McMurray gets $5M to study second highway out of the city". CBC News. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
    12. Google (March 17, 2018). "Highway 686 in Alberta" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
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