Council of Ministers - National Highway System

National Highway System Review 2005

In September 2005 the Council of Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety agreed to expand the National Highway System (NHS), following a report and recommendations by an intergovernmental Task Force.

The National Highway System Review Task Force was led by Transport Canada and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation, with participation by all federal, provincial and territorial transportation departments.

Canada's NHS was established in 1988 and consists of a 24,500 kilometre network of key interprovincial and international highway linkages.

In September 2004, the Council of Ministers approved the addition of 2700 kilometres of new routes to the NHS, as a result of a study undertaken by Transport Canada, to reflect changes that have occurred in Canada's population, economy and trading patterns since 1988.

The expanded NHS encompasses 38,021 kilometres of key highway linkages in three categories:

•	Core Routes Key interprovincial and international corridor routes (the original 1988 NHS routes, the September 2004 additions, and links to key intermodal facilities and major border crossings which connect with "core" routes)
•	Feeder Routes Key linkages to the Core Routes from population and economic centres (including links to intermodal facilities and important border crossings)
•	Northern and Remote Routes Key linkages to Core and Feeder routes that provide the primary means of access to northern and remote areas, economic activities and resources.

Download Report (PDF format): National Highway System Review - Task Force Report

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