Highway 63 is a 433 kilometre long provincial highway that connects the central area of Alberta
to the oil sands in and around Fort McMurray. Within Fort McMurray, Highway 63 is a four lane
divided Expressway running between Fort McMurray and the various oil sands developments
north of Fort McMurray. Highway 686 is a proposed highway that will eventually extend west
from of Fort McMurray to Highway 88 providing a connection to the settlements of Red Earth
and mineral exploration areas in between. The expansion of the oil sands industry has resulted
in the rapid growth of Fort McMurray and the need for expanded residential areas. One of the
newly opened residential developments is the Parsons subdivision west of Highway 63, north of
the present Fort McMurray and bisected by the proposed Highway 686 alignment. This highway
will provide access for a proposed population of 25,000 people from the residential area to the
City Centre and the industrial areas to the north. Functional planning for the Highway
63/Highway686 interchange calls for the development of a systems interchange to facilitate
access to the proposed development to the west, as well as future development east of the
Athabasca River.
This paper will discuss the evolutions of the original highway and interchange concept and
examine its metamorphosis into the design that is currently under construction. The paper will
examine how the demands of industry, local government, residential developers and local
business brought about changes to strict Provincial Highway parameters and how fiscal reality
further modified those concepts resulting in a staged facility that will grow with the community
and evolved to further incorporate new ideas and community needs. The paper will describe the
preparatory work that had to be completed in anticipation of the construction; the challenges to
be faced as a result of the delays caused by project redesign and will discuss future challenges
to be addressed as future stages develop.