Deerfoot Trail

Deerfoot Trail is a freeway section of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Highway 2) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was formerly known as Blackfoot Trail Freeway, but was renamed to honour the first Native American to win the marathon.

Deerfoot Trail stretches 50 kilometres (31 mi), from Calgary's northern city limit to its merger with Highway 2A (Macleod Trail) just north of Okotoks, and features 21 interchanges. It is Alberta's busiest highway with traffic volumes ranging between 27,000 and 158,000 vehicles per day depending on the location. Its busiest stretch is between Memorial Drive and 16 Avenue NE (Trans-Canada Highway). The majority of Deerfoot Trail is six lanes in total width, but there are a number of four-, eight- and ten-lane sections. The posted speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph).

Deerfoot Trail was constructed in five stages:

• 1971 – northern City boundary to 16 Avenue NE;
• 1975 – 16 Avenue NE to 17 Avenue SE;
• 1980 – 17 Avenue SE to Glenmore Trail;
• 1982 – Glenmore Trail to Highway 22X (Marquis of Lorne Trail); and
• 2003 – Highway 22X to Highway 2 north of Okotoks.

In the fall of 2005, the last set of traffic signals was removed from Douglasdale Boulevard in southeast Calgary and replaced with a parclo interchange, rendering the road a freeway for its entire journey through the City of Calgary.

The province took over responsibility from the city for highway maintenance and upgrades. The road is currently maintained by Carmacks Enterprises between the northern city limit and the Macleod Trail merger.

There have been 10,000 collisions on Deerfoot Trail in the past five years, including 24 fatalities, according to the City of Calgary.