Highway 3 has existed in Alberta on generally the same alignment since the 1910s , with only relatively minor changes made to a rough road called the Red Trail that had been carved from Medicine Hat to Crowsnest Pass . Difficult terrain on the south shore of Crowsnest Lake was a major obstacle in connecting the road to the British Columbia border . On April 29 , 1903 , a major rockslide buried the town of Frank and killed dozens , blocking the existing Red Trail . Work immediately began to clear the railway of debris , but a new trail north of the slide was created , connecting Frank and Bellevue . By 1906 , a road had been carved through the rock to the south of the railway , replacing the temporary trail . A formal opening of the highway was held on October 8 , 1917 in Blairmore . Officials had aimed for the ceremony to be held in September , but final work on the road had been delayed by the Canadian Pacific Railway who were unhappy with the location at which the highway crossed the railroad , causing the originally surveyed route to be altered . Minister of Public Works Charles Stewart had travelled from Edmonton for the event and stated that the highway was " the only natural route " for a trans-Canada highway , and would be in better condition if not for the difficult economic times . Canada was embroiled in World War I which ended in 1918 , and gravelling of the highway began in the following years
major rockslide
Frank Slide
Alberta Highway 3