Canmore Woman Dies in Highway 1 Collision Near Banff

A 24-year-old Canmore woman is dead following a single-vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Banff early Sunday morning.

Banff RCMP said officers responded around 5:30 a.m. on June 28 to a report of a single-vehicle collision on Highway 1 approximately two kilometres west of the Banff park gates.

"Upon arrival, it was determined that a 24-year-old female passenger, a Canmore resident, was deceased," RCMP said in a statement.

Police said an RCMP collision reconstructionist examined the scene to determine the circumstances of the crash, requiring traffic to be restricted to one lane for several hours. During the investigation, Banff RCMP advised motorists to avoid the area while emergency crews responded to the collision.

"Please avoid travel in this area if possible," said the RCMP.

Alberta 511 reported all westbound lanes had reopened by 3:09 p.m., but traffic congestion persisted for several hours.

Drivers posting in the Bow Valley Road Conditions Facebook group described lengthy delays throughout the afternoon. Several motorists reported it took about two hours to travel from Canmore to Banff as traffic backed up well beyond the Three Sisters overpass and into Canmore.

One driver said westbound traffic was "completely backed up to well beyond east of the Three Sisters overpass," while another reported the lineup had stretched into Canmore about an hour earlier. Later posts indicated traffic had begun returning to normal around 5 p.m.

RCMP said the collision remains under investigation, and no further information had been released as of publication.