Prince Edward Island Route 2
Route 2, also known as Veterans Memorial Highway and the All Weather Highway, is the longest highway in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada, at. It is a two-lane uncontrolled access highway that runs nearly the entire length of the province, from Tignish to Souris. Route 2 was recognized as the first numbered highway in the province in 1890, when it opened between Charlottetown and Summerside.
It passes through the cities of Summerside and Charlottetown and roughly parallels the former primary railway line through the province, which was abandoned in 1989.
The highway was first paved in the 1950s with many upgrades in recent decades. A perimeter arterial highway across the northern and eastern part of Charlottetown was constructed as part of Route 2 in the 1990s with funding from a $200 million federal adjustment fund for road construction after the railway was abandoned. This section of road was extended to Upton Road and is now signed for Route 1, although Route 2 uses a small portion of the arterial highway between the Malpeque Road and St. Peter's Highway.
Names
Route 2 is commonly called the "All Weather Highway," as it was one of the first roads in Prince Edward Island to be open for traffic in all seasons. In June 2002, premier Pat Binns designated the highway the "Veterans Memorial Highway". Transportation minister Don MacKinnon said that the designation honoured the highway's vital role in the Second World War, when it provided "a transportation link to the military facilities of CFB Summerside and the air training facility in Mount Pleasant".Route 2 has several local names:
- Souris Road
- St. Peter's Highway
- Malpeque Road ; the Malpeque Road alignment continuing thereafter on the Old Princetown Road
- New Annan Road
- Western Road