Wayne Gretzky Drive

Road in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

For the road in north Edmonton, see 66 Street, Edmonton

Wayne Gretzky Drive

Start/End points Wayne Gretzky Drive and 66/75 Street

Maintained by| City of Edmonton
Location| Edmonton, Alberta
\
- Wayne Gretzky Drive
Former name(s)| Capilano Drive, Capilano Freeway
Length| 4.8 km (3.0 mi)[1]
South end| 101 Avenue
Major
junctions| 106 Avenue, 112 Avenue, 118 Avenue
North end| Fort Road / Yellowhead Trail
Construction
Inauguration| 1969
\
- 66 Street & 75 Street
Length| 16.2 km (10.1 mi)[1]
66 Street: 10.0 km (6.2 mi)
75 Street: 6.2 km (3.9 mi)
South end| 41 Avenue SW
Major
junctions| Ellerslie Road, 23 Avenue, 34 Avenue, Whitemud Drive, Roper Road, Argyll Road, Whyte (82) Avenue, 98 Avenue
North end| 101 Avenue
|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Wayne Gretzky

|

Former professional ice hockey player

* Career achievements
* Freeway named after Gretzky

* * *

Awards

* Wayne Gretzky International Award
* Wayne Gretzky 99 Award
* Wayne Gretzky Trophy

* * *

Video games

* Wayne Gretzky Hockey
* Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars
* Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
* Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98

* v
* t
* e

Wayne Gretzky Drive is a freeway in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally Capilano Drive/Capilano Freeway, it was officially renamed October 1, 1999, after NHL hockey player Wayne Gretzky, as a tribute to his years with the Edmonton Oilers. The same day, Wayne Gretzky's number 99 jersey was retired at the Skyreach Centre,[2] which lies just west of Wayne Gretzky Drive, at 118 Avenue. 66/75 Street is a major arterial road in east Edmonton which serves residential and industrial areas.

Wayne Gretzky Drive and 75 Street, both located between Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail, are part of the eastern leg of what was planned to be Edmonton's Inner Ring Road. Wayne Gretzky Drive and 75 Street are part of a 39 km (24 mi) continuous roadway that runs from 41 Avenue SW to 33 Street NE (Edmonton's northeastern city limit) and includes portions of 66 Street and Fort Road, as well as all of Manning Drive.[1]

## Overview

[edit]

Wayne Gretzky Drive looking south from 106 Avenue.

### Wayne Gretzky Drive

[edit]

Preceded by 75 Street, Wayne Gretzky Drive starts at 101 Avenue to become a freeway. It crosses the North Saskatchewan River valley, by passing under 106 Avenue and Ada Boulevard. As it approaches Northlands and the Alberta Avenue area, it again returns into an arterial, with traffic lights. The exits to Northlands at 112 Avenue and 116 Avenue are clearly marked with overhead street signs in blue, and with the Northlands logo. Because of property constraints, to maintain the number of lanes, the freeway is divided into Wayne Gretzky Drive Northbound and Southbound, formally 72 Street and 73 Street,[3] at 118 Avenue. 119 Avenue services the north Northlands Coliseum parking lot to the west, and is a dead end to the east, because it was blocked off from being used as a shortcut, disrupting traffic flow during major Northlands events. The northbound and southbound then converge again before crossing the Capital Line of the Edmonton LRT. Fort Road, which runs to the southwest, meets up with Wayne Gretzky Drive at an at-grade intersection, then runs concurrently along with it for approximately 180 metres (590 ft) to Yellowhead Trail. The single-point urban interchange at Yellowhead Trail allows Yellowhead Trail to run as a freeway, and it has the benefit of only one traffic light and U-turns for westbound and eastbound traffic. At this interchange, Wayne Gretzky Drive ends and Fort Road becomes the only road.

Wayne Gretzky Drive and Groat Road are the only freeways in Edmonton not to have provincial highway numbers.

### 66/75 Street

[edit]

66 Street and 75 Street function as the southern extension of Wayne Gretzky Drive. It begins as 66 Street at 41 Avenue SW and passes north through Mill Woods, passing by Mill Woods Town Centre, Grey Nuns Community Hospital and Mill Woods Golf Course. At Whitemud Drive the roadway becomes 75 Street and passes through the Southeast Industrial area. North of Argyll Road, 75 Street transitions to passing through mature residential communities. Despite being designated as part of the inner ring road, heavy trucks are prohibited on 75 Street between 90 Avenue and 98 Avenue.[4] At 101 Avenue, 75 Street becomes Wayne Gretzky Drive.

66 Street and 75 Street are part of the southeast alignment of the Valley Line of the Edmonton LRT, which links Mill Woods with downtown.[5] The LRT runs at-grade, parallel (on the east side) to the roadway between 28 Avenue and Wagner Road, with the exception of an elevated section near Wagner Road as the line passes over 75 Street and transitions to follow 83 Street towards downtown.[6] Stations and stops are along 66 Street and 75 Street with Grey Nuns stop near 31 Avenue, Millbourne/Woodvale stop near 38 Avenue, and Davies station near Wagner Road; Mill Woods stop is east of 66 Street along 28 Avenue.[5]

### Bridge structures

[edit]

Capilano Bridge takes Wayne Gretzky Drive over the North Saskatchewan River, spanning 290 metres (950 ft).

Grant Moellmann Bridge takes Wayne Gretzky Drive over the LRT tracks and a CN spur that used to service the surrounding industrial area. It was opened in 1995 bridging the gap between 120 Avenue and Fort Road. It is named after Edmontonian ironworker Grant Moellmann (1935–1994) who fell to his death placing the bridge's last girder on November 24, 1994.[7][8] A plaque was placed on the bridge in September 1998 to mark the significance of this naming.

## History

[edit]

Capilano Freeway (Capilano Drive) originally opened in 1969 by widening and connecting the residential streets of 75 Street south of the river and 72 Street north of the river; it ended at 120 Avenue. In 1995, the northern extension of Capilano Drive was opened which completed the link to Fort Road and Yellowhead Trail.[8]

Proposals to honour Wayne Gretzky by renaming a city street date back to 1987, when it was originally proposed to rename 99 Street, coinciding with number 99; at the request of Gretzky, the plan was discontinued.[9] In 1989 the City of Edmonton, in co-ordination with Northlands and Molson Brewery, commissioned the artwork of the bronze statue which was unveiled on August 27, 1989, one year after he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, and moved to Rogers Place in 2016.[10][11][12] Following Gretzky's retirement in 1999, a fan brought forward a second proposal to rename 99 Street;[9] however Capilano Drive was ultimately chosen to be renamed Wayne Gretzky Drive.

In 2025, a petition circulated on Reddit calling for the renaming of Wayne Gretzky Drive following the 4 Nations Face-Off, as Gretzky did not wear the Team Canada jersey despite being the honorary captain and has close ties to US president Donald Trump, who has been calling for annexing Canada and plans to impose tariffs on the country.[13]

## Neighbourhoods

[edit]

List of neighbourhoods Wayne Gretzky Drive runs through, in order from south to north:[14]

Wayne Gretzky Drive

* Terrace Heights
* Forest Heights
* Virginia Park
* Bellevue
* Parkdale
* Montrose
* Elmwood Park

66 Street

* Walker
* Summerside
* Charlesworth
* Sakaw
* Menisa
* Ekota
* Meyokumin
* Kameyosek
* Tawa
* Hillview
* Lee Ridge
* Greenview
* Michaels Park

75 Street

* Avonmore
* King Edward Park
* Holyrood
* Ottewell
* Terrace Heights
* Forest Heights

## Major intersections

[edit]

This is a list of major intersections, starting at the south end of 66 Street.[14] The entire route is in Edmonton.

km[1]| mi| Destinations| Notes

|
|
|

0.0| 0.0| 41 Avenue SW|
3.2| 2.0| Ellerslie Road|
4.4| 2.7|  Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216)| Flyover, no access
5.7| 3.5| Mill Woods Road South|
6.5| 4.0| 23 Avenue NW|
7.0| 4.3|  28 Avenue NW – Mill Woods Town Centre, Grey Nuns Hospital, Mill Woods stop| South end of LRT east of the roadway
7.5| 4.7|  31 Avenue NW – Grey Nuns stop|
7.8| 4.8| 34 Avenue NW|
8.8| 5.5|  38 Avenue NW – Millbourne/Woodvale stop|
10.0| 6.2|  Whitemud Drive (Highway 14)| Diamond interchange (traffic lights)
North end of 66 Street • South end of 75 Street
10.9| 6.8| Roper Road|
11.9| 7.4|  Wagner Road – Davies station| North end of LRT east of the roadway
12.6| 7.8| Argyll Road| Access to Sherwood Park Freeway
13.6| 8.5| Whyte (82) Avenue| Access to Sherwood Park Freeway; former Highway 14 alignment
14.4| 8.9| 90 Avenue|
15.8| 9.8| 98 Avenue|
16.2

* * *

0.0| 10.1

* * *

0.0| 101 Avenue|
North end of 75 Street • South end of Wayne Gretzky Drive
1.0| 0.62| 106 Avenue| Half diamond interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
1.6–
1.9| 0.99–
1.2| Capilano Bridge crosses the North Saskatchewan River
2.7| 1.7| 112 Avenue – Northlands, Concordia University, Commonwealth Stadium| Diamond interchange
3.4| 2.1| 116 Avenue – Northlands|
3.6| 2.2| 118 Avenue| Split intersection (traffic lights); passes Coliseum station
3.8| 2.4| 119 Avenue| Split intersection (traffic lights); access to Northlands Coliseum
3.9| 2.4| 120 Avenue / 121 Avenue| Northbound right-in/right-out
4.2| 2.6| Grant Moellmann Bridge crosses LRT & CN rail lines
4.6| 2.9| Fort Road / 124 Avenue| South end of Fort Road concurrency
4.8| 3.0|  Yellowhead Trail (Highway 16)

* * *

Fort Road| Single-point urban interchange (traffic lights); Hwy 16 exit 392;
continues north Fort Road to Manning Drive (Highway 15 north)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Concurrency terminus
* Incomplete access
* Route transition
* Unopened

## See also

[edit]

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Wayne Gretzky Drive

KML is not from Wikidata

* List of streets in Edmonton
* Transportation in Edmonton

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "75 Street & Wayne Gretzky Drive in Edmonton" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
2. ^ "Edmonton pays tribute to Wayne Gretzky". CBC News. October 1, 1999. Archived from the original on October 4, 2010.
3. ^ "Community Services Committee Meeting cs1120mn.doc". Edmonton.ca. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
4. ^ "City of Edmonton Truck Route" (PDF) (Map). City of Edmonton. April 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
5. ^ a b "Valley Line - Southeast". City of Edmonton. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
6. ^ Valley Line LRT: Stage 1 Between Downtown and Mill Woods (PDF). City of Edmonton (Report). September 2016. pp. 38–47. Retrieved April 17, 2018.38-47&rft.date=2016-09&rft_id=https://www.edmonton.ca/documents/RoadsTraffic/valley_line_lrt_booklet.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Wayne+Gretzky+Drive" class="Z3988">
7. ^ City of Edmonton, Naming Edmonton: From Ada to Zoie, 2004. ISBN 0-88864-423-X
8. ^ a b Williamson, Kerry (March 18, 2007). "Workplace deaths 'a dark side of the boom'". Calgary Herald. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
9. ^ a b Community Services Committee (March 20, 1999). "Recommendations from the Names Advisory Committee". City of Edmonton. Planning and Development Department. p. 2-1. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
10. ^ "Flashback to 1989: Wayne Gretzky statue unveiled at Northlands". CBC. CBC News. August 27, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
11. ^ Theobald, Claire (August 5, 2016). "Wayne Gretzky statue gets a makeover before move to Rogers Place". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
12. ^ Theobald, Claire; Gerein, Keith (October 13, 2016). "'I am back as an Oiler': Wayne Gretzky celebrates refurbished statue, new role with the team". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
13. ^ "Why Gretzky's legacy just became more complicated for some Edmontonians". Yahoo News. February 24, 2025.
14. ^ a b "City of Edmonton map utility". Maps.edmonton.ca. Retrieved 2014-03-17.

* v
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Roads in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

North–south streets|

* 17 Street
* Victoria Trail
* 34 Street
* 50 Street
* 66 Street
* 66/75 Street
* 82 Street
* 83 Street
* 91 Street
* 97 Street
* 99 Street
* 101 Street
* Calgary Trail & Gateway Boulevard
* 105 Street
* 109 Street
* 111 Street
* 113/114 Street
* 119/122 Street
* 124 Street
* 127 Street
* 149 Street
* 156 Street
* 170 Street
* 178 Street
* 184 Street
* Winterburn Road (215 Street)

East–west streets|

* 41 Avenue SW
* Ellerslie Road (9 Avenue SW)
* 23 Avenue NW
* 34 Avenue NW
* 51 Avenue
* 61/63 Avenue
* Fox Drive
* University Avenue
* Whyte (82) Avenue
* 87 Avenue
* 100 Avenue
* 97/98/101 Avenue (Baseline Road)
* Jasper Avenue
* Stony Plain Road
* 106 Avenue
* 107 Avenue
* 111/112 Avenue (Norwood Boulevard)
* 118 (Alberta) Avenue
* 127 Avenue
* 137 Avenue
* 153 Avenue
* 167 Avenue

Other streets|

* Argyll Road
* Belgravia Road
* Campbell Road
* Castle Downs Road
* Connors Road
* Fort Road
* Hebert Road
* Kingsway (Avenue)
* Lessard Road
* Mayfield Road
* Mill Woods Road
* Parsons Road
* Princess Elizabeth Avenue
* Queen Elizabeth Park Road
* Rowland Road
* St. Albert Trail
* Saskatchewan Drive
* Scona Road
* Walterdale Hill

Freeways and highways|

* 2 (QE2 Highway)
* 14
* 15 (Manning Drive)
* 16 (Yellowhead Trail)
* 16A
* 19 (105 Avenue SW)
* 21
* 28
* 28A
* 37 (259 Avenue)
* Sherwood Park Freeway (100)
* Anthony Henday Drive (216)
* Maskêkosihk Trail (627)
* Whitemud Drive (628)
* Wye Road (630)
* Villeneuve Road (633)
* 814
* 825
* Groat Road
* Ray Gibbon Drive
* Terwillegar Drive
* Wayne Gretzky Drive

More|

* Transportation in Edmonton
* Edmonton Transit Service
* Bridges in Edmonton
* List of neighbourhoods in Edmonton
* List of attractions and landmarks in Edmonton
* Edmonton Metropolitan Region

* v
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* e

Alberta Provincial Highway Network

Expressways
and freeways|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 15
* 16
* 43
* 63
* 201 (Stoney/Tsuut'ina Trail)
* 216 (Anthony Henday Drive)
* 16 Avenue
* Crowchild Trail
* Deerfoot Trail
* Glenmore Trail
* Groat Road
* Macleod Trail
* Memorial Drive
* Sherwood Park Freeway
* Wayne Gretzky Drive
* Whitemud Drive
* Yellowhead Trail

Named
highways|

* Anthony Henday Drive
* Banff–Windermere Highway
* Bicentennial Highway
* Bighorn Highway
* Bow Valley Parkway
* Bow Valley Trail
* Buffalo Trail
* Cowboy Trail
* Crowsnest Highway
* David Thompson Highway
* Devonian Way
* Dinosaur Trail
* Forestry Trunk Road
* Grizzly Trail
* Hoo Doo Trail
* Icefields Parkway
* Mackenzie Highway
* Northern Woods and Water Route
* Parkland Highway
* Poundmaker Trail
* Queen Elizabeth II Highway
* Red Coat Trail
* Sherwood Park Freeway
* Stoney/Tsuut'ina Trail
* Trans-Canada Highway
* Veterans Memorial Highway
* Yellowhead Highway

1 - 216 series|

* 1
* 1A
* 1X
* 2
* 2A
* 3
* 3A
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 10X
* 11
* 11A
* 12
* 12A
* 13
* 13A
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 16A
* 17
* 18
* 19
* 20
* 20A
* 21
* 22
* 22X
* 23
* 24
* 25
* 26
* 27
* 28
* 28A
* 29
* 31
* 32
* 33
* 35
* 36
* 37
* 38
* 39
* 40
* 41
* 41A
* 42
* 43
* 44
* 45
* 47
* 48
* 49
* 50
* 52
* 53
* 54
* 55
* 56
* 58
* 59
* 60
* 61
* 62
* 63
* 64
* 64A
* 66
* 68
* 72
* 88
* 93
* 93A

Former highways
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