Highway closures during Papal visit to Maskwacis on Monday

As the Pope travels to Maskwacis south of Edmonton Monday morning, several area highways and roads will be affected by closures.

Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, is in Canada as part of what he describes as a "penitential" trip to advance the journey toward reconciliation with Indigenous people for the church's role in residential schools.

On Monday, the Pope will travel from Edmonton to Maskwacis, home of the former Ermineskin Residential School — one of the country's largest residential schools.

The Queen Elizabeth II Highway southbound and Highway 611, west of Highway 2A, will be closed between Edmonton and Maskwacis as the Pope travels in the morning.

That ceremony is expected to begin around 10 a.m.

He is then scheduled to visit the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton around 4:45 p.m.

The QE II northbound and Highway 611 between Maskwacis and Edmonton will close again as the Pope returns to Edmonton.

Travellers can also expect significant delays, further closures and limited access along northbound and southbound portions of Highway 2A — between Maskwacis, Ponoka, and Wetaskiwin — all day as Archdiocese of Edmonton and other park-and-ride buses travel to the ceremony in Maskwacis and back.

Highway closures will be posted on electronic message boards along the QE II and highways 2A, 16, 43, 611, and 633.

For further information, visit 511 Alberta's website.