The Sarah Burke Memorial Highway, previously known as Highway 93, runs for 24 kilometres through Simcoe County, where the 29-year-old Canadian Olympic Hall of Famer was born and raised.

Kathleen Wynne, the Premier of Ontario, said the road will "provide a lasting reminder of her accomplishments", which included four gold and one silver X Games medals.

She also successfully campaigned to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include women's halfpipe at the Winter Olympic Programme, starting at Sochi 2014 - she was considered a medal favourite at those Games.

"It will remind girls everywhere of the amazing possibilities that are open to them in our beautiful province," Wynne added.

Marcel Aubut, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee, also welcomed the move to honour the memory of Burke.

Sarah Burke was a medal hope for the Sochi 2014 Olympics ©Getty Images


"Sarah Burke was a freestyle skiing superstar and pioneer of the halfpipe skiing sport," he said.

"Her efforts in lobbying to have halfpipe skiing added to the Olympic programme for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is a testament to her dedication to her craft and high performance sport in Canada.

"The Sarah Burke Memorial Highway runs right through the area where she was born and raised so thank you to the Ontario Government for recognising her in such a fitting way."

Burke was also honoured when she featured on a series of Canadian postage stamps alongside other late winter sports stars from the nation last year to coincide with the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

Burke's team-mates honoured her at the Games in Russia by spreading her ashes on the Olympic halfpipe, on a mountain above it and near the Olympic Rings in the Athletes' Village.

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