It is a heavily used, 4-lane divided highway, with the exception of a short 18 km section in the southeastern corner of the province.

PTH 1 has full expressway status on the routes around Winnipeg on the Perimeter Highway, and around Portage la Prairie.

Currently, exit numbers only exist at three interchanges,[2] and only small sections of PTH 1 and the Perimeter Highway have freeway status.

On October 6, 2006 the Trans-Canada Highway Portage la Prairie by-pass was closed due to a structural defect found in the bridge over the CN Rail Line.

On October 31, 2007, a $19 million project to rebuild the bridge was completed, and the by-pass was fully re-opened to traffic.

The highway now heads inland, curving northward to pass underneath PTH 1, without an interchange, before travelling past Star Lake.

PR 301 comes to an end shortly thereafter at an intersection with PTH 44 (La Vérendrye Trail) near West Hawk Lake.

Provincial Road 351 (PR 351) runs for 37.3 kilometres (23.2 mi) along a former alignment of PTH 1 in the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford.

Serving as a loop route off of the Trans-Canada, it provides access to both the town of Carberry and the historic Camp Hughes.

Provincial Road 455 (PR 455) is a 11.6-kilometre-long (7.2 mi) east-west spur of PTH 21 in the Rural Municipality of Whitehead, providing access to the town of Alexander.

Provincial Road 459 (PR 459) is a 9.5-kilometre-long (5.9 mi) east-west of PTH 1 into the north side of the city of Brandon.

Provincial Road 501 (PR 501) is a 26.0-kilometre-long (16.2 mi) east-west spur of PTH 1 in the Rural Municipality of Taché, providing access to the hamlets of Rosewood, Ste.