 The road is named for John Lee Laurie, a prominent educator and political activist in Calgary, best known for First Nations advocacy.McKnight Boulevard begins in the northwestern community of North Haven at a T-intersection with John Laurie Boulevard and 48 Avenue NW as a four lane arterial road and continues east, with speed limits ranging between .East of Deerfoot Trail (Highway 2), McKnight Boulevard becomes an expressway, with speed limits ranging between , to the city limits east of Stoney Trail NE (Highway 201).