In the early 1990s, there was talk of extending Highway 56 from the Highway 1 to the US border. This was due in large part to then Alberta Premier Don Getty, who at the time was also the MLA for Stettler. All talk of this endeavor stopped once Getty retired from politics and was succeeded as Premier by Ralph Klein.
In September 2021, a 4.0 km (2.5 mi) section of Highway 834 was renumbered to Highway 56, extending its northern terminus from Highway 13 to Highway 26. The renumbering was a response to local requests to align the numbering of the short portion of highway with the pre-existing portions of Highway 56.[3] It also rendered the 5.2 km (3.2 mi) Highway 26 / Highway 834 concurrency obsolete.