(Updated 11:30 a.m., Dec. 3)
Commentary: Debate over Hwy. 174 has long-term ramifications
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

A report addressing safety issues along the eastern portion of Hwy. 174 between Trim Road and the border with the United Counties of Prescott-Russell has once again raised the debate over who's responsible for the problem and who should pay to fix it.

Forget for the moment that it took more than two years to complete the study. Two years during which over 100 more accidents took place, according to the statistics contained in the report.

When debating the present and future state of Hwy. 174, there are two main issues that must be considered -- safety and growth.

The single biggest cause of the increase in traffic along the roadway is the tremendous growth that has been going on in Clarence-Rockland. The increase in traffic has resulted in a corresponding increase in accidents. That much is a given.

So who should pay for the upgrades? The city's position up until now has been that the United Counties of Prescott Russell or the province should pay for them because the source of the problem is in Clarence-Rockland.

But the City oi Ottawa residents who live along Hwy. 174 don't care what the source of the problem is, they just want someone to do something to reduce the chances of getting seriously injured or even killed in an accident.

The Hwy. 174 Safety Review lists a number of measures the city can do in the short- and medium-term to address the safety concerns. The report also notes that the highway will eventually have to be widened as the traffic levels continue to go up. The city maintains that if the road needs to be widened the province and the United Counties of Prescott-Russell should foot the entire bill including the cost of the Environmental Assessment.

The problem with this strance is that to argue the province and Prescott-Russell should pay the whole shot would be to argue that niether the City of Ottawa nor the residents living along the roadway would benefit. That, of course, is ludicorus.

The provincial and federal governments have already agreed to spend $80 million on wideing Hwy. 174 which would have left the rest of the $104 million pricetag up to the City of Ottawa and the United Counties of Prescott-Russell. The city's share would have been $15 million, or slightly more than 10 per cent. They turned the deal down on principle. Yes, you read right, the city told the province and the feds to keep their $80 million.

It was the right thing to do, but for the wrong reasons. There is no doubt that wideing Hwy. 174 to four lanes would greatly improve the safety of the roadway and that the value of the project to the City of Ottawa would be equivalent if not greatrer than their 10 per cent invetsment.

But widening the highway would cause an even greater problem further down the road. First of all it would accelerate the growth that's currently occurring in Clarence-Rockland, which is why the politicians and business leaders there want it so badly.

Increased growth in Clarence-Rockland means increased traffic on Hwy. 174 which will eventually end up at the split. And there in lies the problem. You can not study the future widening of Hwy. 174 in isolation, which is why if the Environmental Assessment process were to proceed, it should be done within the greater context of the impact the project will have on the rest of Hwy. 174 and especially the split.

As for who should pay for the EA, the city should admit that it made a mistake in turning down an offer from the province to pay $5 million for the necessary work a year and a half ago and graciously ask if the offer still stands. If done properly the EA should show the impact the project will have on the split and how much it will cost to mitigate that impact.

In the meantime, the city needs to fasttrack the various recommendations contained in the Safety Review before someone else has to pay for the delay with their life.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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