Highway 174 caught in limbo between Ottawa and the province

As Ottawa bears witness to yet another tragic death along Hwy. 174, many are left wondering why has all progress on improving the highway seemingly stalled?

For about 10 years starting in 2010, the City of Ottawa made steady progress on advancing safety improvements and eventually widening Hwy. 174. First, in securing the endorsement of council to widen the highway. Second, putting a widened Hwy. 174 into the city’s Transportation Master Plan. Third, securing millions from the province to conduct an environmental assessment for the widening. Finally, the approval of the widening which would see a fully divided highway, a Transit / HOV lane, intersection modifications in Cumberland Village and potential for a revitalized waterfront along the Ottawa River.

However, for the past five years, whether it is LRT construction, changing driving patterns during the pandemic, or now awaiting the Ford government to finally make good on their promise to upload 174, there have been myriad reasons (excuses) for progress to come to a halt.

Ultimately, it has stalled because of a lack of vision and leadership at Ottawa City Hall. Some in Ottawa now prefer extending Innes Road or Brian Coburn Blvd to Rockland.

The City of Ottawa still owns Hwy. 174 and has a responsibility to maintain it in good condition, improve its safety, and move forward with its eventual expansion.
From traffic lines that are barely visible or lane closures for no reason through Orléans to the well-known “highway of death” along the Ottawa River out to Rockland the City has abdicated its responsibility to making pro-gress on the highway.

For two years I have been trying to call Mayor Sutcliffe’s attention to safety issues on Hwy 174 for the benefit of our constituents. Unfortunately, it feels like the message has fallen on deaf ears. Without some work, the Environmental Assessment to improve Hwy 174 will soon become invalid and millions of taxpayers dollars will be wasted.

Moreover, it appears the City has removed a divided and widened 174 that includes HOV and transit lanes from its Transportation Master Plan. Failing to plan to accommodate increasing housing and the resulting traffic from Rockland doesn’t seem very smart – especially as the 174 is also absent from the Ford Government’s transportation planning for eastern Ontario.

Hwy. 174 is far too important for it to fall through the cracks. The Mayor and our councillors have a responsibility to advance the work while it remains a city road, and the Ford government must agree to take on the work if and when the long-awaited uploading actually happens.

For more details and the whole story, please visit www.stephenblais.ca/hwy174.