For decades, transport trucks travelling through Ottawa to eastern destinations, have all been forced to funnel through the city’s core. The only other alternative to the 417 for these trucks is to take countryside roads, or detour far to the south.
Although this flow of transport trucks hauling goods past our city has long been viewed as unsustainable and detrimental to urban communities, no plan has come to fruition to permanently address the situation.
For those long-time readers of my articles, you know transportation investment is a common refrain, and my advocacy for a southern ring road predates even my election. Since amalgamation, Ottawa’s population has grown by a quarter of a million people. Meanwhile, our major transportation networks are largely unchanged and are increasingly overburdened by growing traffic demands.
Imagine for a moment a road that juts off Hwy. 416, circumvents our city’s rural communities, and ideally ends at a new eastern interprovincial bridge past Ottawa’s boundary. It would be transformative, providing a route for transport trucks heading to Montréal, Quebec City and further east, with a way to avoid driving through Ottawa’s downtown. Additionally, it could serve trucks hauling cargo arriving at the airport; or for example, going to stock up Ottawa’s massive Amazon warehouses (with another opening in the south end soon), all of which are currently forced to funnel through the core.
This doesn’t even speak to the need of providing options for residents in Ottawa’s east, south and west ends (as well as those communities in areas outside of Ottawa), with an alternative to Hwy. 417. How can anyone be surprised when a single closure, either for construction or an accident, grinds all movement to a halt?
This ring road, however, must be a Provincial 400-series roadway. Much like with the 417, and the uploading of Hwy. 174, I believe that the Government of Ontario should take the lead in the construction and maintenance of this roadway, as the demands on it go well beyond serving only Ottawa; the movement of goods throughout Eastern Ontario would see efficiencies, also reaping the benefits, and growing communities around Ottawa would also see new connections alleviating their growing traffic pressures. From my perspective, it’s a win for the Province no matter which way you slice it. We know this is not too much ask, as the Province is eagerly building 400-series highways in the Greater Toronto Area. I strongly believe that their construction spree must extend to Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
I am elated to see that more of my colleagues are now getting on board, acknowledging that as our city continues to grow, the demands on our existing infrastructure are only going to get worse. Although the decision to include a ring road as part of the City’s Transportation Master Plan this past July did not receive unanimous support, it does not in any way prevent us from relaying to our Provincial counterparts that a road of this nature is necessary for the continued growth and prosperity of our city. I, for one, plan on continuing to press for this much-needed investment in our City’s transportation future.
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