The County of Renfrew is starting to plan for the next phase of the Highway 17 expansion. Back in July, it was announced that the 22.5 kilometre stretch of highway from Scheel Drive in Arnprior to three kilometres west of Bruce Street in Renfrew would take 10-years to complete. Construction is expected to start in two to three years. Renfrew Reeve, Peter Emon says surveyors are out doing drilling, taking samples, currently working on the design and acquiring property including a section at McLean and Calabogie Road in McNab-Braeside Township that needs to be expropriated.
Emon says they’re starting to plan for the next phase of the Highway including talks with the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities and Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.
The Renfrew Reeve says expanding the highway is a shared interest between local municipalities. At the end of October Emon presented plans to all 17 municipalities at the county council meeting for a 2+1 roads system for Renfrew to Greenwood Road and up to Chalk River. He says this would take the existing roadway and split it into two lanes on one side for an extended period of time with a divider separating the other lane to decongest traffic going to CNL and Garrison Petawawa.