As a former resident of Orleans...
IMHO The city doesn't want to do anything with the 174 because they're still upset it got downloaded to them from the province 10 years ago. They're hoping the province will take it back and do something with it. This is further evidenced by the city's refusal to even consider doing something with the 174 east of Trim, forcing the province and Rockland to fund the EA. And again further evidenced by the city's decision to use federal stimulus money to extend Hunt Club East as a dead end road to nowhere since the province has chosen not to proceed with the 417/Hunt Club East interchange. They could have used that money to widen the 174 instead!
The city has no plans to widen the mainline of 174 (joining ramps together doesn't count) and widening it east of Montreal Road isn't even in the official plan.
http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/p...anx_a_en.shtml Meanwhile, there is city-encouraged mass development going on in Orleans and traffic is getting worse. Six years ago Innes Road was a two lane rural standard and extremely congested, now it's a four lane arterial and extremely congested! Bravo.
Meanwhile, Kanata has a brand new ten-lane roadway serving it. Hardly seems fair.
The proposed plan for the split under the current Queensway EA is to widen the 417 eastbound to three lanes through the split and do nothing to the 174. Mind you, westbound 174 will have two dedicated lanes merging onto the 417 with two lanes for a total of four lanes, which will help a bit.
Unfortunately, Ottawa Orleans MPP Phil McNeely's promises to fix the split apply only to the provincial portion. And the business community has realized that without sufficient road networks in Orleans, nobody can get to work, which is why unlike Kanata the Orleans Business Park remains an empty field of weeds.