Quote:
Originally Posted by eternallyme
If traffic on 174 is an issue and congestion at the split, maybe Innes Road could be the route that could be extended? Such would also provide a second access to Rockland from the south, and preserve the 174 as a two-lane parkway.
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To clarify some of the points made here
1) The suggestion to install a Toll at Canaan Road is actually mine, I brought it forward about 18 months ago, it was shot down by Blais's office, but it seems that he's had a change of heart (no pun intended!), and whereas he used to be very supportive of Rockland people, probably because he had visions of running provincially before his recent health problems in a riding that would also includes Clarence-Rockland (C-R), this is no longer the case.
2) The toll Option is a viable threat to C-R, and would likely not be implemented, but the threat of the toll is the catalyst needed to draw attention to this problem east of Trim Rd. This is a problem that should not be the responsibility of the City of Ottawa to deal with, recent traffic survey has peak hourly AM traffic from Rockland at 1200 cars/hour, which means 1 car every 3 seconds. The city of C-R needs to address its commuter problem, perhaps with more public transit through greater subsidies of to CRT Commuter Bus service, car pool incentives etc... This is the likely outcome
3) There is an Environmental Assessment currently underway for the widening of the 174 from Rockland to the slit, 2 lane from Rockland to Jeanne d'Arc, and 3 Lanes further west. They are also considering a secondary option east of Trim of a new southern route utilizing the Innes Road corridors and an already reserved corridor south of Rockland. The reality is that the current alignment of the 174 is not well suited for 4 lanes, it would not bring any economic benefit to the City and it would be an environmental nightmare due to its proximity along the river. It would also basically destroy the village of Cumberland (which is in Ottawa)
4) Assuming a new road is approved, or the 174 widened to 4 lanes, it would likely cost $200-$300 million range to build this road. The city of Ottawa would not benefit from any economic development, especially if it is using the existing 174 corridor (river on one side, escarpment on the other). There was an offer to fund $80Million towards this project, with the balance to be paid by Ottawa and C-R. Back in 2008, then-Councillor Jellett wisely rejected this since in his opinion, the widening of the road would bring no benefit to Ottawa, while costing Ottawa taxpayers Millions
5) The city of Ottawa is spending Billions on new transportation infrastructure, the LRT will cost us taxpayers over $1Billion after the province and the Feds pay their share. The improvements to 174 are easily $300Million, etc etc.. Orleans has over 20% transit use, and the goal is to hit 40% by 2031. Why are we spending all this time and money on public transit if the result simply is to open up the roads to outside commuters with cars who are attracted to cheaper real estate outside the city's boundaries. What we are essentially creating is a Secondary Greenbelt.
There is a tradeoff for cheap real estate, and the city of Ottawa should not bear this cost, simply put
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