RENFREW COUNTY (Renfrew) — On July 11, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, John Yakabuski (MPP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke) was joined by Warden Jennifer Murphy and several members of County Council along with a room filled with residents, municipal elected, staff and media for the announcement of the 22.5km expansion of Highway 17 to 4 lanes from Scheel Drive near Arnprior through to 3km west of Bruce Street near Renfrew.
The ten year project will begin construction in the next 2 to 3 years, and will include four new interchanges.
“The Operations Committee thanks Minister Yakabuski for this excellent news. The Committee wishes to express its gratitude to Councillor Peter Emon for his immense contribution on this issue and also to all those who have worked long and hard to bring attention to the Highway 17 expansion as a vitally important issue for Renfrew County,” said Councillor Tom Peckett, Chair of the County of Renfrew Operations Committee.
In 2012, the County of Renfrew
requested the Province of Ontario to accelerate the extension of Highway 417 west of Arnprior, which later saw the expansion through to Scheel Drive completed in 2016. In 2017, the previous government had approved the detailed design phase of the expansion through to Renfrew, but did not proceed to add it to their 5 year infrastructure plan.
Premier Ford expressed during his visit to Renfrew last year that the Province was supportive of the extension/expansion project, as MPP John Yakabuski continues to be a huge champion, and that he makes everyone aware of the importance of moving ahead on this expansion.
Earlier this year in January, a delegation from Bonnechere Valley and the County of Renfrew, met with MPP Kinga Surma, former Parliamentary Assistant to former Minister of Transportation, Jeff Yurek, along with senior staff from the Premier’s Office and the Ministry of Transportation, to discuss the expansion.
