The mayors of Renfrew and Horton Township in eastern Ontario say a collision that closed Highway 17 for hours on Wednesday serves as a reminder of the need to expand the roadway in the region.
A transport truck crashed on the bridge over the Bonnechere River on Wednesday afternoon, causing a fuel spill. Ontario Provincial Police closed the two-lane highway while crews worked to contain the spill and remove the truck. Police said the driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution and the Ministry of the Environment had been notified.
The ministry said in an email to CTV News Ottawa that approximately 500 litres of diesel and an estimated 200 litres of operating fluid was released onto the roadway and bridge.
“Spill containment measures were deployed immediately by emergency response crews, with some fluids anticipated to have reached the frozen Bonnechere River,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment said. “Clean up crews began a survey of the area to determine the full extent of impacts and frozen conditions at the time of the accident are expected to have limited the widespread environmental impacts.”
In a post on Facebook Wednesday evening, Horton Township Mayor Daina Proctor said she hopes the event will put more focus on the expansion of Highway 17.
“The complete closure of Highway 17 highlights the significant and immediate impact that disruptions on this essential thru-way have on residents, businesses and emergency services,” Proctor wrote.
“I am asking our provincial partners to allow (Wednesday’s) event to serve as a renewed call to focus on the needs of our section of this vital corridor. The twinning of Highway 17 is not just a long-term infrastructure aspiration; it is a critical safety and resiliency requirement for our region today.”
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney said the crash diverted traffic through Renfrew, highlighting the need for the highway to be expanded.
“The closure of Highway 17 for several hours led to a significant volume of traffic being diverted through our downtown core and surrounding neighbourhoods. This places added strain on our infrastructure and creates real challenges for local residents and travellers alike. Situations like this underscore just how critical it is to move forward with the widening of Highway 17 in our area,” he wrote.
“The Province’s recent commitment to this project is an important step toward improving safety and ensuring more reliable and safe travel through our community, especially as highway usage continues to increases in our area.”
Sidney said he was thankful no one was seriously injured or killed as a result of the crash and thanked first responders and neighbouring officials for their quick responses to the situaiton.
Widening proceeding into second phase
The province announced at the end of February that it was accepting proposals to widen Highway 17 between Renfrew and Arnprior. This phase will involve the twinning of 22.5 kilometres of road on Highway 17, from Scheel Drive near Arnprior to three kilometres west of Bruce Street in Renfrew, which includes the area where the collision occurred.
The area has seen several collisions in recent years, some of them fatal.
The provincial government first announced the planned expansion of the highway in 2019, saying work would be competed in phases within ten years. An earlier phase was completed in 2023 with a new bridge and interchange at Highway 17 and Calabogie Road.
“We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with our government partners and remain committed to working together to ensure that Highway 17 is strengthened for the future,” Proctor said. “I extend my thanks to every responder involved today for their dedication and service to our community.”
The highway reopened overnight, after being closed for approximately 12 hours.
The Ministry of the Environment said staff remain in contact with spill clean-up crews and will monitor progress through the coming days.
