Ottawa drivers who regularly head east toward Cornwall have long known Highway 138 by another name: the highway you white-knuckle through. Now, the province is finally taking a closer look at fixing it.
Ontario has commenced a new study of Highway 138, the single-lane highway that connects Highway 417 — Ottawa's main artery to points east and west — with Cornwall. The stretch has earned a grim reputation over the years as the site of multiple fatal crashes, and local drivers and safety advocates have pushed for improvements for a long time.
Why This Matters for Ottawa
For Ottawa residents, Highway 138 isn't some far-off rural road — it's a key connector for anyone commuting to eastern Ontario, visiting family in Cornwall or Alexandria, or continuing on toward the Quebec border and northern New York State. It's also a route used by commercial trucks moving freight between the Ottawa region and the St. Lawrence corridor.
Because the highway narrows to a single lane in each direction with limited passing opportunities, drivers coming from Ottawa often find themselves stuck behind slow-moving trucks or farm equipment, tempting risky passing maneuvers on a road with a long history of head-on and passing-related collisions. Anyone who's made the drive from Ottawa to Cornwall for work, a hockey tournament, or a family visit has likely felt that particular mix of frustration and caution that comes with navigating 138.
What the Study Will Look At
While full details of the study's scope haven't been released, studies like this typically examine crash data, traffic volume, passing lane opportunities, intersection design, and speed limits before recommending upgrades — anything from added passing lanes to a full four-laning of the corridor.
Highway 138 has been on the radar of local politicians and safety groups for years, with past incidents prompting renewed calls for the province to act. A formal study is a meaningful first step toward that happening, even if actual construction is likely still years away.
What Comes Next
There's no timeline yet for when the study will wrap up or when any resulting improvements might break ground. But for Ottawa-area drivers who've dreaded this stretch of road, the news that the province is finally studying fixes will come as welcome — if overdue — progress.
In the meantime, if your travels take you along Highway 138 toward Cornwall, it remains worth extra caution, especially with passing zones limited and traffic volumes that can spike during commuter hours and long weekends.
Source: CBC Ottawa
