Ontario Highway 417 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 417 passes through the heart of the Ottawa Valley, extending from the Ontario-Quebec Boundary to Ottawa and then northeasterly to Arnprior. Highway 417 forms an important link in the Trans-Canada Highway across Eastern Ontario, connecting to Quebec's Autoroute 40 which then continues east to Montreal. Highway 417 is a vital east-west artery through Ottawa, knows as The Queensway. The highway was completed from the Ontario-Quebec Boundary to Highway 7 during the 1970s. Over the past 15 years, sections of Highway 17 between Highway 7 and Arnprior have been converted into a four-lane highway and renumbered as Highway 417. The Ministry of Transportation intends to extend Highway 417 from Arnprior to Renfrew in the coming decade by twinning the existing two-lane section of Highway 17. Currently, Highway 417 is 181 km in length.

The entire highway from the Ontario-Quebec Boundary to Ottawa is four lanes, with two lanes provided for each direction of travel. Within Ottawa, the highway ranges from six to eight lanes from Former Highway 17 East (Now Ottawa Road 174) to Highway 416. From Highway 416 to Arnprior, Highway 417 is four lanes. However, a construction project began in 2007 to widen Highway 417 to eight lanes from Eagleson Road in Kanata to Highway 416. An eastbound High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Carpool Lane is also under construction between Kanata and Ottawa. Future HOV Lanes are planned along Highway 417 in Ottawa as the Queensway is reconstructed.

There are no Service Centres located along Highway 417, but services are available at several exits. The posted speed limit on Highway 417 is 100 km/h (60 mph). Exits along Highway 417 are numbered from east to west based on their distance from the Ontario-Quebec Boundary. Approximate distances along the highway can therefore be calculated by subtracting one exit number from another. For example, the distance from Highway 34 (Exit #27) to Highway 416 (Exit #131) is 104 km (131 - 27 = 104). Please visit the Highway 417 Mileage Chart page for a list of interchange numbers along Highway 417.