Headline Rd/ Hwy 138 roundabout project moving forward

Image of Nick Seebruch
By Nick Seebruch
Headline Rd/ Hwy 138 roundabout project moving forward
Hwy 138 road sign near the Headline Rd. intersection (Nick Seebruch/ Seaway News).

SOUTH STORMONT, Ontario – The province of Ontario says it is moving forward with elements of a 2016 study to promote safety on Hwy 138.

The study features a range of recommendations, including commuter parking lots, which were installed on Cornwall Ctr. Rd. and Hwy 138 just outside St. Andrews West. The provincial government says it is ready and will begin implementing another recommendation from the study, installing a roundabout at the Headline Rd. intersection of Hwy 138.

READ MORE: Roundabout proposed for Hwy. 138 at Headline Rd.

Seaway News asked South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis about this development. McGillis explained that he and other local officials were updated about the project by Ontario Minister for Transportation Caroline Mulroney at a meeting held during the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference.

“This is great news that we are very excited about,” McGillis said.

The province will begin the design phase of the roundabout this year, with an expected completion date of the project sometime in 2022.

McGillis said that he expects that the installation of a roundabout at that intersection will make it safer and more efficient for traffic.

Other recommendations from the 2016 study that McGillis and other representatives discussed with Mulroney at the ROMA conference included the installation of passing lanes at key intersections, including at Wheeler Rd.

McGillis said that Hwy 138 continues to be an area of focus for the OPP who monitor the highway with both their vehicles and aerial surveillance.

RELATED: Fifty one accidents on Hwy 138 in 2019

In 2020 there were 51 vehicle collisions on Hwy 138 in 2019, an increase from the previous year which saw 48, which was also an increase from the year before, 2017, which saw 47.

Share this article