As the Ottawa River was widened and dammed east of the capital to make room for larger ships, a lot of land was lost on both sides, but from a road enthusiast perspective, Ontario has more to offer because of it. There are two old alignments of Highway 17, several kilometers long each, washed over but not away by the river. This piece is off of the piece of Highway 17 that's now Prescott-Russell CR 4 (Front Road, Ottawa Road/Chemin des Outaouais) by Voyageur Provincial Park off of Highway 417 Exit 5 and Autoroute 40 Exit 1 (those are the same freeway). Photos on this page are from the western traversable end of old 17.


Eastbbound on old 17 to the drivable end, and the original concrete peeking out from the asphalt on the side.


Walking out onto the broken pavement of the former highway, and thanks to the action of the water, not only is there even more concrete, but it's been worn smooth.


Nature may be chipping away at the sides of old 17, but the centerline still runs gracefully into the Ottawa River, straight ahead like it has for decades.


Since I don't feel like swimming, it's back to pavement and back out to modern-day CR 4. The original 17 went straight in the last photograph, continuing west along the south bank of the Ottawa River on what is now a gravel trail, but the old road (with a couple of houses and probably some fishermen at times) has been realigned to meet the gentle curve of CR 4 at a T.

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