The death of Amanda Maloney on March 29 as a result of a collision on Highway 138 has reignited calls for urgent safety upgrades along the road. At a town hall meeting held on Saturday, June 21, at the Moose Creek Community Centre, more than 100 residents gathered to share concerns, propose solutions, and press for political action.
The town hall was organized by Cara Sabourin and Amanda Brownrigg, who have become vocal advocates for safety changes. They said the turnout reflected widespread frustration with unsafe driving conditions along the highway and a lack of government response.
The collaborative effort gathered community input on Highway 138 safety issues, risk prevention, and made suggestions for safety improvements in the presence of the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and some elected officials.
“We always seem to act after the fact. Where is our ability to take the initiative in prevention?” Sabourin said. “Our town hall hosted approximately 100 individuals. We’re demonstrating that there’s a need for change; our community is still grieving the loss of Amanda Maloney.”
Residents at the town hall said the two-way highway had outgrown its original design, with the amount of daily traffic on the route increasing due to the growing investment and enterprise in the region.
Brownrigg added that with how many people use Highway 138, including agricultural equipment, tractor-trailers, commuters, and residents, “it needs some updates. It deserves the attention of the provincial government.”
“It’s not great, to say the least. It’s dangerous,” said Sabourin. “We already have more than 7,500 signatures on our online petition calling for these immediate and required safety upgrades, with an additional 1,000 physical signatures on hand.”
Resident concerns
Several commonly shared concerns were highlighted at the meeting, including the perceived slow response to the Stantec transportation study conducted in 2017, a lack of safe intersections, and short turning lanes in some areas. Additionally, increased traffic and people rushing to pass slower-moving vehicles were mentioned.
“We don’t have proper intersections, and no one really wants to turn left on this highway. It poses a significant danger to the driver turning and those behind them,” Sabourin explained.
“Even the right-turn lanes that do exist are too short in some areas; people need to brake quickly to ensure they don’t go off the road,” said Brownrigg
“Many families have told us that they’ve asked school bus operators to pick up and drop off their children at their place of business,” said Sabourin.
“Parents are taking the extra step to drive their children away from Highway 138 for school, rather than risk the safety of their family.”
Attendees at the town hall also brought up the perceived lack of OPP presence along the busy route. Residents said that having unmarked police vehicles does little to prevent speeding and reckless driving habits, requesting the OPP to have a more visible presence.
“If people saw OPP officers regularly along the highway, they’d likely drive more cautiously,” said Sabourin.
At one point during the meeting, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Warden Martin Lang asked attendees to raise their hands if they or someone they knew had a close call, accident, or other incident along Highway 138.
To the surprise of Lang and other elected officials, the majority of the room raised their hands.
“If you have almost every single person raising their hand saying, ‘hey, I’ve also experienced this,’ then you know we have a problem with safety along this highway,” Sabourin concluded.
Upgrading safety
Some of the suggestions to improve safety conditions on Highway 138 included expanding the highway to be a three-lane route, having a dedicated turning lane in the centre, adding hazard lights at hidden intersections, and installing lights at high-traffic intersections.
“They keep expanding what’s going to be in Cornwall and our region, but they’re not expanding the infrastructure which is needed to accommodate these changes in traffic volume,” Sabourin said.
The OPP confirmed at the town hall that tractor-trailer traffic had increased approximately double since the 2017 Stantec study.
“They keep referring to plans from the 2017 study, but it doesn’t look like they’re expanding the infrastructure north of Monkland,” Sabourin said. “These improvements are based on almost 10-year-old data and do not meet the current realities of the highway.”
Ongoing construction at the intersection of Highway 138 and Headline Road (County Road 44) will have a roundabout installed to improve traffic flow and fuel efficiency.
Sabourin said that while community members appreciate the construction efforts, they come too late and do not address the large stretch of Highway 138 north of Monkland.
“They seem to try and appease us by saying they’ll put a turning lane in both directions at the intersection where Maloney’s accident occurred, but we’d think a third lane the entire way down 138 would allow for better safety when turning off the highway,” Sabourin explained.
“It’s completely outgrown the abilities of a standard two-lane highway. If the highway can’t be widened in some areas, a four-way stop might still reduce the chance of accidents,” said Brownrigg.
“The road is only going to get busier, and people are becoming more and more impatient with slower-moving vehicles, including tractor-trailers and farm equipment. It will just create more of a headache further down the road if this isn’t dealt with properly,” Brownrigg proposed.
Political response
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Nolan Quinn explained, “I’m proud to announce that our government is moving forward with a strong plan to make Highway 138 safer, including adding passing lanes, slip-around lanes, turn lanes, and key intersection improvements.”
“A Request for Proposals for this work will be issued this summer, with construction expected to begin in 2028.”
South Stormont Deputy Mayor Andrew Guindon hopes that there will be additional public meetings held by either the MTO or one of the affected municipalities throughout the construction process, “so that the public can stay up to date on construction timelines.”
Additionally, Guindon said that proposed construction plans include two kilometres of passing lanes in both directions, as well as “much-needed turning lanes at critical intersections. The province also plans on erecting additional snow fencing along the highway to prevent drifting snow hazards.”
Guindon encouraged community members to attend any future Highway 138 meetings so that MTO staff can see the importance of this issue in the region.
South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis reiterated his commitment to improving Highway 138, stating that the project has been a top priority for the municipality for more than 20 years.
“Ensuring the public is heard means staying accessible, holding public meetings, and bringing their voices directly to the table, whether it’s with provincial officials, other municipalities, or the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry,” McGillis said.
McGillis then emphasized, “We know these upgrades will require significant investment, but they are necessary. The MTO is currently reviewing several critical safety upgrades along Highway 138, and I’ve been in ongoing discussions with MPP Quinn and other provincial officials to make sure our priorities are clear.”
“MP Eric Duncan, MPP Quinn, and I had a meeting on Monday, July 7, to discuss and follow up on the information shared at the community meeting held in Moose Creek.”
Pushing forward with their cause, Sabourin and Brownrigg said they plan to continue organizing and pushing for broader upgrades, not just intersection fixes, but a full analysis of how Highway 138 serves the region.
Those wishing to sign the petition and leave a comment can do so here: https://www.change.org/p/improve-safety-measures-on-hwy-138-project-amanda.
Individuals can follow updates and get involved by joining the Project Amanda Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2120155658509057/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=2128184787706144.
