North Stormont community calling for changes to Highway 138 after fatal crash

Following a deadly crash on Highway 138 last spring, residents in North Stormont are demanding change. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

Residents in North Stormont came together Saturday to call for safety changes to Highway 138.

Back in March near the community of Moose Creek, local resident Amanda Maloney was killed in a collision involving two tractor trailers at the intersection of Dyer Road.

“On March 29, we lost a cherished member of our community, Amanda Maloney, who was killed while attempting to navigate a dangerous turn on Highway 138,” said Cara Sabourin, who organized a town hall Saturday morning featuring police, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), local politicians and community members.

The provincial highway is a key corridor for commuters between Cornwall and Ottawa. In recent years, the roadway has seen traffic increase exponentially with Walmart, the Amazon distribution centre and Calypso waterpark nearby. A Great Wolf Lodge is planned to be built in the future.

“Every single person pretty well has had a near miss on that highway, and most of them more than once,” said Martin Lang, warden of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

Bringing good news was local MPP Nolan Quinn, who said a long-standing report for redesigning the highway was set to be pushed forward in the coming months.

“The whole report, including passing lanes. One set of passing lanes north, one set of passing lane south, left hand turning lanes, slip lanes, lines of sight as well. That will be starting this summer.”

The redesign to Highway 138 would also feature road widening and snow drift fences along farmers’ fields. Frustratingly for residents, this work is not scheduled until May 2028.

“I’m happy that there’s going to be turning lanes at that intersection because that that is the reason why she died was because there wasn’t one,” said Sabourin. “I’m a bit disappointed to hear of how long it’s taking for some of those changes.”

With planned changes three years down the road, residents who spoke at Saturday’s town hall called for more immediate, low budget solutions, such as amber lights at intersections, more marked police cruisers patrolling the highway and emotional signage reminding drivers of past tragedies.

A representative with the MTO who joined the town hall virtually said previous studies by the ministry have found that stop lights and amber lights along Highway 138 are not warranted by the volume of turning vehicles.

“I really like the emotional signage,” said Ontario Provincial Police acting superintendent Stephan Neufeld, who was in attendance Saturday.

“I refer to the Remember Adam project that started in that community in Mattawa. That certainly makes every time I drive on Highway 17 and I see that it, makes me think. So, I think there’s a lot of value in that emotional signage.”

Neufeld says the 138 is the most patrolled roadway by the OPP in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

Since 2022, there have been 247 collisions on Highway 138 including two deaths.

“It’s the enforcement piece, which is the key role for the OPP, and the education piece,” Neufeld said of the OPP’s place in ensuring safety along Highway 138.

“The education piece, that’s a journey, that’s not a destination. Education never ends. Whether it’s signage, whether it’s getting out to new drivers that are just starting out.”

While the community waits for construction to begin on the highway, fellow town hall organizer Amanda Brownrigg has been working to erect a monument at the Moose Creek community centre in Maloney’s memory.

“I want a bench for her. I want a bench at the park so her girls can see how much she was appreciated, see how much she was loved.”

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