Highway 417 (Queensway) Road Conditions in Ontario

No full closures are reported on Highway 417 (Queensway) as of Oct 17, 2026 4:18 AM EDT, and no lane closures or roadworks either. Always check with Ontario 511 before setting off.

Segments and what to expect

Highway 417 is not one road in winter but three, and the names below are the ones drivers and Ontario 511 use for them. The elevations are the province's own, from its cameras at the places named.

1. Arnprior to Kanata

   Highway 17 becomes the 417 at Arnprior and runs four lanes across open farmland into the west end of the city: drifting snow across the road in a north-west wind, and the first ice of the Ottawa Valley's cold nights.

2. The Queensway: Kanata to Orléans

   The urban freeway through the capital, Highway 7 to the Split at Highway 174: city-speed traffic, the City of Ottawa's highest snowfalls, and the freezing rain that the valley gets when a warm front rides over the cold air pooled in it.

3. Orléans to the Quebec border

   East past Casselman and Vankleek Hill to Autoroute 40 at the Quebec line: flat, open and exposed, where the wind drifts the highway shut and Montreal-bound trucks queue behind the plows.

Alternate routes when Highway 417 is closed

• If Highway 417 between Ottawa and Casselman is closed: Highway 174 to Rockland, then the county roads south — about 5 min longer than the direct road when both are open, 66 km against 56 km. The old Highway 17 along the river to Rockland and the county roads back down to the 417 at Casselman: two lanes, in the same snow, but with towns on them.

Distances and times are measured over openrouteservice on a clear road; a closure day is not one, because the detour carries the closed road's traffic too. What is closed right now is on Ontario 511 ↗.

Related roads

Highway 417 Winter Driving FAQ

How long does Highway 417 take from Ottawa to Montreal?

About 2 h 25 min for the 202 km from downtown Ottawa to downtown Montreal on a clear road, as openrouteservice measures it, on the 417 to the Quebec line and Autoroute 40 beyond. Freezing rain and drifting snow east of Orléans are what slow it.

Does Ottawa get more snow than Toronto?

Yes, by a wide margin: on the 1981–2010 normals Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm averages 176 cm of snow a year on 52 days and 17 cm on the ground on an average January day, against Toronto Pearson's 108 cm, 44 days and 6 cm. January averages −10.2 °C in Ottawa and −5.5 °C in Toronto.

Do I need winter tires in Ottawa?

Not by law — Ontario has none — but with 176 cm of snow a year, 23 January days that stay below freezing and freezing rain several times a winter, most drivers in the capital fit them, and every insurer must offer a discount when you do. Studded tires are not allowed on a car registered in Ottawa.

Who clears Highway 417 through Ottawa?

The Province of Ontario's maintenance contractors, reported on Ontario 511 — not the City of Ottawa, whose standards cover Highway 174, the Transitway and the city streets. The two meet at the Split, and a storm can leave the Queensway bare and the ramps off it not.