expanded to eight lanes with paved shoulders and centre-mounted lighting beginning in 1982. To reduce weaving, the westbound exit at Kent Street was removed during this work. Expansion of the two lane Highway 17 west of the interchange with Highway 7 got underway in 1991; this section was renumbered as Highway 417 as construction progressed westward. The construction saw a second two lane roadway built parallel to the existing route to create a divided freeway, a process known as twinning. When the twinning of Highway 17 reached March Road, new contracts were tendered to continue the process northward. Bot Construction was awarded the contract for the section north to Panmure Road on December 9, 1998. On February 16, 2000, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) officially announced that Highway 417 would be extended to Arnprior over the next several years. A contract to build the freeway from north of Panmure Road to south of Arnprior was tendered in early 2002. This work was completed and the extension opened to traffic on September 24, 2004. Concurrent with the twinning of Highway 7 between Carleton Place and Ottawa, the interchange with Highway 417 was upgraded to support the divided traffic flows; a new flyover ramp was built connecting westbound Highway 417 with westbound Highway 7. Construction began on August 22, 2006, and was opened in June 2008 along with the Highway 7 expansion. Construction to twin the Arnprior Bypass portion of Highway 17, which included a new interchange at White Lake Road, began during the spring of 2009. The bypass was originally built in 1981 as one of a number of upgrades to Highway 17 between Ottawa and North Bay. It was intended for directing through traffic around downtown Arnprior and was designed for an eventual upgrade to a divided freeway. The major structure in this project was a second crossing of the Madawaska River. Work was completed in late 2012; the new section was opened ceremonially on November 29 and cost $63 million, $7 million less than projected. Starting in 2003, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation developed plans for an extensive upgrade of Highway 417 between Highway 7 (Exit 145) and Anderson Road (Exit 104). The addition of lanes and off-ramps into residential areas was resisted by several local community groups. The study was completed in January 2007 with recommendations to expand or rebuild sections of the highway. The entire