Is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 17mm f/2.8 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens set to 17mm f/2.8 sharper than the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens set to 18mm f/4.0? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.