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401 Expansion and Concrete Barriers to be Installed Soon

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am800-news-401-chatham-kent
Ontarios transportation minister made the comments in the legislature on Tuesday regarding the highway from Tilbury to London

The province says it will soon begin to widen the 401 between Tilbury and London and install concrete barriers to prevent crossover crashes.

The plan, which was included in the budget in April, calls for the 118 km span to be widened from four lanes to six lanes.

The stretch of highway has long been known as 'Carnage Alley' due to the number of serious and fatal crashes over the past two decades.

Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek said on Tuesday the province is committed to getting shovels in the ground as soon as possible.

The group 'Build the Barrier" has been pushing for barriers to prevent fatal crossover crashes and group founder Alysson Storey says this is good news, although actions speak louder than words.

She says she will be more comfortable when she sees the timeline and plan in writing.

Storey says actions speak louder than words.

"We will certainly be more comfortable when we see a timeline in writing and we see a plan in writing, we are encouraged that it is still on the minister of transportation's radar and our MPP is advocating for it."

Storey says attending a ground breaking ceremony will make her feel better about the project.

"We won't feel entirely confident and comfortable until we see shovels in the ground, as it were, and we see a plan in place. Right now, it is a lot of discussion and it is more detailed discussion than we have heard in a long time and that's a big difference."

Storey says the group's plan was focused on the concrete barriers, but admits more lanes will make it safer.

"We were never specifically requesting the six lanes although it is certainly part of a safer highway."

Storey adds in addition to the loss of life, there is an economic aspect to the project as there are regular crashes on the 401 which stalls commerce.

She says on average, there is more than one collision every six days or less on carnage alley with multiple hour closures.


 

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