The MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex is calling the province's plan to widen Hwy 401 between London and Tilbury a 'partial win.'
Rick Nicholls says the announcement of temporary, high-tension cable barriers is a move in the right direction, but not the ultimate fix to stop head-on, crossover collisions.
The province is planning to put the cable barriers in place while planning is done to have concrete barriers installed.
Nicholls says with a new bridge on the horizon, this needs to be priority one.
"The truck traffic on 401, especially from London through to Windsor, is going to drastically increase due to the fact that the new bridge will be open and that that one stretch from London through to Tilbury is only a two lane highway," says Nicholls. "Of course that's where we've had a number of crossover accidents."
Nicholls adds, the government shouldn't be wasting time and money with cable barriers when driver safety is in jeopardy.
"I was hoping that they would be forward thinking," says Nicholls. Price is an issue and they can get the cable barriers up faster and I believe that because to do the concrete barriers it's going to take a lot more time and, of course, it will be more costly."
The installation of the cable barriers is expected to start in the next few months. No word yet on when construction of the concrete barriers will begin.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi