There are renewed calls for a concrete barrier after three people were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries due to a collision between transport trucks on Highway 401.
The crash took place in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 near Merlin Road in CHatham-Kent Tuesday morning.
Chatham-Kent OPP say the collision is blocking all westbound lanes.
Investigation revealed, an eastbound tractor trailer had crossed through the centre median, drove through the cable barrier and collided head on into two westbound tractor trailers.
Alysson Storey with the grassroots group Build the Barrier says the crash is a reminder the stretch between Tilbury and London known as ‘Carnage Alley’ needs to have concrete separation.
“It's really troublesome because there have been so many of these incidents on this stretch of road that each time it brings back memories of our own collision that we lost our friends,” says Storey. “But, it's also very frustrating because this is totally preventable. We know the solution and it hasn't been implemented yet.”
The Ministry of Transportation says they have initiated preliminary work for the design and environmental assessment required for concrete median barriers and six lanes. This includes an update to the existing EA for Highway 401 in Chatham-Kent, and preparations for a new EA in Middlesex and Elgin Counties.
MTO officials say they have given the ministry direction to expedite the process to install concrete barriers.
Here's the portion of the barrier where the truck crossed through from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes of the 401 @CTVWindsor @AM800News pic.twitter.com/1eWeIskBzQ
— Ricardo Veneza (@RVenezaCTV) December 11, 2018
Traffic at a standstill on the 401 at Merlin Road. 3 trucks involved in pileup. #cklw @AM800News pic.twitter.com/6JjA2FIBZm
— Peter Langille (@PLangille800) December 11, 2018