The westbound lanes of Hwy. 401 in Chatham-Kent have reopened after two separate transport truck crashes.
Emergency crews respond to a transport truck fire on Hwy. 401 in Chatham, July 13, 2017. (Photo courtesy of the OPP via Twitter)
The Ontario Provincial Police say on Thursday around 5:30pm, the driver of the tractor trailer lost control in the westbound lanes in the construction zone near Hwy. 40, and struck the north side cement barrier, which caused it to bounce off and strike the centre barrier. The collision forced the centre barrier into the eastbound lanes and the tractor trailer caught on fire.
The driver was not injured in the crash, but the westbound lanes between Kent Bridge Rd. and Bloomfield Rd. were closed for over 14 hours because the road was damaged and emergency repairs were required.
Then at around 7pm, another tractor trailer jack-knifed in the eastbound lanes and struck the guardrail near County Rd. 42.
The driver of the second tractor trailer was also not injured, but the eastbound lanes also had to be closed for vehicle removal.
The eastbound lanes were reopened around 8:30pm on Wednesday, but the westbound lanes remained closed until just before 8am on Friday.
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