A local advocacy group has been campaigning for concrete median barriers to be installed on Highway 401 for seven years and that mission continues.
Build the Barrier was formed in 2017, following a tragic collision that took the lives of Sarah Miles Payne and her 5-year-old daughter, and seriously injured her 6-year-old son.
"Two innocent lives were stolen and families devastated," said Alysson Storey, founder of Build the Barrier and current CK councillor. "What makes their loss even more outrageous, is the province knew then, just as they know now, that concrete median barriers in this stretch would have prevented their deaths."
The stretch of highway between Tilbury and London has seen multiple fatal and serious collisions requiring hospitalizations and has been referred to as "Carnage Alley."
In 2018, the Ministry of Transportation installed cable barriers, which are not safety-rated for transport trucks, advising that this would be a temporary measure.
In 2021, about 11 kilometres of concrete median barrier was completed between Tilbury and Merlin Road. No timeline on how long it would take to complete the remaining 106 kilometres was provided.
"We have spent seven years getting this far, and we are still waiting for action between Merlin and London," Storey stated. "We have met with every single Minister of Transportation with the exception of Minister Mulroney during the pandemic, to advocate for this life-saving infrastructure. By our count, that's six different Ministers over two different governments."
Storey added that the group will continue "raising the alarm bells that a concrete median barrier is the only permanent option for this stretch of the 401."
In April 2024, Storey and Chatham-Kent Director of Engineering Marissa Mascaro met with Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, when he committed to moving the process forward.
"We haven't forgotten Premier Ford's promise, that he made to us in person in Chatham in 2018 to build this barrier and we won't rest until it's complete," said Storey. "No matter how long it takes. We owe that to the memory of our loved ones and to ensure no one else experiences the pain of such a devastating loss."