28 July 2004

Highway 402 Road Safety Improvements Implemented

The following article is excerpted from the Ontario Trucking Association web site on 27 July 2004.

The Ministry of Transportation has announced it will implement a number of improvements within the next two weeks in an effort to improve public safety concerns pertaining to continuous border delays, queue-related collisions and difficulties in merging and exiting from ramps on westbound Highway 402.

This announcement comes just two weeks after representatives of the Ontario Trucking Association, Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Provincial Police and the Sarnia Police Service attended a meeting convened by the Blue Water Bridge Authority to come up with short-term measures aimed at eliminating end-of–queue collisions occurring on the approach to the bridge on Highway 402.

MTO, in consultation with the Lambton Detachment Ontario Provincial Police will implement the following improvements within the next two weeks, Tuesday, July 27, 2004 to Friday, August 6, 2004:

SIGNS

Additional permanent warning signs will be erected cautioning commercial motor vehicles of delays and stoppage and to utilize 4-way flashers when slowing or stopped. An additional portable variable message sign will be been erected 900 meters east of Modeland Road. … These signs warn westbound traffic that vehicles are moving slowly or are stopped and they should be prepared to stop. They will ONLY be remotely activated when back ups or delays are occurring. The flashing sign presently erected over the westbound lanes east of Murphy Road will also be activated ONLY in the event of traffic moving slowly or being stopped ahead.

SPEED LIMIT CHANGE

The posted speed limits approaching the Bluewater Bridge will be reduced east of Airport Road to the existing 70 km/h zone at Colborne Road.

Motorists using the westbound lanes will be required to reduce speed to 80 km/h from east of Airport Road to east of the Blackwell Side Road overpass.

Motorists will also be required to reduce their speed to 70 km/h from the Blackwell Road overpass to the existing 70 km/h zone at Colborne Road. The speed from Colborne Road to the Bluewater Bridge will remain the same at 70 km/h.

Several oversized regulatory signs will be erected indicating the revised speed limits.

The reduction in the westbound lanes speed limit is expected to increase public safety for all users of the Highway. There has been no revision to the posted speeds in the eastbound 402 lanes.

ENFORCEMENT

The Lambton O.P.P. Traffic Management Unit along with the Western Region Traffic Unit will continue to monitor the traffic and queue vehicles.

All highway users are informed that non-compliance of these reduced speed limits will result in strict enforcement.