Sarnia mayor calls for province to review Highway 402 safety following multi-truck crashes

Sarnia mayor Mike Bradley is calling for the Ministry of Transportation to review a "dangerous situation" on Highway 402 following two serious, multi-vehicle truck collisions.

Alabama truck driver Dannie Faulk, 61, was killed on July 19 after a tractor-trailer smashed into the back of another truck waiting in line to cross the border. Just six days later, three other trucks collided while waiting for the bridge — all three drivers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Both crashes caused delays that stretched on for hours, blocking and backing up traffic at the Blue Water Bridge.

"I am requesting an immediate review of this dangerous situation and to implement actions that will make drivers, particularly truck drivers, more aware of the perils that wait then when their is a backup of truck traffic on Highway 402," wrote Bradley in a letter to Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca.

Ministry has made a series of improvements

The ministry will review police reports and work with the OPP to determine if anything can be done to make the stretch of road safer, said spokesman Bob Nichols.

He added the ministry has completed a series of improvements to the highway including overhead signs, additional lanes approaching the border and modifications to queue detection and warning sign systems.

Bradley notes "hundreds of millions of dollars" have been spent to expand the highway leading to the international crossing, which is the only bridge that can take hazardous goods in and out of the U.S.

The mayor said the two accidents have caused concern in Sarnia and asked the minister examine the speed limit and electronic notification system on the section of road to "ensure a more dangerous or deadly situation does not occur."