In light of the recent string of crashes along the 401 in Chatham-Kent, CK Tourism is reminding motorists to prepare for their trip ahead of time.
Municipal officials say whether travellers are headed to or through the municipality, they can access FREE detour maps around the construction on the 401.
There are long stretches along the busy highway where vehicles are forced to drive in single lane traffic between Essex Road 42 and Kent Bridge Road.
Maps offering alternate routes are available for download at www.visitck.ca.
“It’s both sad and frustrating to see crashes like these,” stated Supervisor of Tourism Development, Shannon Paiva.
“We still have another four months of this construction, so we encourage people to use our CKDetourist maps, and take an alternate route, like Highway 2. You can easily get off at Kent Bridge Road if you are westbound; or Essex Road 42, if you are headed east, and avoid any chance of sitting in a potential parking lot on the 401, or even worse, being involved in a crash.”
Residents of Chatham-Kent are encouraged to become “Good Samaritans” and ambassadors by offering assistance to wayward travellers when possible.
“These travellers are potential visitors and even residents,” says Paiva.
“Giving them the best possible information we can, will go a long way in showcasing how wonderful not only the area is, but how friendly our residents are as well.”
Paper maps are also available at Ontario Tourist Information Centres throughout the regions of London, Sarnia, Windsor and within Chatham-Kent, to aid travellers as well.
Within a span of three days, (July 28 to July 31, 2017) the 401 was closed for several hours on three separate occasions in Chatham-Kent due to separate multi-vehicle crashes.
In one situation, an air ambulance was required to air-lift the crash victims to hospital.
These are not the first crashes in the area since the construction began in April, to cause lengthy delays and traffic stuck at a standstill for hours.
– Photo credit: Municipality of Chatham-Kent
