Recalling the cause of Ontario Highway 401's 87-vehicle pileup
On this day in weather history, fog caused an 87-vehicle pileup near Windsor, Ont.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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On Friday, Sept. 3, 1999, fog encased an area of Ontario's Highway 401, causing a multiple-vehicle collision. The crash included an 87-vehicle pileup on a stretch of the highway between Windsor and London. A total of eight people died, and another 45 were injured.
That morning, equipment at the Windsor Airport Observation Station malfunctioned, so the fog wasn't detected.
Near Windsor, Ont. Courtesy of TWN
At around 8 a.m., a tractor-trailer quickly slowed down to respond to sudden and thick fog. The fog reduced visibility to only one metre. Another tractor-trailer crashed into the first truck, igniting the pileup. The fog persisted as the crashes continued to snowball. The fog caused crashes on both sides of the highway, but no vehicles cross the median.
"Highway 401 widens to six lanes at Highway 402 in London, Ont." Courtesy of Haljackey/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0
As a result of the crash, improvements were made to the highway. The Ministry of Transportation added safety features like paved shoulders with rumble strips. There was also additional funding allocated to police to patrol the highway. Many believed these efforts were insufficient.
Near Windsor, Ont. Courtesy of TWN
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) hired traffic experts to study the area of the highway. The study suggested that the highway should update its grass median to a concrete one, and each direction should have an additional lane. A six-lane highway was suggested in the 1990s, but there wasn't enough traffic or funding for the project.
In 2004, a $322 million plan was actioned to improve the 401 near Windsor. The project was completed in 2010.
To learn more about the 1999 Ontario Highway 401 crash, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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