Province revises plans for 110 km/h speed limit near the Bluewater Bridge

Heather Wright/The Independent

A plan to increase the speed on Highway 402 westbound to just before the Bluewater Bridge have changed.

Ontario first increased the speed limit on Highway 402 to 110 km/h during a pilot project on in 2019 and made it permanent in 2022. By the end of this month, the province planned to extend that all the way to the Bluewater Bridge at Colborne Road.

The province announced June 26 it would be increasing speeds on most of the 400 series to 110 km/h. That includes the stretch on westbound Highway 402 from Waterworks to 350m east of Colborne Drive, where the speed limit drops to 70 km/h as traffic
approaches the bridge.

The Point Edward OPP detachment board wants a comprehensive safety review before the change takes place July 31 because of the “unique operational characteristics of this internationally significant transportation corridor and its history of serious and fatal collisions.” Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley echoed the concerns calling for a study on the truck traffic in the area as well.

In a letter to the OPP Board and the City of Sarnia, the Minister of Transportation, Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, said the province is altering the speed leading up to the bridge to include a new 90 km/h zone beginning west of Modeland Road and ending 300 metres east of Colborne Road. It then drops to 70 km/h.

“Having the additional speed reduction zone is what we wanted,” says Police Board Chair, Pt. Edward Deputy Mayor Greg Grimes. He says it will “continue to alert drivers that there’s a potential hazard ahead by having them slow down in stages.

“Adding the 90 kilometre per hour zone is a step forward rather than what we thought was going to be a big step backward by making that whole air that whole section 110 kilometres an hour,” says Grimes.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley is taking a “wait and see” approach adding “it is better than going to the 110” speed limit.

Bradley says there are other issues to consider including enforcement of the new speed limit and a review of the truck lanes leading up to the bridge.

Grimes supports the idea adding, “I think it’s obvious that with the Gordie Howe Bridge opening, our traffic should improve with commercial traffic. We’ll wait and see what the next next month shows, but that alone is going to help with with the safety out there.”

Bradley says he’ll be watching as the speed limit changes and says if there are additional problems, he’ll make sure the Minister of Transportation knows about it.