A close friend of the mother and daughter killed on Hwy. 401 last year says PC leader Doug Ford is promising to put up concrete barriers if he's elected.
London residents Sarah and Freya Payne were killed in a Hwy. 401 crossover crash on August 29, 2017. Since then, local groups and residents have been pushing for a concrete barrier along the stretch of Hwy. 401 between London and Tilbury known as “Carnage Alley."
Dawn Manning, who was a close friend of Sarah and Freya, attended Ford's Rally at the John D. Bradley Centre in Chatham on Friday.
"He said he was going to build it and build it right away--immediately. That's a direct quote," she says.
Doug Ford promises Manning family of CK that he’ll build 401 concrete barriers from Tilbury to London if elected premier. Apr. 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Manning says Ford was genuine in expressing his sympathies and promising action.
"It wasn't just another political promise. He said that they had already talked about it and that he's already committed to his team that it's going to happen," says Manning. "It wasn't talked about in the speech, but he's well schooled on it and he's committed."
Manning says she's absolutely thrilled by the news.
"It's emotional, but it was worth [my kids] sitting through a long speech like this and dragging them around to Queens Park. This is what we need. We need to keep everyone safe," she says.
Back in February, the Minister of Transportation Kathryn McGarry released a statement saying that before the government builds a concrete barrier, the ministry must first do the necessary planning and complete an environmental assessment to widen this stretch of Hwy. 401. She says in the meantime, the government will be installing high-tension cable barriers as a short-term solution.
*With files from Paul Pedro