Tragic crash leads to major damage on secondary roads

It goes without saying that when a crash takes a life, it is a tragedy.

That was the case on Thursday morning, when one person was killed in an incident involving two tractor trailers and a car.  There were also serious injuries to another person.  The stress these incidents place on emergency officials, MTO and municipal staff cannot be understated.

The incident happened on Hwy 401 east between the Shannonville and Deseronto Road exits around 6:30 a.m. All lanes were not fully reopened until early Friday.

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The OPP shut down traffic in both directions to allow vehicles to turn around and leave the highway.

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Officials ask all commuters, in both passenger and commercial vehicles, to use a designated route as there are a lot of challenges for drivers.

Mayor of the Township of Tyendinaga Claire Kennelly was quick to offer condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

He says Tyendinaga Township has two Emergency Detour Routes (EDRs).

“So one is Number 2 Highway and the other goes north on Deseronto Road to Enright , down Enright to Read, and then down Read to Blessington and Blessington to the Shannonville Gravel (Road).”

Commuters may have to get somewhere on time and commercial drivers often also have a tight deadline.  Commercial drivers are allotted only so many driving hours before they have to stop and rest.

The trucking industry has to meet the demand of consumers, while sometimes moving tens of thousands of pounds.

There are multiple factors involved and these discussions are difficult.

Saving a few minutes can be important, but that time savings could come at a big cost.

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As police investigated the tragedy on Thursday, thousands of vehicles turned to not just the EDRs but sideroads.

Lazier, Casey, Hinchey, Milltown, Melrose, Harmony, Callaghan, and Wyman Road were often very busy and very slow.

On Deseronto Road on Empey Hill, on the boundary with Lennox and Addington, a big rig also caught fire.

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Making turns on rural sideroads can also take a toll, with the surface being torn up and some corners being hard to manoeuvre.

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An official with the Napanee Detachment of the OPP says the only legal restriction motorists have is the restriction of weight on a road.  He says with staff investigating the tragedy, they often do not have enough staff to police road restrictions.

Kennelly says this is half load season and both directions of traffic were affected, making for a perfect storm.

“The Township once again has experienced extensive damage to our roads and signs.  The volume and load capacity of transport traffic and the timing of this closure during the spring half load season increased the severity of this damage.  Repairing this damage consumes many hours of the road department’s time and is extremely costly to our residents.  The 401 closures are problematic every year and during all seasons.  It’s time to revisit the EDR and see what we can do to keep these trucks off our roads.  I will be contacting the MP, the MPP, City of Belleville, Town of Greater Napanee, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, OPP and MTO to discuss and resolve this ongoing problem.”

There was also a tractor trailer that flipped on Lazier Road, which runs adjacent to and just north of the 401.  It is not an Emergency Detour Route.

A tragedy is always a tragedy, however, there are many factors and stresses that go into navigating a 401 closure.

Photos of some of the damage can be seen below.