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A notorious stretch of Highway 401 in Southwestern Ontario is getting long-awaited safety improvements after frequent median cross-over crashes and deaths sparked a regional push to upgrade the highway west of London.

In its first budget Thursday, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government said it will expand the 401 to six lanes from four along a 128-kilometre section between London and Tilbury, which takes in some of the longest areas of roadway unprotected by any form of median barriers in Ontario.

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Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek, the MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, said that work will include installing concrete median barriers, safety features that were installed on the 401 east of London years ago, after frequent median cross-over crashes, but which the infamous stretch west of the city lacks.

“This is the first time we have seen this detail in a provincial budget in writing,” said Alysson Storey of Chatham-Kent, who founded the Build the Barrier citizens’ group pushing to get concrete medians along the deadly stretch of highway.

“I would say we are very happy. We worked really hard on this for a long time.”