Road rage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/10/2023 (703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans who live along Highway 75 are giving the province a failing grade for snow- and ice-clearing efforts during the season’s first test of wintry weather.

After the major route was forced to close twice in three days, some residents questioned the province’s preparedness and whether it waited too long to plow or treat the highway as ice built up.

“Our thinking here is they didn’t get at it soon enough,” said Municipality of Emerson-Franklin Reeve Dave Carlson. “This was not a major snow event. If we have something bigger, then what?”

All lanes between Morris and the Canada-U.S. border were shut for about 20 hours beginning Saturday afternoon. The highway was closed between Winnipeg and Morris for a couple hours Monday night.

Carlson and Mervin Dueck, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Morris, said more staff and equipment are needed to maintain highways.

“The whole highway maintenance system has gone downhill in the last 10 years,” said Dueck.

Residents are fed up, but front-line workers are not to blame, Carlson said.

“I know (Manitoba) has gutted equipment and staffing in this area. The province really has to decide whether it’s in this business anymore. If it’s not, give us the funding and we’ll do it ourselves,” he said.

NDP pledged to add staff, equipment

Manitoba’s new NDP government has pledged to add staff and equipment following years of Progressive Conservative “austerity.”

Before the snowfall last week, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said crews were ready and would deploy as needed.

A government spokeswoman said special attention is given to busy routes such as Highway 75 and operations occurred throughout the weather event up to and including Monday’s closure.

Decisions were based on predicted snowfall amounts and temperatures, she said.

Colder temperature or strong winds can reduce the effectiveness of some de-icing measures.

The Manitoba Trucking Association has called on the province to increase winter maintenance for some time, said executive director Aaron Dolyniuk.

“We don’t feel that our primary highways, in general, are given the priority that is needed for winter maintenance,” he said.

“We don’t feel that our primary highways, in general, are given the priority that is needed for winter maintenance.”–Aaron Dolyniuk

The MTA would welcome a return of overnight snow clearing. About a decade ago, a former NDP government cut the night shift to save money.

“MTI (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure) continues to review options to provide 24-7 coverage for snow-clearing operations on major highways,” the spokeswoman wrote in an email. “Staffing levels remain a challenge to achieving 24-hour service. MTI is actively recruiting maintenance staff to help support this objective, which includes hiring retirees to deliver services.”

Staff are represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which claimed PC cuts left the department understaffed and underfunded.

“It’s time now to put the cuts and privatization schemes behind us. We are hopeful that the new government will live up to its commitment to rebuild and repair provincial services, starting with hiring back workers and treating them fairly,” the union said in a statement.

I-29 remained open

At the border, Highway 75 connects with Interstate 29 in North Dakota. The routes — and the shape they’re in — are often compared.

I-29 did not close, but a no-travel advisory was issued, said Brad Darr, a state maintenance engineer with the North Dakota Department of Transportation.

Manitoba has about 400 staff and a fleet of 340 truck plows, motor graders and de-icing equipment to maintain 19,000 kilometres of provincial roads.

Depending on conditions, clearing takes place from early morning to late evening, but hours can be extended as needed and as resources allow, the MTI spokeswoman said.

Manitoba’s budget for winter maintenance is about $56 million. The province uses private contractors and provides funding to municipalities that clear streets that are part of the provincial road network.

North Dakota’s transportation department has about 351 plows and 359 operators for about 14,000 kilometres of state highways. Overnight plowing only occurs in urban areas of Fargo, said Darr.

Staff start at 5 a.m. and work up to 14 hours, depending on the conditions.

The department’s budget for snow and ice clearing is USD$25 million, which is all state funding, said Darr. Private contractors are used to clear snow at storage facilities, he said.

Using GPS, the locations of about 100 plows, when active, are shown on the state’s website.

“It’s to show the public we’re out there working,” said Darr.

Snow and ice clearing an ongoing concern for residents

The frequency of snow and ice clearing on Highway 75 and safety on the road have been concerns for some time, according to residents who spoke to the Free Press.

Morris resident Kirk Seniuk said vehicles travelled only 15-20 km/h at times while he drove south of the town Saturday.

“The southbound lanes were deeply rutted and bumpy with thick ice. That was sheer glare ice out there. This was the worst I’ve seen it,” he said.

Justin Kitchur, who lives in St. Jean Baptiste, said the back of his van was sliding despite driving as slow as 30 km/h in the northbound lanes to Morris.

“It was pretty rough at that time. I would say (the lanes) were pretty unmaintained,” he said.

Two unfinished highway construction projects complicated matters when the early snowfall hit. Southbound Highway 75 is reduced to one lane south of Morris.

St. Jean resident Pat Zary travelled as slow as 20 km/h while using that stretch during his drive home from Ste. Agathe Monday night.

“It was greasy. That southbound lane was ice-covered. The construction is not helping the situation whatsoever,” Zary said.

On Saturday, the lone lane was nearly impassable, said Seniuk.

The RCMP makes the decision to close highways in Manitoba, said spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

“The request for clearing or salting of highways would be on a case-by-case basis and not just dependant on current road conditions,” he wrote in an email.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca