‘It does give me some peace’: Carberry crash families onside with highway changes

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This article was published 08/01/2024 (617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Families of some of the 17 seniors killed in a Manitoba highway crash last year are welcoming the province’s plans to redesign the intersection in a bid to prevent future collisions.

While preferences may vary, relatives who spoke to the Free Press after a news conference Monday in Dauphin agreed the layout of the Highways 1 and 5 crossing has to change.

“What they brought forward today, I’m happy with it,” said Adrienne Zurba, whose 87-year-old mother, Claudia Zurba, was among those killed in the June 15 crash. “It does give me some peace of knowing that they’re working their hardest to do this.”

“We don’t want this to happen again,” said Chantel Uhrich, whose uncle Frank, 82, and aunt Rose Perzylo, 80, also died. “I’m glad that this is happening and that they are taking it into consideration, and that’s it’s not just this intersection.”

Following an external review of the junction just north of Carberry, the Manitoba government said it is considering three options to improve safety: a wider median, roundabout and a reduced collision U-turn (RCUT) intersection which limits turns and prevents vehicles from crossing all lanes of traffic.

The initial cost is $12 million, with an aim of completing the upgrades in 2026.

Premier Wab Kinew said an interchange will be constructed, but the timeline is 20 to 25 years. Such a project is expected to cost more than $100 million.

The province is identifying other intersections where there are similar safety concerns, according to officials.

After meeting with victims’ families and survivors, Kinew would not disclose how they responded to the plans, nor specific details about the conversations.

Uhrich favours a cloverleaf interchange and hopes one can be built sooner than 20-25 years. She urged Ottawa to help speed up efforts.

“I think the federal government have to do something,” she told the Free Press from her home in Sylvan Lake, Alta. “That’s the Trans-Canada Highway, a federal highway.

“How many more crashes are going to happen until something is implemented?”

Adrienne Zurba was among the family members who attended a technical briefing hosted by the province in Dauphin before the review’s findings were made public.

Of the three options on the table, she was most intrigued by the RCUT.

“We need to make sure something gets done in that intersection,” she told reporters.

She and Uhrich were pleased with the effort that has been put into the project so far. The review was launched by the former Progressive Conservative government. The changes will be implemented by an NDP government elected in October.

Victims’ families, survivors, local residents and road users will be among those consulted during a functional design study in the coming months.

Before details were announced, Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead said he was hoping for long-term improvements to the junction, where the median is too narrow.

“That’s a treacherous intersection,” he said. “That intersection has been a source of contention not for years, but decades.”

More than 3,000 people signed an online petition which called for immediate and long-term changes. It was launched by the Carberry and Municipality of North Cypress-Langford councils.

The Manitoba Trucking Association is in favour of building more grade-separated intersections, or interchanges, along the Trans-Canada Highway, said executive director Aaron Dolyniuk.

Of the three medium-term options, Dolyniuk said the MTA is not in favour of a roundabout at Highways 1 and 5, because of concerns about safety and the ability to maintain it in winter.

“Safety always needs to be the highest priority in any planned infrastructure.”

Families also welcomed plans for permanent memorials at the crash site and in Dauphin to remember those who died and honour the survivors.

Details have not yet been announced.

Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak said he is pleased with the province’s efforts to support the families and provide a path forward.

“The sympathy and the compassion they’ve shown, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before from a government,” he said.

The RCMP’s investigation into the crash — and whether charges are warranted — continues. Investigators have submitted a package of evidence to the Crown based on the findings so far, according to Mounties spokeswoman Tara Seel.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

katrina.clarke@freepress.mb.ca