Redesign of deadly highway intersection near Portage la Prairie under consideration

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This article was published 11/01/2024 (660 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 16, where nine people have been killed in collisions since 2010, is being considered for a redesign amid a network review prompted by a deadly minibus crash at a separate site.

In 2020, Manitoba’s former Progressive Conservative government announced the construction of a roundabout for the intersection of the two highways about 10 kilometres west of Portage la Prairie, but those plans were quietly shelved due to operational and safety concerns.

A provincial spokesperson said the concerns included the proposed roundabout’s ability to safely accommodate long or larger vehicles, including semi-trucks hauling two trailers, and its proximity to adjacent railways.

“The department will continue to review options for intersection improvements, including the need for an interchange, in the future at this location, as part of Manitoba’s National Trade Corridor Strategy,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Free Press.

The intersection, used by thousands of vehicles per day, is controlled by traffic lights. A rail line crosses Highway 16, also known as the Yellowhead Highway, about 400 metres north of the junction.

Calls for an interchange or overpass began years ago, as the number of collisions mounted. A proposed interchange with funding commitments from the provincial NDP and federal Conservatives in 2007 did not go ahead.

At least five fatal collisions, resulting in nine deaths, have happened at the junction since 2010.

Elinor Murray wants to know why governments haven’t followed through on previous proposals. Her 21-year-old daughter, Kelly, and Kelly’s friend, Kya Angelhart, 20, died in a 2013 crash while driving from Brandon to Winnipeg.

“I don’t know what they could do, but they should make sure it’s as safe as it can be,” said Murray, who lives near Erickson. “They’ve got to stop pussy-footing around and actually do something.”

She was of the belief the proposed interchange was not built because other projects were prioritized.

Improvements won’t eliminate crashes altogether, but they will make the site safer, said Murray.

A spate of deaths in August 2017 escalated calls for safety improvements from local residents and the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie’s council.

Six people were killed in three collisions over a nine-day span.

Interim safety measures, including a dedicated turning lane, traffic-signal upgrades and improved signage, were later implemented.

In July 2020, the proposed roundabout was announced by then-Tory premier Brian Pallister, who described the intersection as one of the most dangerous in Manitoba.

Construction was supposed to start in the spring of 2021, but a functional design, which was completed in May 2021, identified the concerns that halted the project.

Manitoba Trucking Association executive director Aaron Dolyniuk said roundabouts present challenges for drivers of long combination vehicles.

They have to partially drive over the apron or curb, while in the inner lane, despite being trained not to drive over curbs, he said.

“It’s not first nature. If they don’t, they would impede other lanes of traffic.”

The MTA is also concerned about the ability to keep roundabouts clear of snow and ice.

The association favours building more grade-separated intersections, or interchanges, along the Trans-Canada, which Dolyniuk said is the “backbone” of the economy.

Jeff Bereza, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Portage la Prairie since October’s election, hopes the intersection of highways 1 and 16 is looked at closely to identify a safer option.

He wonders if photo-radar cameras could help to enforce speed limits in the interim.

Bereza’s two daughters live west of Portage and frequently travel through the junction.

“It scares me every time they drive that way because I’ve witnessed so many near-misses there,” he said.

Manitoba’s highway network is being reviewed by a new internal road safety unit that was created after the horrific June 15 at the junction of the Trans-Canada and Highway 5, just north of Carberry, that resulted in the deaths of 17 seniors.

The seniors were among 25 people on a casino-bound minibus that, according to the RCMP, crossed into the path of a tractor-trailer that had the right-of-way.

The province is spending at least $12 million to redesign that intersection, following an external safety review of the site.

Three options are being considered — a wider median, a roundabout and an RCUT (restricted crossing U-turn or J-turn) which prevents drivers from driving straight through an intersection.

Traffic lights are not being considered because experts determined they could result in more crashes.

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

The government is also looking at making changes to Highway 12 and Provincial Road 210 near Ste. Anne, following concerns about the frequency of crashes.

The provincial spokesperson said an RCUT is being considered as part of an ongoing study.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

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