Overpass at deadly intersection off the table: Carberry mayor

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/03/2025 (207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — The mayor of Carberry said the provincial government doesn’t favour construction of an overpass at the Trans-Canada Highway intersection where a collision between a semi-truck and minibus claimed the lives of 17 seniors from Dauphin in June 2023.

“They’ve taken the overpass option off the table,” Ray Muirhead told the Brandon Sun. “So we’re back to (asking) which way do we want to go on this?”

At community consultations last year, residents showed support for an overpass, which is the most expensive option, at the intersection of Highway 5.

The first session, held in July of last year, was described by Muirhead as a “get to know you” meeting. At that time, he said, the province talked about short-term and long-term plans, with more immediate plans to initiate speed reductions and erect traffic lights.

The province had committed $12 million to improve the intersection in January 2024. At that time, the province presented three options.

They included the construction of a roundabout, widening the median at the intersection, or implementing a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) design. This feature directs drivers to turn onto a main road and make a U-turn at a one-way median and is widely used in the United States.

The province had noted an interchange or overpass could be built, but such a long-term solution came with a 20-year-plus timeline and a cost estimate of at least $100 million.

Although the overpass option was not offered during the first meeting, it was talked about by community members.

“But the second meeting we had, apparently the overpass was back on the table — an elevated grade is what they called it,” the mayor said.

“So once the overpass was back on the table, that was the position that the town and the local community took.”

However, provincial representatives recently met with the Town of Carberry council privately, ahead of a public consultation meeting on Monday.

Muirhead said the province took the overpass option off the table.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Tuesdays

A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world.

Sign up for Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“The way I understood it … they’re leaning toward an RCUT,” Muirhead said.

“If they put one at the intersection here, that would be the only one in Manitoba. I believe they’re looking at the intersection out here as kind of the template as to what they want to do down the road. We’re not the only (dangerous) intersection in Manitoba, of course.”

In an emailed statement, a provincial spokesperson said Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure will present its preferred option and receive feedback at an open house later this year.

The project remains on schedule, “with construction scheduled to begin in early 2026 and traffic availability set for fall 2026.”

— Brandon Sun