A report is expected today on potential safety improvements to a Manitoba highway intersection that was the scene of a deadly crash last June. Emergency crews respond to the scene that closed a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry, Man., on June 15, 2023.Â
Manitoba eyes design changes at intersection where collision killed 17
A safety review of the Manitoba intersection that saw a deadly crash between a semi-trailer and a minibus full of seniors last summer was released Monday.
A report is expected today on potential safety improvements to a Manitoba highway intersection that was the scene of a deadly crash last June. Emergency crews respond to the scene that closed a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry, Man., on June 15, 2023.Â
The Manitoba government has released a first look at possible design changes to an intersection where a minibus carrying seniors out for a day trip collided with a semitruck last summer, in one of the worst fatal crashes in recent Canadian history.
The seniors, mostly from the town of Dauphin, were minutes away from the local casino they planned to visit when their vehicle left Highway 5 and began crossing the Trans Canada Highway, or Highway 1, at a busy rural intersection near Carberry, Man. The minibus was struck by an eastbound truck that had the right of way, according to police, in a fiery collision that left scorch marks and scattered debris, including walkers, across the pavement. 17 people died at the scene or later in hospital.Â
Now the province is looking at building a roundabout, widening the median or building a new type of intersection known as a restricted crossing U-turn as part of a $12 million bid to improve safety at the site. The three options, outlined in a new report, were recommended by engineers who studied factors like speed and driver behaviour at the site, as being the safest in the medium term.
They will now go ahead to a design phase, which also includes consultations with the public, Premier Wab Kinew said at a press conference Monday.Â
Signage, rumble strips and road markings have already been refreshed at the site. Kinew added that an interchange is still being considered, but would make more sense in 20 or 25 years. The province of Manitoba is now also collecting safety data for all intersections to try and identify future safety risks earlier.Â
The minibus had set out from a seniors centre in the tight-knit community of Dauphin on June 15, 2023. Most of the people on board were seniors from the area who had signed up for the day trip, and the deaths of so many was devastating for the small community, located about 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.Â
Victims ranged in age from 68 to 88, and included 81-year-old Louis Bretecher, remembered by family as a "proud and beloved husband, father and pepere;" 88-year-old Helen Kufley, who was the "cornerstone" of her family who dispensed advice and wisdom, and 87-year old Nettie Nakonechny, a former teacher and proud Baba to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and to all who knew her, her family said.Â
Kinew said that people in Dauphin are working on a memorial for those who died and to honour those who lived.Â
"Our commitment as a government is that we're going to make sure that that thing can be built, and we're going to make sure that we show up in an appropriate way to help people work through the healing process."
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The RCMP investigation into the collision continues.Â
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