Carberry-area residents rally against plan they say won't fix intersection where crash killed 17

Around 100 people rallied Thursday evening near the intersection north of Carberry where a crash killed 17 people two years ago, protesting one of the proposals to make the crossing safer.

Semi-trailer trucks and farm vehicles lined the road beside the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5, as protesters called on the province to scrap plans for a restricted crossing U-turn at the site.

The protest was held at the intersection where on June 15, 2023, a semi and a bus full of seniors from the Dauphin area collided, killing 17 and injuring eight. A month later, three people were injured at the intersection when a pickup truck collided with an SUV, causing both to hit a third vehicle.

Jordan Dickson, who lives beside the intersection, said she's seen a lot of accidents and close calls.

"It's really scary sometimes," Dickson said.

"We're always watching out there for when the [emergency] lights go by."

She wants the intersection to be safer but worries community needs aren't being heard.

Following a safety review, the province presented three main possibilities — a widened intersection, a roundabout or a restricted crossing U-turn, known as an RCUT.

Thursday's rally was organized to send a message that an RCUT isn't the answer, Dickson said.

An RCUT forces drivers to turn right, merge into traffic and then make a U-turn, instead of crossing or turning left.

An RCUT doesn't make sense in an area with a lot of farm equipment and heavy truck traffic, Dickson said.

"It's a recipe for disaster," she said.

WATCH | How an R-CUT would work at the intersection near Carberry:

How an RCUT would work at Manitoba intersection where deadly crash happened

1 year ago

Duration 0:13

A restricted crossing U-turn, also known as an RCUT, is one of three options being explored to overhaul a highway intersection near Carberry, Man., where a crash killed 17 people and injured eight others in June.

She says an overpass is the best way to make the intersection safer, and it's disappointing the province isn't pursuing that.

If an overpass isn't possible, she would like a wider median, which was one of the options in the province's safety report.

The current median is so narrow, even two-passenger vehicles can't comfortably fit.

Traffic often gets back up at the intersection, because drivers wait until all four lanes on Highway 1 are clear to cross, Dickson says.

"It's a very busy highway," Dickson said.

"There's lots of times that when [farm] equipment's trying to get through, either they're forced to take the service road and go to the intersections either a mile east or mile west, or traffic gets pretty backed up as they are waiting to get through."

Overpass needed: farmer

Deborah Steen, who helped organize the rally, said spring and fall are particularly bad, and the intersection can become "complete chaos" when farming equipment crowds the intersection.

"I come through this intersection multiple times a day, and it's just a nightmare at times," Steen said.

She worries the RCUT will confuse drivers and push traffic onto less safe back roads.

Steen also says if an overpass isn't possible, the next safest option is widening the median.

Carberry-area farmer Neil Adriaansen says the intersection has been an issue for decades, and locals have been hoping for an overpass since the mid-1960s.

He crosses the intersection four to eight times a day, and the size of his vehicles means he often doesn't fit in the median.

If the province moves ahead with an RCUT, he'll start using back roads to avoid it, he said.

"I am not taking a chance on a foggy morning, trying to merge across three lanes, and then have to turn around and do it again on the other side. That's bizarre," Adriaansen said.

"I'm sure there are places for RCUTS. This just isn't it."

After the last public open house about the intersection's future, Adriaansen submitted a four-page letter to the province explaining why he didn't want to see an RCUT built. It's unsafe and inconvenient, penalizing traffic travelling north-south, he said.

If an overpass isn't possible, he also would support a wider median, or stoplights.

Dickson said the consultation process with the province has been frustrating, with many in the community feeling ignored.

A petition against the RCUT has started and is gathering local opinions about safer options, along with signatures, Dickson said.

Their goal is to amplify the voices of those who use the intersection every day, she said.

"We obviously want a safe intersection. We've been asking for it for years now," Dickson said.

A final round of engagement will take place this spring and an engagement report is expected from the province this summer regarding the future of the intersection.