Manitoba scraps RCUT proposal for site of deadly bus crash after pushback
17 people were killed after semi collided with bus near Carberry 2 years ago
The Manitoba government is not moving forward with a proposal to put a restricted crossing U-turn, or RCUT, at the site of a deadly bus crash in the Carberry area two years ago.
The province says it won't put an RCUT at the intersection of the Trans-Canada and Highway 5, where 17 people were killed after a collision between a semi-trailer truck and a bus in June 2023, after hearing locals' frustrations with the proposal.
That option would have eliminated direct left turns from the Trans-Canada and going directly north-south on Highway 5. Instead, drivers would make merges and U-turns to get where they're going.
"While engineers identified it as a safe option, rural Manitobans told us it's not the right fit," Premier Wab Kinew said in a statement. "We're listening, stepping back, and developing a new approach that prioritizes safety and reflects local needs."
Last month, more than 100 community members confronted officials at a tense public forum at Carberry Collegiate about the fate of the intersection. A petition with more than 2,100 signatures implored the province not to move forward with the RCUT intersection design.
WATCH | Manitoba government video shows how RCUT would work:
The June 15, 2023, crash left 17 people dead and eight others injured, after a semi and a bus full of seniors from the Dauphin area, on their way to a casino near Carberry for a day trip, collided at the intersection.
A month later, three people were injured at the same intersection following a three-vehicle crash.
The province earmarked $12 million for safety upgrades at the intersection. The RCUT was among three proposed redesigns, along with widening the median or putting up a roundabout.
Government listening: mayor
Some locals, as well as Carberry's town council, have argued the province should build an overpass instead.
"I was on council on 1989 when this was addressed, and I mean, 36 years later, there's nothing done," Mayor Ray Muirhead said.
"I know an overpass is the most expensive option, but I can guarantee it's not going to get cheaper in time. So I think it's time to bite the bullet, so to speak, and do it right the first time."
The province has previously said an overpass is not an option due to the current traffic volumes, and provincial officials had indicated the RCUT was their preferred solution.
Muirhead said that redesign would have added complications to an area that often sees a high volume of traffic, including trucks and farm equipment.
"You don't want to confuse things more than they are," he said.
Jordan Dickson, who lives near the intersection, helped organized a protest against the RCUT proposal in May. She said it was clear during consultations that officials didn't take into account how busy the intersection can get, particularly during harvest season.
They thought "there'd be maybe a handful of trucks going through there," according to Dickson.
"Yes, the intersection needs to be fixed, needs improvements … but what we're also asking for is not for it to be done [with] the quickest, easiest and cheapest option, which it was very clear that the RCUT was."
Canada's only RCUT intersection is along Highway 16 near Saskatoon, though they exist throughout the U.S., where transportation officials have said RCUTs successfully reduce the number of severe and fatal collisions.
Public consultations on the intersection's redesign began last July. The province says it will go back and have more consultations now that the RCUT proposal has been scrapped.
Muirhead said Premier Wab Kinew told him about that decision Friday. Removing the RCUT option from the table shows the government is listening, and hopefully "they'll come up with a better solution," said Muirhead.
Dickson said she would still like to see the province choose an overpass.
"They're putting overpasses in Winnipeg, so why can't we get one here as well?" she said.
With files from Brittany Greenslade and Mike Arsenault