The Province of Manitoba is committed to improving the safety of the intersection which claimed the lives of 17 Dauphin area seniors last June.

That was the message shared by Premier Wab Kinew and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, who were in Dauphin to meet with families and survivors of the collision at the intersection of PTHs 5 and 1 near Carberry.

“Minister’s (Dauphin MLA and Manitoba Agriculture minister Ron) Kostyshyn, Naylor and myself, along with our political and technical staff had the honour to sit down with the family members of folks that we lost in this province in this terrible, tragic accident,” Kinew said, adding they were joined by accident survivors first responders and community leaders.

“I want to acknowledge all of these people, first and foremost in the generosity of their spirit to come and sit with us today and to relive some very difficult times that they’ve been through. “For the family members and to the survivors, I want to acknowledge that we cannot make things right, or make you whole, but we are going to work our hardest to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

Armed with the findings of a road safety review undertaken one week following the accident, Kinew and Naylor also announced the next steps for the intersection, including a $12 million investment to provide medium-term solutions to public safety concerns.

“This collision will be remembered as a tragic event that profoundly affected many Manitobans and beyond,” said Naylor. “While we cannot undo the pain these families are experiencing, we are committed to taking steps to improve safety at this intersection for the future.”

The Province is moving forward with a functional design study based on the third-party in-service road safety review, which includes recommendations of the three safest options to improve the intersection.

Those options include median widening, the construction of a roundabout or the construction of a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) intersection and the province has committed to choosing the best option for improvements to the intersection, said Naylor. It will engage the public in the near future as part of the functional design process to gather information and feedback around the project.

“The functional design piece would be expected to take about six to nine months. That does include at least three consultation steps with the community, as well as other users of the highway,” she said.

It is expected construction of intersection changes could begin in the latter part of 2025 with completion by the end of 2026.

Ultimately, an interchange or overpass is the safest option for the intersection and will be part of a long-term solution when traffic volumes require such a major expenditure, estimated at more than $100 million, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure officials said.

In addition to releasing the report and outlining next steps to increase safety, Kinew announced the Manitoba government will provide financial support for community efforts to commemorate those involved in this tragedy.

“As you move forward to memorialize and commemorate the people that we lost and to remember this terrible tragedy, we will be there to support you,” Kinew said, adding the provincial government will leave it to the community to design any tribute. “We will help find the resources and we will deliver the funding to ensure that an appropriate memorial here in Dauphin, as well as a fitting tribute at the site near Carberry will be a part of Manitoba’s future.”

Following the collision on June 15, 2023, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) developed a road safety strategy to identify immediate and long-term safety improvements at the Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 1 and PTH 5 intersection.

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