Carberry Public Has Its Say on Intersection Safety Upgrades

In June of 2023, a tragic collision at the intersection of Highways 1 and 5 near the community of Carberry took 17 lives and injured 8 others. It was neither the first nor the last accident to happen in that location, and in January of 2024 the Government of Manitoba made a 12 million dollar commitment to improve the safety of the intersection. Since that time research and public consultations have been ongoing, including this most recent one in Carberry, where the research team introduced and elaborated on the top three recommended options.

The options are the widened meridian intersection, which will allow traffic to proceed across one lane of the divided highway before approaching the next, even for very large vehicles like semis; the split intersection, which is similar to the widened meridian intersection but offers even more space between the lanes; and the reduced-conflict U-turn, or R-CUT, which prevents traffic from crossing the divided highway and instead directs them to turn into the flow of traffic before making a U-turn a short distance further down the divided highway and returning along the other side.

Donovon Toews of Landmark Planning, who has been heading up this part of the project, described the three options in detail, including the impact that each would have on the surrounding area and an extensive checklist of each option's benefits or challenges. They were also compared to six other rejected options to demonstrate what factors went into the decision and how it was made. 

Following the presentation, attendees were invited to ask questions, primarily expressing concerns and asking questions about the R-CUT, which has not been tried yet in Manitoba but is in use in many areas of the United States. The nearest comparable example can be found across the border in Saskatchewan, and the team has been keeping a close eye on its effectiveness and reception.

According to Toews, they are three-quarters of the way through the engagement process as of this meeting. There will be one final public consultation where the recommended option will be presented and public feedback is collected again, after which it will be submitted to the provincial government for approval. Work on the intersection is expected to take place over the summer of 2026.