‘It doesn't fit': Carberry residents oppose RCUT solution at deadly intersection

Global News

22-05-2025

A group of Carberry residents say they are opposing planned safety measures at a deadly intersection, arguing provincial consultants didn't listen to what the community wanted at the site.
The intersection of Highways 1 and 5 was the site of the deadliest crash in Manitoba's history in June 2023, when a mini-bus full of Dauphin-area seniors was hit by a semi. Seventeen people died as a result of the accident.
Over the next year, three potential options were floated: a roundabout, an RCUT (restricted crossing U-turn) intersection, and median widening. Despite feedback from some community members and Carberry's mayor and council calling for an overpass, the residents say that option appears to have been nixed by the province earlier this year.
In an open letter about Thursday's protest, the Carberry residents laid out a series of reasons for opposing the safety consultants' preferred choice of an RCUT solution.
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The residents listed issues such as access for farm equipment, emergency vehicles and school buses, among their reasons, for opposing the plan. They also noted that previous consultations didn't take into account the increase in traffic through the rural Manitoba community during the annual harvest season.
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'We want to obviously make clear that we're not opposed to making the intersection safer, that is … the goal,' area resident Jordan Dickson told Global Winnipeg.
'It's just that these consultations, it's been very obvious the RCUT … has been pushed, and the consultants are very much dismissive of any opinions or concerns that have been brought up by the local community, especially the local farming community.
'It doesn't fit for this area.'
Dickson, who lives just south of the intersection, said there have been multiple crashes before and after the 2023 incident, and she's frustrated it took such a serious tragedy to spur the province toward making a change.
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'It's in my backyard. That's a big reason why I've been so passionate about this,' she said.
'We need a safer option there. I go through it every single day, multiple times a day, as do many of our community members, family, friends.'
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Resident Kim Reynolds said a planned rally for Thursday night is expected to draw around 100 people, including representatives of the local farming community.
'We have a lot of the local trucking firms and farmers bringing some of their implements and some examples of what crosses this intersection daily,' Reynolds said.
'With one of the largest potato processing plants just south of that intersection and one of the largest pork processing plants north, (there are) lots of double-wide semis — which is what kind of makes that intersection dangerous to start with, because it's not wide enough.
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'When the consultation was done, they had someone sit there and count vehicles, but it was July, so that's not a very accurate representation of our intersection. I would challenge them to sit there in September or May and see how busy that intersection is.'
In a statement Thursday, the province said a final decision is yet to be made on the intersection.
'Work continues on the functional design process, and the project remains on schedule with construction set to begin in early 2026, with opening to traffic expected in fall 2026.'