Highways to hell: province's worst roads
CAA's Worst Roads Campaign results revealed Highway 34, specifically the stretch between Holland and Gladstone, was Manitobans' No. 1 choice for its combination of jarring potholes, poor maintenance, bad signage and unpaved sections.
It was the highway's sixth appearance as a finalist since CAA Manitoba began asking drivers, cyclists, transit users and pedestrians to serve as judges in the far-from-beauty contest in 2012.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Potholes remain the worst culprits in why roadways rank poorly in the CAA surveys.
This year's nomination period began March 18 and ended April 11.
Ewald Friesen, CAA Manitoba's government relations manager, said the highway is one of nine rural roads that made the top — or bottom, really — 10 this year, a first. The lone Winnipeg street on the list was Saskatchewan Avenue, which made its seventh consecutive appearance.
Winnipeg roads dominated last year's list, with six of the 10 finalists inside the Perimeter.
But city drivers can usually find alternative routes.
'If you live in a rural part of this province, you depend on your road in a way that's a little bit more critical than any place else,' Friesen said. 'There are no other options if your road isn't passable.'
A CAA Manitoba member-only survey in February found 96 per cent of 1,014 respondents were concerned about road conditions, he said.
This year saw 723 different roads nominated, a 50 per cent spike compared to 2024's survey. Half of those that cracked the top 10 were first appearances.
Friesen said past successes from surveys getting provincial and municipal governments to act on repairs have driven more people to vote. There were no available numbers on total voters, he said.
Last year, Brandon's 18th Street was named the worst road in the province, getting a pledge from Premier Wab Kinew to get it repaired. Construction began last fall and is still under way.
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'The government's co-ordinated and very swift response to the repair of 18th street has sort of empowered rural Manitobans,' said Friesen.
Potholes were the leading sore spot for Manitobans when voting for the worst roads, he said.
'If your budget is already stretched and you're holding on to the car and you get vehicle damage as a result of bad roads, you're out the money,' he said.
As the federal and provincial governments look to pull down inter-provincial trade barriers, Friesen said poor road conditions could also impact how effectively goods can be transported by truck. He's hopeful 2025's list will bring action from the province and municipalities to improve the situation.
matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca
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