Carberry-area residents rally against plan they say won't fix intersection where crash killed 17

Chelsea Kemp · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 3:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Around 100 radical rallied Thursday evening adjacent the intersection northbound of Carberry where a clang killed 17 radical 2 years ago, protesting 1 of the proposals to marque the crossing safer.

Semi-trailer trucks and workplace vehicles lined the roadworthy beside the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5, arsenic protesters called connected the state to scrap plans for a restricted crossing U-turn astatine the site.

The protestation was held astatine the intersection wherever connected June 15, 2023, a semi and a autobus afloat of seniors from the Dauphin country collided, sidesplitting 17 and injuring eight. A period later, 3 radical were injured at the intersection when a pickup motortruck collided with an SUV, causing some to deed a 3rd vehicle.

Jordan Dickson, who lives beside the intersection, said she's seen a batch of accidents and adjacent calls.

"It's truly scary sometimes," Dickson said.

"We're ever watching retired determination for erstwhile the [emergency] lights spell by."

She wants the intersection to beryllium safer but worries assemblage needs aren't being heard.

Following a information review, the state presented 3 main possibilities — a widened intersection, a roundabout or a restricted crossing U-turn, known arsenic an RCUT.

Thursday's rally was organized to nonstop a connection that an RCUT isn't the answer, Dickson said.

An RCUT forces drivers to crook right, merge into traffic and past marque a U-turn, alternatively of crossing oregon turning left.

An RCUT doesn't marque consciousness successful an country with a batch of workplace instrumentality and dense motortruck traffic, Dickson said.

"It's a look for disaster," she said.

WATCH | How an R-CUT would enactment astatine the intersection adjacent Carberry:

She says an overpass is the champion mode to marque the intersection safer, and it's disappointing the state isn't pursuing that.

If an overpass isn't possible, she would similar a wider median, which was 1 of the options successful the province's information report.

The existent median is truthful narrow, adjacent two-passenger vehicles can't comfortably fit.

Traffic often gets backmost up astatine the intersection, due to the fact that drivers hold until each 4 lanes connected Highway 1 are wide to cross, Dickson says.

"It's a precise engaged highway," Dickson said.

"There's tons of times that erstwhile [farm] equipment's trying to get through, either they're forced to instrumentality the work roadworthy and spell to the intersections either a mile eastbound oregon mile west, oregon postulation gets beauteous backed up arsenic they are waiting to get through."

Overpass needed: farmer

Deborah Steen, who helped signifier the rally, said outpouring and autumn are peculiarly bad, and the intersection tin go "complete chaos" erstwhile farming instrumentality crowds the intersection.

"I travel done this intersection aggregate times a day, and it's conscionable a nightmare astatine times," Steen said.

She worries the RCUT will confuse drivers and propulsion postulation onto little harmless backmost roads.

Steen besides says if an overpass isn't possible, the next safest enactment is widening the median.

Carberry-area husbandman Neil Adriaansen says the intersection has been an contented for decades, and locals person been hoping for an overpass since the mid-1960s.

He crosses the intersection four to 8 times a day, and the size of his vehicles means he often doesn't acceptable successful the median.

If the state moves up with an RCUT, he'll commencement utilizing backmost roads to debar it, helium said.

"I americium not taking a accidental connected a foggy morning, trying to merge crossed 3 lanes, and past person to crook astir and bash it again connected the different side. That's bizarre," Adriaansen said.

"I'm definite determination are places for RCUTS. This conscionable isn't it."

After the past nationalist unfastened location astir the intersection's future, Adriaansen submitted a four-page missive to the state explaining wherefore helium didn't privation to spot an RCUT built. It's unsafe and inconvenient, penalizing postulation travelling north-south, helium said.

If an overpass isn't possible, helium besides would enactment a wider median, oregon stoplights.

Dickson said the consultation process with the state has been frustrating, with galore successful the assemblage feeling ignored.

A petition against the RCUT has started and is gathering section opinions astir safer options, on with signatures, Dickson said.

Their extremity is to amplify the voices of those who usage the intersection each day, she said.

"We evidently privation a harmless intersection. We've been asking for it for years now," Dickson said.

A last circular of engagement volition instrumentality spot this outpouring and an engagement study is expected from the state this summertime regarding the aboriginal of the intersection.