‘A major safety gain for us’: Carberry mayor praises provincial overpass plan

An overpass has been promised by the provincial government for the site of a deadly 2023 bus crash. Joseph Bernacki went to Carberry to get reaction.

Residents and leaders in Carberry are praising the province’s plan to build an overpass at the site of a deadly bus crash.

The promise came Tuesday during the NDP government’s provincial Throne Speech. The province said the design phase will begin next year for an overpass at Highways 1 and 5 - the intersection where a bus crash killed 17 people in June 2023.

“I think it’s going to be a major safety gain for us, for everybody who travels that highway,” said Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead, noting people in the community are still talking about the tragic loss of life to this day.

The overpass was welcome news for Carberry resident Robert Goodridge.

“Every time I go to cross that road any time, I think of that bus,” he said.

Goodridge spent nearly 35 years working a maintenance job in town. He said he nearly had a crash at the intersection while operating a snow plow.

“I came close to cutting the top off a car with that plow. It scared me pretty bad,” he said.

Goodridge said he hopes an overpass will reduce the number of future accidents.

The province has been weighing options to improve safety at the intersection. In July, Carberry residents rejected a proposal to build an R-Cut design. The R-Cut required drivers to change lanes and make a U-turn in order to cross the highway.

“This intersection is different now than any other one in Manitoba because of the loss of life,” Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday.

“With that scrutiny, with that history, it means extra responsibility to listen to community voices on this.”

Kinew said the overpass would likely cost more than $100 million.