Plans to twin Trans-Canada Highway welcomed by long weekend commuters, Manitoba truckers

A commitment by the province to twin the last remaining single-lane stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba is being supported by many drivers this long weekend.

Premier Heather Stefanson confirmed Thursday the project will proceed to improve safety and the flow of goods.

“I think it’s phenomenal,” said Lucas Pacey, during a break on his drive from Winnipeg to his cottage in northwestern Ontario. “I’ll feel safer. I’ve seen accidents there.”

The busy single-lane corridor which starts just west of Falcon Lake has long been a concern for drivers.

The province said it is presently in the initial stages of tendering for engineering and conceptual design studies. Once that work is complete more will be known about cost estimates and project timelines.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Audrey Heinrichs, who was heading to the Whiteshell Friday to go camping. “My family likes to take day trips from Falcon to Kenora, Ont. So it’ll just be nice to know that there’s a four-lane divided highway that’ll be really nice.”

It’s a move that is also being welcomed by the Manitoba Trucking Association.

“When it comes to safety and efficiency it’s one small piece of highway that can have a large impact,” said Aaron Dolyniuk, the association’s executive director.

In Ontario work to widen an undivided portion of the Trans Canada is already underway, part of the reason the premier said Manitoba is moving forward with the work on its side of the boundary.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure said it anticipates to start preliminary clearing activity in 2023 following consultations with Indigenous communities.

The province moved the project up on its priority list after family members of father and son Mark and Jacob Lugli of Dryden, Ont., who were killed in a head-on collision on the section of the road in 2019, wrote a letter to the premier calling on her government to twin the road.

Peter Lugli of Seattle, who is Mark’s brother and Jacob’s uncle, hopes it helps to prevent future tragedies.

“There was a lot of elation, there was a lot of relief that the right thing was being done,” Peter said via Zoom on Thursday.

While they said it’s been a long time coming, those who regularly use the road are just relieved the project is now slated to move ahead.

“I’m sure glad that they’re stepping up and getting that highway done,” Pacey said.

The province has installed more signage and trimmed bush in problem areas to improve sightlines, as significant work lies ahead to get the highway twinned.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure said no road work will happen until consultations are complete.