Work underway to improve part of Highway 6, advocates want province's full plan

Long-called-for safety improvements on a Manitoba Highway are now underway with plans to put more provincial dollars into it, but advocates say they still have questions about the future of the highway.

Highway 6 connects northern Manitoba to the south, stretching 750 kilometres between Winnipeg and Thompson. The winding undivided highway has been the scene of several crashes over the years, some fatal, including a two-vehicle crash that killed NDP MLA Danielle Adams in December 2021.

To deal with increased traffic near Winnipeg, work is already underway to improve the road between the Perimeter Highway and Grosse Isle.

The Manitoba government told CTV News Winnipeg that three changes will be made along that stretch; the highway will be twinned from the Perimeter to the intersection at PR 236, a roundabout will be constructed at PR 236 and lastly, more passing lanes will be added between PR 236 and Grosse Isle.

A map showing the improvements that will be happening on Highway 6 between the Perimeter Highway and Grosse Isle.

Work for the entire project has already started according to the government and should wrap up in the fall of 2023. This stretch of work is projected to cost $15.6 million.

ADVOCATES STILL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN NORTHERN MANITOBA

Volker Beckman is part of the Safer Highway 6 Citizens Action Group, which has been calling for safety improvements along the entire highway. He said knowing part of the highway is being improved is good news.

"The question is, how much will that impact northern Manitoba," said Beckman. "That was the message we gave to the minister last year."

He said the group met with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Doyle Piwniuk last year to share their concerns about the highway and lay out what they hope to see in terms of improvements.

"When people drive from Thompson, or Gillam, or Lynn Lake to Winnipeg, whether they're going for medical reasons or holiday, normally that's an eight to 10-hour drive," said Beckman. "Sometimes in winter because there are so many semi-trailers going that route, it becomes this very scary, risky proposition."

In talking with the minister last year, Beckman said two main items the group called for are wider shoulders along Highway 6 and passing lanes to increase safety.

$100M EARMARKED FOR HIGHWAY 6

The province announced its multi-year infrastructure investment strategy on Monday. Part of the plan will see more than $100 million invested in Highway 6.

The work being done between the Perimeter and Grosse Isle is part of $40 million highlighted in the plan. The $40 million also includes rehabilitation from just north of the north junction of PR 237 to just south of PR 239 (Moosehorn to north of Grahamdale), which is pegged at $14.17 million, and rehabilitation of south of PR 239 to Fairford River, which is costing $10.10 million.

"Highway 6 is very important when it comes to the gateway to the north and we will continue investigating money towards Thompson," Piwniuk said at a news conference on Monday. "

"When I went up there last year on my tour on Highway 6, it seemed like there was more traffic around Thompson," he said. "Especially when the terrain is a little bit more curvy and stuff like that, we need to get more passing lanes."

The minister added any future work on the highway will also include adding wider shoulders.

Beckman said his safety group will be sending a letter to the government in the coming weeks outlining what improvements they would like to see on Highway 6, as well as asking to see the government's five-year plan for the highway.

"We want to know…is it just cosmetic improvements of the highway or is it actually safety features we've been talking about and recommended," said Beckman.

As part of the total multi-year infrastructure plan, the province has 525 highway projects, which include upgrades to 1,862 kilometres of highway.

The province is putting $115 million toward upgrading PTH 5 from PTH 23 to the Trans-Canada Highway, $151 million will go toward a new interchange on the south Perimeter at St. Anne's Road, $60 million to upgrade PTH 75, and $57 million to Symington Yards overpass east of Winnipeg.