Following six deaths over the last two weeks west of Portage la Prairie at the intersection of Highway 1 and 16, an outcry is being made throughout Portage.
"There's a need -- a drastic need for an overpass at the junction of 1 and 16, " says Portage resident Larry Saunders. "There are two major highways that meet there, and there have been multiple deaths in the last two weeks, because of the lack at that intersection."
He says RCMP claims the answer is to slow down, and MPI stated the answer is for folks to be more prudent in driving as well as slowing down. However, Saunders says, as a taxpayer something needs to be done, noting the government has a responsibility to keep our highways safe. He explains anything would be a drastic improvement compared to what currently exists there. Saunders says the government is seriously needed to step in and help save the lives of human beings.
RM of Portage la Prairie Reeve Kam Blight emotionally noted in council meeting yesterday morning that the tragedy of the loss of life is being dealt with time and time again. He says he can't imagine what the families and EMS crews have to deal with as a result, and it's so unnecessary. Blight adds it will cost money, "but so what?"
"Lives cannot have a cost put on them. I don't know what it's going to take for something to happen and to get some investment moneys to be put into what's required," Blight remarks. "It's something that governments can take steps to improve, and it has to happen."
With an interchange in place, he notes, "You're not stopping traffic and are not crossing traffic. I'm speaking about possible cloverleaf-type designs, so, once again, you don't' have people crossing the traffic. The Trans-Canada Highway should not be slowing down, stopping, and speeding up countless times across our country. It should be a free-flowing highway that keeps that traffic moving. It's a lot safer for the people doing the driving. It's a lot safer for people trying to cross over. You can do that through these interchanges."
Blight refers to a change that was almost made at that intersection.
"Federal money was announced in the late 2000s," says Blight. "Before I came on council, there was a proposed interchange there, or an overpass. When I came on council in 2010 a revised version of that was brought forward to us in 2011, and it looked like things were going to proceed. However, that proposal was less than desirable in a few different ways. It did satisfy certain needs but certainly did not satisfy them all. In large, it was a cost-reduction strategy. Since then, those have been taken off the table, and we've had nothing to work with."
Blight notes he'll contact Portage MLA Ian Wishart. He explains the issue is raised annually regardless of who is in power in the provincial government, including the overpass on the west side of the city that was damaged and is currently down to one lane.
"Everything just seems to get pushed back," adds Blight. "Enough's enough. It's time for attention to be given to this area, and we have to address these concerns and issues. End of story. There is moneys available. We can find lots of money for other projects. I understand the social commitment, but at some point, we have to start focusing on our core infrastructure again, and we have to prioritize that. Some of these other projects -- find some private funding. Then we'll see if the public really wants to support that, then and there. That's fine. But right now the government needs to take care of the core infrastructure and start to provide some safer traffic provisions for the people of Manitoba and Canada."
Sun, May 19, 12:00 PM
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