‘Unbelievably dangerous’ Highway 75 overhaul on way, but drivers say ‘unsafe’ stretch an accident waiting to happen By: Chris Kitching Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

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This article was published 04/04/2023 (1140 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans who live along a scarred and dangerous stretch of southbound Highway 75, say a $61-million overhaul of one of the worst sections can’t come soon enough.

Some Red River Valley residents avoid driving on the crumbling lanes, where hazards include large potholes and chunks of concrete, because they’re concerned for their vehicles and their lives.

“The southbound lanes south of Ste. Agathe should be closed,” said Ian Forrester, who lives near Letellier. “There are chunks of concrete lying on top of the (highway). It’s unbelievably dangerous.”

Highway 75, which connects Winnipeg to the Emerson border crossing, is a major Canada-U.S. trade route. Its southbound lanes are in disrepair from Ste. Agathe to Emerson.

The Manitoba government will soon award contracts to resurface a 27-kilometre section between Ste. Agathe and Morris.

Work will begin this spring and wrap up by Oct. 31, said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk.

Drivers say the project is long overdue. They’ve experienced close calls or had blown tires or cracked rims, resulting in costly repairs and calls to Autopac.

At Integra Tire in Morris, owner Randall Reimer sees a lot of customers who’ve run into trouble on the rough highway.

“We get almost one every day that we’re open, on average,” he said.

Drivers took their vehicles to his repair shop Monday night and Tuesday morning, said Reimer, after their wheels or tires were damaged in the southbound lanes.

“The highway is unsafe,” he said. “They haven’t kept up with the deterioration rate.”

About a month ago, he had to slam on his brakes when a car blew a tire while passing a tractor-trailer.

The trucker had to hit the brakes and swerve to avoid a collision.

“It was a near-miss,” said Reimer.

He knows people who’ve stopped using the southbound lanes at night, when it’s tougher to spot pieces of concrete on the road.

Reimer and Forrester said last summer’s patchwork didn’t last, which is raising concerns about the work planned this year.

“It’s got to be a quality job,” said Forrester, who lives close to the highway. “It’s got to be done all the way to the border.”

When he drove home from Winnipeg at night a few days ago, he took a longer route to avoid southbound Highway 75.

He has pulled over to help southbound drivers who were stranded after losing a tire.

A couple of summers ago, the road heaved on a hot day and formed a ramp-like bulge. Forrester didn’t see it until it was too late.

He said his truck flew into the air and bounced when it landed on the highway.

He believes the damage to his car’s suspension is from the battering it takes while rumbling along the highway.

The maximum speed limit is 100 km/h in some areas and 110 km/h in others.

The transportation minister said the surface reconstruction will be split into two projects, with southbound traffic to be diverted to one of the northbound lanes.

“We want to rebuild it so it’s an interstate-like design,” he said.

The pavement between Ste. Agathe and Morris dates back to 1988 and 1991, and has reached the end of its service life, the provincial government said.

As for why the southbound lanes are in such poor shape, Piwniuk said repeated freeze-thaw cycles and spring flooding are responsible.

Piwniuk said his department will review last summer’s patchwork and why it didn’t last.

He’s heard the well-worn observation that U.S. Interstate 29, which extends south from the Emerson-Pembina, N.D., border crossing, is in superior condition to Highway 75.

Piwniuk said it comes down to federal funding.

“That’s the difference between Canada and the U.S. There’s much, much more money given for the interstate systems,” he said.

Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said upgrading and maintaining Highway 75 is crucial to the industry and other road users.

“This is one of the most important trade corridors in Manitoba,” he said.

Mayors and reeves of surrounding municipalities have lobbied the province to upgrade Highway 75.

RM of Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen welcomed plans to overhaul one of the worst sections.

“This is a major logistical route. This is what our economic growth depends on,” he said. “It’s something that needs to be done sooner rather than later.

“We’re not looking for patchwork. We’re looking for full repair.”

Although the sections with “major” damage are outside Ritchot, its residents regularly use the route, he said.

Ewen has stopped taking Highway 75 when he visits his parents in Dominion City.

“It’s a dangerous route. With the disrepair it’s in, it’s something I avoid,” he said.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching