Safety upgrades made at Manitoba intersection that was site of deadly June bus crash

The province says rumble strips and other safety features are being refurbished, replaced and added at the southwestern Manitoba intersection where a June bus crash led to the deaths of 17 seniors.

Rumble strips were installed last week at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5, a Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson said Tuesday.

The rumble strips — which cause a vibration when a vehicle drives over them to alert drivers of an upcoming intersection — are a refurbishment and replacement of existing strips, "although they did technically put new asphalt down and therefore the strips are 'new,'" a provincial spokesperson said in an email.

That new asphalt installation was completed last week, along with line painting, the spokesperson said.

The department is also working on adding advance warning signs to mark the intersection that should be in place "in the near future," the spokesperson said in an email. Some existing signs will also be replaced in the coming weeks.

Municipal leaders and residents in the southwestern Manitoba region have been calling on the provincial government to make immediate safety improvements at the intersection after the deadly June crash, and another serious crash just weeks later.

The intersection was the site of a June 15 crash between a semi and a bus transporting seniors from Dauphin, Man., to a casino near Carberry. Fifteen people on the bus died that day and two later died in hospital.

A three-vehicle collision at the same intersection on July 31 left three people with serious injuries. RCMP say a pickup truck driving south on Highway 5 entered the Trans-Canada, colliding with an eastbound sport-utility vehicle.

A provincial government spokesperson said earlier this month a full review of the intersection, which will identify options for longer-term safety improvements, is expected to be complete by the late fall.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure said Tuesday a consultant is continuing to work on the safety review. A preliminary field investigation was finished in late July, and the consultant is currently completing the safety analysis for the intersection, the department spokesperson said.