Twinning work underway on 700-metre stretch of Highway 1 in Manitoba near Ontario border

Crews have started preparing to twin a 700-metre stretch of Highway 1 just west of the Ontario border, a small section of the 16 kilometres that will be widened to improve safety, the province of Manitoba says.

"This is one of the busiest stretches of highways, especially during the summer months, as cottagers and tourists come to take in our beautiful lakes and explore the great outdoors," Premier Heather Stefanson said at a news conference near Falcon Lake on Friday.

The Manitoba government has promised to widen the Trans-Canada Highway to four lanes between Falcon Lake and the Manitoba-Ontario border, but has prioritized twinning the 700 metres of the highway closest to the border to align with Ontario's new four-lane highway.  

This is welcome news for Peter Lugli, whose brother and nephew died in a head-on crash on the two-lane highway on July 21, 2019.

"We're very happy to hear that because that means that it will result in a safer road," he said in an interview from his home in Seattle on Friday.

Mark Lugli, 54, and his son Jacob Lugli, 17, were headed west on the highway within Whiteshell Provincial Park when a semi-trailer truck swerved to avoid a vehicle that had abruptly stopped, veered into the Luglis' lane and hit them head-on, RCMP said at the time.

Although Peter understands that construction takes time and involves community consultations, he hopes the twinning is fast-tracked.

"We do not want families to go through what ours did. Three to four years before work actually begins ... seems to be a long time," he said.

Stefanson reached out to the family last September to say the twinning was going ahead and the province was preparing to tender contracts.

"It should have been done a long time ago and it hasn't been, but now is the time to get it done," Stefanson said Friday.

While Lugli and his family wish the work would go faster, people who live and work along the highway said the time is needed for consultations.

Devin Imrie owns Falcon Beach Ranch, along with his wife Kendra. 

"During a busy time in the summer we can take up to 100 people a day on [horse] rides ... so it's a significant portion of the visitors to this area that come and make use of this business," he said.

The ranch, which has been in his family for 40 years, may lie directly in the path of the expanded highway.

"We want to be involved in that planning and design process as much as possible at as an early as possible stage to ensure that our livelihood is not destroyed here."

Tree clearing and other work started last month, and construction on the 700-metre stretch is expected to be done by fall 2024.

The province commissioned Tetra Tech Canada to complete a conceptual design study for the full 16-kilometre twinning project, she said.

It will include route options for the four lanes, designs for new or modified interchanges at Highway 301 and Highway 44, options to eliminate three intersections, and access requirements at Hunt and Lyons lakes.

The study is expected to take about two years to complete.

All studies will include consultation with those who live in the area, Stefanson said.

"We want to make sure there's lots of consultation to ensure we minimize those impacts for the communities and we are absolutely committed to that. Whether it's Indigenous communities or ranchers — whoever it is that's going to be impacted — we want to make sure you're part of this," she said.

Twinning work underway on 700-metre stretch of Highway 1 in Manitoba near Ontario border

2 years ago

Duration 2:15

Crews have started preparing to twin a 700-metre stretch of Highway 1 just west of the Ontario border, a small section of the 16 kilometres that will be widened to improve safety, the province of Manitoba says.