Traffic lights stalled at fatal intersection
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The traffic lights at the corner of Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue East in Brandon — the site of a fatal crash in 2021 — are expected to be activated this summer.
Initial work on the lights started last summer and the lights have been in place at the intersection with covers on them since then.
“Some components for this project were unexpectedly delayed, which has delayed activation of the traffic signals at the intersection,” a provincial spokesperson said in an email to the Sun on Tuesday.
Traffic lights set up at the intersection of Richmond Avenue East and Highway 110 still remained covered and are not expected to be in use until this summer. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
The spokesperson said the lights were installed after Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure completed a safety review and found that lights would “improve the operation and reduce the risk of collisions at this intersection.”
The intersection has a history of serious collisions.
On Oct. 18, 2021, one person was killed in a three-vehicle collision after a car failed to stop at a stop sign along Highway 110. There is no stop sign for vehicles travelling through the intersection along Richmond Avenue.
Last year, the occupants of a car that was involved in a crash with a semi-truck were described by the Brandon Police Service as being lucky to be alive.
Another crash in 2014 between two semi-trucks sent one driver to hospital and resulted in more than 10,000 litres of diesel fuel being spilled on the roadway.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the delay comes down to a supply-chain issue.
“Supply delays can happen. That couldn’t have been predicted,” Naylor said on Tuesday.
“Components happen bit by bit, but the poles were ready and installed, and then there was a delay on additional components.”
She said challenges with supply-chain delays have been ongoing since the COVID-19 pandemic, which first affected Canada in early 2020.
Naylor said the intersection is already considered “safe” and is operating under appropriate traffic controls.
But the lights “will make it safer,” she said.
“Anytime we upgrade an intersection across the province, it’s upgrading it to improve on the safety that’s already in place.”
MTI’s studies identify traffic volume and collision data as the main factors, she said, adding that future developments in the area that could change traffic volumes are also taken into account.
Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the upgrade came after the city requested it about two years ago.
“I was really glad to see that it’s being done. I don’t know what reason why it’s taken so long, but the bottom line is it’s going to be done,” he said on Monday.
“It’s been a very slow process.”
He said there is a lot of traffic in the area, including heavy trucks, and there have been a couple of “fairly significant accidents.”
“I just want to see it finished. We went without it forever,” he said.
Coun. Tyson Tame, whose Ward 10 includes the intersection, said he hasn’t heard any complaints or issues about the delays from residents or nearby businesses. But he’s glad that the lights will be turned on in the summer.
“How could you not be excited for added safety? We want to see anything that adds safety to any corridors,” he said.
“To me, it’s good news that something’s coming this summer, and hopefully there’s no more delays in front of us.”
The director of operations of Canada Packers’ Brandon plant — which operates just east of the intersection and has a high volume of traffic, including semi-trucks, that use the intersection on a daily basis — said the traffic lights will be a good addition.
“Safety is a top priority at Canada Packers. The intersection at Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue sees regular traffic from our operations, and we welcome the province’s decision to install traffic lights,” Rob Ackerblade said in a statement.
“We look forward to seeing them become operational, as they will improve safety for our employees, truck drivers and the broader community. It’s a busy intersection, and traffic lights are a positive step.”
In late 2024, the province said it would spend an estimated $10.5 million for an improvement project at the intersection.
» alambert@brandonsun.com