Manitoba plans to twin Trans-Canada Highway east of Falcon Lake, site of deadly 2019 crash
Plan to twin highway 'the only bright light' in deaths of Mark Lugli, 54, and son Jacob, 17: relative
Manitoba is starting the process of twinning a section of the Trans-Canada Highway between Falcon Lake and the Ontario border, the area where a father and son were killed in a 2019 crash.
The government is preparing to tender contracts for engineering design studies, which will lay the groundwork for expanding the last undivided section of Highway 1 in the province, Premier Heather Stefanson said in a letter obtained by CBC News.
"Twinning the highway will significantly improve safety for motorists, and our government is committed to getting the job done," Stefanson wrote in a letter dated Wednesday to Peter Lugli, whose brother and nephew died in a head-on crash on that section of highway on July 21, 2019.
Mark Lugli, 54, and his son Jacob Lugli, 17, were driving west on the highway within Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park when a tractor-trailer truck veered into their lane and hit them head-on, RCMP said at the time. The truck swerved to avoid a vehicle that had abruptly stopped, police said.
The news that the twinning process has begun is wonderful, Peter said in an interview with CBC News on Thursday.
"This is, frankly, the only bright light that we can we can see in this. The family continues to deal with this every day, as you might well imagine, but this is really positive news," he said.
"The letter is very specific as to immediate next steps. It's specific as to other phases and timing. To us that speaks of a firm commitment to get the job done."
The family sent a letter to the premier's office on Aug. 16, calling for the "perilous" 17-kilometre stretch of highway to be divided and expanded to prevent similar tragedies.
Peter also pointed to what he said is an especially dangerous turn off the two-lane highway into the Barren Lake lake area, saying it's a "white-knuckle experience" to turn left into that area, with semi-trucks coming from the opposite direction at high speeds.
"That shouldn't happen," he said.
The premier wrote in her letter that the provincial government will announce a proposed timeline in the fall for the twinning project, and will seek federal support.
Stefanson confirmed those plans during a news conference on Thursday.
"I think it's something that we've always been looking at, but certainly things like this [crash] do highlight the importance of safety on our highways, and so we take that very seriously," she said.
As for the details of the project, the premier merely said "stay tuned."
Peter says his family is glad the changes will be made.
"Mark was very much proud of his tie to the northwest [part of Ontario], and we know that both he and Jacob are probably looking at us from up there and saying 'Job well done.'"
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