New traffic lights, signs installed at Highway 59 intersection after fatal collisions in area

A history ofpedestrianfatalities along a highway that runs through a southern Manitoba community has prompted new infrastructure changes that aim to make the area safer.

The intersection of Highway59 and Bison Drive E.-Anishinabe Way now has traffic lights, the province said in a news releaseFriday.

"We welcome this new controlled intersection, which will improve safety on Highway 59 north through our community," said Chief GordonBluesky of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

Sergeant TommyPrince School and a community store sit next to the intersection, which gets a lot of traffic in the summer, whencottage owners use the route on the east side of Lake Winnipeg to head north.

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, where the intersection is located,has a total population of more than 2,000people.

The change comes months after the death of75-year-old Larry Hodge, who was hit by a vehiclewhile walking north on the northbound shoulder of the highway in April.

He died on the scene, and the driver fled the area, RCMPsaid at the time.

Following his death,the province reduced the speed limit at the crossroads from 80 km/h to 50 km/h.

"We have listened to the leadership and the community of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, who have expressed their long-standing concerns about highway safety," Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylorsaid in the news release.

"We are hopeful that these measures will make this intersection safer for everyone."

Naylor said the government has also added signs along the highway that acknowledge thecommunity's Ojibway name, Baaskaandibewiziibiing.

Other changes are in the works for the area too, the province said.

It's currently in talks with Brokenhead to twin Highway 59 based on 2016 plans. The project will consider active transportation options, such as walking and bike paths.

A new bridge over the Brokenhead River is also in the planning stage, the province said.

"This is the result of decades of work and advocacy by our First Nation," Bluesky said.