Manitoba plans to twin Trans-Canada Highway east of Falcon Lake, site of deadly 2019 crash

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 sonwere 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 ofHighway 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, sayingit'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 duringa 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," shesaid.

As for the details of the project, the premier merelysaid "stay tuned."

Peter says his family is glad the changes will be made.

"Mark was very much proud of histie 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.'"

Manitoba plans to twin Trans-Canada Highway east of Falcon Lake

2 years ago

Duration 1:51

Three years ago, a teen and his father were killed in a crash on the Trans-Canada Highway, near Falcon Lake and the Ontario border. Since then, the family has been calling for that stretch of highway to be twinned. Now, the family has received a personal commitment from the premier herself, to make the highway safer.