TruckingThe Manitoba Trucking Association is pleased with improvements to Highway 10 north of Brandon. On October 5, the provincial and federal governments announced that Highway 10 between the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 25, a distance of approximately 15 kilometers, had significant improvements completed, including safer merging enhancements, new service roads, paved shoulders, guardrails and rumble strips.
‘œIt is always positive when governments make significant investments in infrastructure,” said MTA president Norm Blagden. ‘œThese improvements will make the roads safer for everyone to travel on, including our commercial drivers. We rely on these roads for our business, and consumers rely on us to get the job done. Improvements to Highway 10 have been a priority for our members for a long time, and while there is still work to be done on that particular stretch of highway, this is a step in the right direction.”
The MTA, however, is less pleased to hear that the Province of Manitoba is considering cutting the snow clearing budget this year. ‘œWe are very concerned that the provincial government is considering removing overnight snow clearing services on Highways 1, 16, 59, and 75,” said MTA Executive Director Bob Dolyniuk. ‘œThis is a safety issue first and foremost, as every Manitoban knows that it doesn’t have to be snowing for snow to cause problems, blowing and drifting across highways. However, this is also a cutback that could have a negative impact on economic activity. These are major trade routes, and reducing snow clearing services on them will impact just-in-time freight movements, especially those that rely on overnight service to rural communities within Manitoba. We are disappointed by this decision; we are also disappointed in how Manitobans found out about this one, which was through the media, rather than from the government itself,” Dolyniuk concluded.