Over 20 years before the Humboldt Broncos bus crashed on its way to Nipawin for a playoff game, a recommendation went to the Ministry of Highways to install rumble strips at the intersection of highways 35 and 335.
The recommendation came in a coroner’s report following a fatal crash at the intersection on June 17, 1997, that killed a family of six. The coroner recommended additional warnings, like rumble strips or an amber flashing light, be installed on the west approach of Highway 35.
Rumble strips are shallow grooves in the shoulder of the highway, which alert distracted or drowsy drivers that the edge of the paved roadway surface is near.
A flashing light and over-sized stop sign was installed at the intersection in the years following the 1997 crash, but rumble strips weren’t mentioned by the ministry.
“It’s difficult to comment on what happened 20 years ago,” Fred Atunes, deputy minister of highways and infrastructure, said. “One of the recommendations was to provide some engineering to do something to improve safety at the intersection, and I know we did install some additional signage.”
There are differences between the 1997 crash and the Humboldt Broncos bus crash; the Broncos bus was heading northbound on Highway 35 when it was hit by an westbound semi, while the 1997 crash involved an eastbound truck and a semi travelling southbound. After learning rumble strips were explored but never installed, Scott Thomas spoke out in Saskatoon on Wednesday.
“My gut reaction to that is what a bunch of crap like if those rumble strips were there, I think it would’ve gone a long way to prevent this,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ son Evan was one of the 16 people killed in the April 6 crash.
According to the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, there were only four collisions resulting in three injuries in the intersection after the fatal 1997 crash and before the Broncos bus crash.
“From our perspective, this intersection hasn’t been one of the ones we’ve seen that we thought had a significant safety risk until this recent incident,” Atunes said.
Following fatal crashes, an engineering investigation is done looking at the history of collisions in the area, contributing factors in the collisions and then focuses on appropriate measures to improve safety.
Concerns were immediately raised following the crash that called for further safety measures at the intersection. Councillors in the Rural Municipality of Connaught told Global News in April that there is a need for more signage and rumble strips, calling the area a “trouble spot.”
However, the ministry says a rumble strip isn’t a quick fix.
“Rumble strips are difficult to install at this intersection because the type of pavement that’s there,” Atunes said. “You can’t actually cut the rumble strips into the pavement, it doesn’t have an asphalt mat.”
According to Atunes, the ministry has hired a consultant that will investigate whether any of the infrastructure was a contributing factor to the incident; the investigation will follow an RCMP report into the crash.