Northern Highway 105 Repairs Needed Now

QUEENS PARK – With snow already falling on the highway, Kenora MPP Sarah Campbell called on the Minister of Transportation to personally ensure repairs to Highway 105 are completed before more drivers are put at risk.

“Winter is coming, and these risky gravel sections need to be properly maintained and repaired,” said Campbell. “But the ministry and the private contractor can’t seem to agree on who is in charge of paving these sections.”

This past summer, the Ministry of Transportation replaced culverts along the route, but instead of paving over the cut sections, they left gravel.

“Because the ministry did not place adequate warning signage, these gravel sections often catch people off-guard,” said Campbell. “Drivers can lose control and some vehicles have been damaged.”

Highway 105, the Red Lake Road is the only highway serving the communities of Ear Falls and Red Lake in Campbell’s riding.

“The people of Ear Falls and Red Lake depend on Highway 105. They can’t simply take another route if the road conditions on Highway 105 are unsafe,” explained Campbell. “This ministry keeps cutting corners when it comes to maintaining Highway 105.”

Campbell warned that there will be accidents this winter if the ministry does not fix the lack of coordination between the Ministry of Transportation and its private contractors.

“This highway has been classified as a low priority for snow clearance. And now the ministry has left this culvert repair job unfinished, with winter fast approaching,” said Campbell. “Will the minister personally make sure this repair job gets done, within days and not weeks?”