Police are asking motorists to show patience as road crews prepare to resurface an unpaved stretch of highway near Flin Flon.
Two-and-a-half km of Highway 10 southeast of Flin Flon have yet to be paved as part of the ongoing reconstruction of the roadway linking the community with Bakers Narrows.
Some motorists tell The Reminder that speeding is a concern on this stretch of highway, where the speed limit is set at 50 km/h and manoeuvrability at high speeds is lessened by the coarse surface.
Cpl. Robert Daisley of the Cranberry Portage RCMP said he is unaware of any accidents on this section of road, but there have been one or two complaints of stones being thrown up by passing vehicles.
He recommended patience.
“Although sometimes it seems like the construction on this section of road seems to be taking forever, there has been significant progress over the past year,” Daisley said. “The paving contract has been awarded and hopefully soon we’ll be cruising along a completely renewed highway. In the meantime, please be patient and leave yourself extra time to get to your destination.”
Daisley said police have issued several tickets of more than $1,000 to impatient drivers on the highway.
“You don’t want to find yourself on the receiving end of one of those,” he said, adding that the “enormous fines” stem from too many drivers ignoring the speed limit and the danger this poses to highway workers.
Daisley gave the example of Brittany Murray, a flag woman killed by an oncoming vehicle east of Winnipeg in 2010.
“As much as you don’t want a ticket, you’d want even less to be the person who ran over a construction worker,” he said, adding his thanks to the majority of drivers who do slow down and drive cautiously.
Daisley noted there is also a construction zone from Cranberry Portage to Fidler’s Corner, and a stretch from Gyles Park to Reed Lake that is currently being prepared for paving and will soon be a posted construction zone.
