Truckers shake and rattle on worsening Hwy 75 in Manitoba

LETELLIER, Man. — Truck and car parts are being shaken right off of vehicles on the rapidly crumbling Hwy. 75 in Manitoba.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, the road is so bumpy that the back tires on tractor-trailers running empty don’t even touch the road. Area residents tell the newspaper that some truckers have to travel down the road with the right side of the vehicle up on the shoulder.

Highway 75, the main route for American tourists and truckers going to Winnipeg, is in major need of repairs.

The unusually warmer winter made the road surface worse with cracks and potholes. the roadway has a concrete pavement 50 years old beneath an asphalt layer that is 20 to 30 years old.

According to the Free Press, Manitoba Highways Minister Ron Lemieux said there’s $130 million in the budget to fix highways, including a three-year program to repair the worst parts of Hwy. 75 — mainly between Emerson and Letellier.

Jim Arkle, director of safety and driver services with Penner International, told the newspaper his trucks take a beating even at 60 km/h on the 100 K-limit highway.

— from the Winnipeg Free Press