LAKELAND – The provincial government is reviewing safety measures at the intersection of Highway 855 and Highway 16, south of Mundare, following multiple accidents in recent weeks.
During a media roundtable on Aug. 14, Lakeland This Week asked Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen if the provincial government is working to review the intersection.
“There's work underway to look at that intersection because . . . there's been recent accidents as well as previous ones,” said Dreeshen. “So, that is something that is on our radar as of right now to see what improvements we can make.”
Among those incidents include a collision involving a pickup truck and a semi-truck on July 23. Annya Palsitt, 17-year-old Mundare resident, died due to the collision.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist the Palsitt family. As of Aug. 15, the fundraiser had raised $46,000.
A Change.org petition was also launched urging the provincial to implement safety improvements at the intersection.
Dreeshen said Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville also raised the issue about the intersection to Alberta Transportation, “To [see] if there's any additional lighting or additional signage or additional steps that we can [do] to make sure that that intersection near Mundare is safer.”
The intersection is along a popular route that many residents from the Lakeland region use when travelling to Edmonton.
