Cardiff Corner sends more to hospital


Morinville firefighters extract a man from a passenger vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Cardiff Corner was once again the scene of a two-vehicle collision, five days after another collision sent three to hospital where a 53-year-old Parkland County woman subsequently died. – Stephen Dafoe Photo

STORY UPDATED JULY 26 – 4:45 P.M.

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Five days after a two-vehicle collision between a panel van and a passenger vehicle sent three to hospital, firefighters, RCMP and paramedics were once again called to the crossing at Highway 2 and Cardiff Road around 3:50 July 25.

Corporal Bryce Tarzwell of the the Morinville RCMP Detachment said a westbound passenger vehicle crossed the highway at Cardiff Road and was struck by a northbound minivan. “The Toyota was coming across and the van hit them,” the officer said. “There were four people, two in each vehicle. Three were taken in just for observation and minor injuries.”

Although the driver of the Toyota was taken out on a traction board wearing a neck brace, Tarzwell said there were no serious injuries in the collision. The RCMP member said it is standard procedure as a precautionary measure.

The collision was the second at the same crossing in five days. On July 20, a panel van carrying tools crossed Highway 2 and was struck by a northbound passenger vehicle. Two adult women and a boy were taken to hospital where a 53-year-old Parkland County woman later died of yet-to-be-announced causes.

Corporal Tarzwell said care and attention need to be given to the crossing. “People should be very wary of that intersection when going onto Highway 2,” Tarzwell cautioned. “I was going out last night and when that traffic gets backed up in that turning lane, it is darned near impossible to see to the south.”

Construction on a major overpass at Cardiff Road and Highway 2, scheduled to have begun this past spring is on hold while the government tries to acquire land on the southeast corner of the proposed work site.

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6 Comments

  1. My condolences to the family who lost a loved one at this crossing last Friday, and pray that everyone involved yesterday will be ok. Cardiff corner, as many local residents call it, is indeed a ‘blind crossing’ when there are vehicles going northbound and you are waiting at the stop sign to enter it southbound. We all need to take the time and wait until all 3 lanes are visible before crossing. I have had impatient drivers ‘honk’ behind me while I patiently wait to cross safely with my children. This crossing is dangerous, so please take the time to use our west-side overpass. Make a ‘pact’ with your family to always use the overpass. If you can’t see – please keep living and wait to cross. Is there anything we can do as residents to help get this land issue resolved?

  2. The government says they’re gonna put in an overpass, but that is now delayed because of “unforeseen causes.” Yup. How long can we delay it? Put Cardiff Rd & Hwy 2 on the priority list. Then the question arises. Do we really need to spend all this money on an overpass when all we need to do is shuffle some asphalt around? The way the detour to the industrial park is set up is good. Just rip it up and do it again, properly this time. Move the deceleration lane back a good 500m – 1km and bank it so no one skids off of it during icy conditions in the winter. Have this lane bank off hwy 2 at a good 45• angle, so it directs traffic far away from the Hwy, and meet up with the current detour to make a four way stop. To ease the blood pressure of motorists, it would be a good long term investment to put in some traffic lights there with priority signals. I’m sure we all get a little myfed when only one car makes it through cause they’re to chicken to go when they had the chance. Anyways, besides the point. Once you have that done, get rid of that bloody concrete island. What good does it serve anyone? Put the stop sign at the furthest point towards the highway, thus eliminating the small but crucial sight path that is currently blocked. Then, because some people don’t know how to handle the intersection, make four lanes. One lane for folks turning off of the Hwy heading South and for those coming from the gravel road, one lane for those turning left onto Hwy 2, one for those heading straight across to the gravel road, and one for those turning right heading NB. Paint dotted yellow lines for these details, yellow being the most visible colour in the winter that is on the road. Et voila! This virtually eliminates the possibility of a collision because of a blocked view (decelerating motorists) for those turning to head NB/SB on Hwy 2 & straight to the gravel road.

  3. Perhaps people should be contacting Maureen Kubinec to find out why our provincial government allows this unsafe condition to persist. I try to avoid that intersection. I was advised two years ago that the safety board deemed this location as being safe, and almost gagged. It won’t be safe until a proper intersection is designed. It is horrible that collisions and fatalities will persist until this is done. It is a terriblee way to put this, yet just who has to get hurt or die at this intersection to make our provincial government act?
    I refuse to believe that the biggest stumbling block involves a sale of land, only because of this provincial governments’ poor record in our recent past regarding their lack of regard for people’s safety on our highways. Such as Hwy 63 to Ft MacMurray, and previous to that Hwy 43 through Whitecourt.

  4. While they are trying to fix this corner can they not reduce the speed on HWY 2 to allow more time for vehicles to cross? Maybe this will save lives for now?

  5. Due to provincial budget restraints this project was put on hold. An easy target since there is a land aquisition and a federal permit yet to be obtained although these aren’t insurmountable issues. In fact, if the province released funding for this project, those issues would likely be resolved in a timely manner. As citizens in this community and motorists using this intersection we must put pressure on our government to proceed with this project. If you feel this is an important issue, please contact Maureen Kubinec. She’s supposed to be our voice at the provincial level. Let’s find out just how well she’s representing us.

  6. My heartfelt sympathy to all of those who have been impacted by the dangers of that intersection! I always encourage my kids to use the overpass to enter onto Highway 2 and it is well out of their way but they see the value of staying safe so they comply. I, too, have had impatient people honking their horns behind me when I don’t pull out quickly enough for their tastes. Why do they do this? mind-boggling. I think that the highway speed should be reduced to 80 for that stretch of the Highway 2, that was what the government had done at the Sangudo intersection on Highway 43 before it had been twinned. It makes a really big difference in response times for both the eastbound drivers that are crossing as well as the northbound drivers that are having to react to a vehicle in their path. As well, all through traffic should be directed to use the left hand lane, turning traffic should be hugging the shoulder of the turning lane rather than trying to take it wide. Many people seem to try to exit Highway 2 at their highway speed and have to take that corner as wide as possible. If they’d slow down, hug the right side of the road, the drivers at the stop sign would have a better view past them. Ultimately an overpass is ideal but these things can take years to complete and in the meantime, drivers need to do what they can to improve the record at that intersection.

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