The Emergency Coordinator for the Municipality of Emerson-Franklin has concerns about the future upgrades to the highway near the border.

The concern is that PR 200, which connects to HWY 75, will be rerouted. Instead, travellers will have to take a detour located behind the Travel Manitoba Information Centre.

"With the realignment of HWY 75 at its current location, the intersection to Emerson will be shut down, and the new truck highway is going to be routed straight north out of there, and run parallel to 75," said Emergency Coordinator Bill Spanjer.

"The new access to Emerson will be situated probably north, in the area of the weigh scale," he explained.

For fire department and emergency personnel that respond to customs, the access would be a concern, he said. "With stranded travellers in the winter time, if they are unable to proceed on Highway 75, they would have to travel further to get into Emerson for shelter."

Spanjer said one suggestion is for travellers to wait out a storm at the Travel Manitoba parking lot.

"That isn't really a solution because in a winter storm in 30 below... a car parking in their parking lot... it would just be too cold for them to stay in their vehicles for any period of time until the roads are open."

He believes the new route simply won't be as safe as the current one.

"Currently it's a gravel road, it's unlit, and in a winter snowstorm the visibility would be nil. There's steep ditches there as well, so that would be a concern for anybody trying to find their way into Emerson, especially people that are unfamiliar with the road," he said.

As Emergency Coordinator and a member of Emerson Fire and Rescue, Spanjer would like to see access that allows for quick response, similar to what is available now. He says the current access into Emerson is more convenient and safer. He isn't sure when the current access point into Emerson will be taken away.

"It's hard to say, they've already got the special lane for the semi trucks that will be coming out of the customs area, running parallel," he said.

Spanjer noted there will be a meeting in late October, before the winter season, to discuss the scenario of travellers stranded at the border in a storm.

"They might be better off and safer off just keeping the people in their examination facility, instead of trying to route them over to the complex in town," he said. However, Spanjer said in an emergency storm situation travellers would have more access to food in town than at the border.

As of right now, council has not received a reply from Manitoba Infrastructure to their June 26 letter outlining concerns with respect to the project.