The project consists of a concrete crack and seat, 1.5” PASB and 3.5” Bituminous Overlay US 2 from 7th Avenue NW in East Grand Forks to 0.3 Miles east of CSAH 15 in Fishers on westbound lanes, turn lane improvements and intersection improvements at US2/2B. The US2/2B improvements will be Alternative 3B from the Intersection Study completed in May 2017.
Reduced conflict intersections decrease fatalities and injuries caused by T-bone crashes on four-lane divided highways. In some parts of the country RCIs are sometimes referred to as J-turns, Michigan Lefts, or R-CUTs.
Benefits
RCIs improve safety, with up to a 70 percent reduction in injury crashes nationwide
Minnesota currently has 12 RCIs, with the first one built in 2010
None of the reconfigured intersections have experienced a fatal crash
How do they work?
Right turn: no change, right hand turns can be made the same as before
Left turn: turn right, merge into the left lane and make a u-turn at the designated median opening
To cross a four-lane highway: turn right, merge in the left lane (or turn directly into the left lane), make a u-turn at the designated median opening, merge into the right lane (or turn directly into the right lane), and turn right onto the side road
To make a left turn off of the highway: no change, left hand turns can be made the same as before.
Example
RCIs come in many different configurations and are designed to accommodate the normal traffic at the intersection.
This example shows an RCI with u-turns on each end and a left-turn in for each direction of traffic.
The Hwy 2 project map.