MnDOT to move forward with J-turn intersection at Highway 23 and Stearns County Road 8 in Rockville

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – After extensive public engagement and careful consideration of community feedback, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will move forward with the construction of a J-turn at the junction of Highway 23 and Stearns County Road 8 in Rockville in 2027.

The decision to proceed follows the May 13, 2025, public meeting at Rockville City Hall, where community members shared their concerns about the proposed safety improvement. MnDOT officials documented, collected and thoroughly reviewed all input. These concerns were then summarized and addressed on the project page.

"We sincerely appreciate the active participation of the Rockville community in this process," said Michael Ginnaty, MnDOT District 3 Engineer. "Public feedback is vital to our decision-making, and we have carefully weighed all concerns raised during the May 13th meeting. Ultimately, our priority is to enhance safety at this intersection, and the J-turn design has a proven track record of significantly reducing severe crashes."

J-turns improve safety at intersections by reconfiguring left turns and through movements from side roads into right turns followed by a U-turn. This design reduces the number of locations where vehicles can collide, particularly those that result in dangerous "T-bone" crashes. MnDOT has implemented many J-turns across the state, which have led to a measurable reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes.

For more information on J-turn intersections and their safety benefits, please visit www.mndot.gov/roadwork/j-turns/

For more information about the project, visit the project web page: www.mndot.gov/d3/projects/rockville .

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