Districts Impacted
Project Timeline
NB, SB Route 67 in St. Francois County Reduced for J-Turn Construction
SIKESTON—Northbound and southbound Route 67 in St. Francois County will be reduced to one lane with a 12-foot width restriction as contractor crews construct a j-turn south of Farmington, Missouri.
The project includes reconfiguring the crossover intersection at U.S. 67 and Route H with a j-turn. This requires adding acceleration and deceleration lanes and work in the median.
The work zone will be in place from Route DD to New Perrine Road in Farmington, Missouri. Weather permitting, work will begin Monday, April 18, with completion anticipated Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The median crossing at U.S. 67 and Route H will be removed with this project. Instead of crossing fast-moving lanes of traffic to get to the opposing lanes, drivers will turn right in the same direction of traffic, merge into the left lane, and then make a u-turn in the direction they intend to travel. For more information on navigating j-turns, please visit www.modot.org/j-turns.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
For additional information, please contact Resident Engineer Darius Dowdy at (573) 472-9041, MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
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To learn more or view the printable project handout, please click the link below.
What are J-turns?
The J-turn is an alternative to traditional roadway intersections on a four-lane highway. Instead of motorists crossing fast-moving lanes of traffic to get to the opposing lanes, drivers at a J-turn intersection turn right in the same direction of traffic, merge into the left lane, and then make a u-turn in the direction they intend to travel. Although drivers will have to travel slightly further to get where they want to go, using J-turns can take the same or less time than trying to wait for a safe and appropriate gap to cross traffic.
The point of these turns it to greatly reduce – or even eliminate -- a significant number of severe crashes common when drivers must cross-over busy highways to reach another road.
In the J-turn design drivers turn right in the same direction of traffic, and merge safely into the left lane to prepare to make a left turn in the direction they intended to travel. This option uses an extended deceleration lane, basically adding a third lane on the highway to allow traffic making a left turn onto opposing lanes to safely pull off the mainline, out of the way of high speed traffic. In addition, acceleration lanes may be constructed to allow traffic an opportunity to gain speed after turning onto the highway.
How do J-turns enhance safety?
J-turns have proven to be a safer alternative to a traditional roadway intersection on a four-lane highway because they eliminate or greatly reduce right-angle crashes, the crash type most responsible for fatalities and serious injuries at intersections. In fact, the installation of J-turns at similar intersections throughout Missouri and the nation have shown a substantial decrease in fatal and serious injury crashes. Basically, they eliminate the need for motorists to cross the high-speed lanes of traffic to get to the opposing lanes.
Studies done by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program show J-turns provide significant reduction in right-angle, “far” side crashes.
For More Information
Pete Berry
Title
Project Manager
Department
Southeast District
Contact Info
(417) 469-6242
(417) 469-6242
Chris Crocker
Title
Area Engineer
Department
Southeast District
Contact Info
(573) 380-1658
(573) 380-1658