Districts Impacted
Project Updates
MoDOT completed paving for the Route AA intersection and J-Turn. The northbound Route AA to westbound Route 50 acceleration lane is open to traffic. The J-Turn for westbound Route 50 to southbound Route AA will open to traffic within the next few weeks once the highway lighting is complete.
All paving has been completed for the County Road 1801 intersection. The eastbound Route 50 deceleration lanes are open to traffic. The westbound Route 50 deceleration lanes are open to traffic but still need temporary striping.
The contractor is also working on the eastbound Route 50 median for the westbound Route W/Z J-turn.
The Missouri Department of Transportation beings work on Kansas City’s fourth J-turn on Route 50 this week. Improvements will impact intersections at Routes AA, Z and W. Crews will begin on the eastbound route and motorists will encounter single lane closures during construction. Crews anticipate working daily 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Project awarded to Lehman Construction. Construction activity expected to begin this summer.
Why is MoDOT doing this project?
Traffic along Highway 50 has grown considerably the past decade and these intersections are struggling to handle the increase. Several intersections along this route have been upgraded or improved to more current safety standards to greatly reduce or even eliminate deadly crashes. Below are options for each intersection.
How will this project improve safety?
After community feedback and engineering investigation, MoDOT is recommending the following changes:
RT AA – This location will consist of a northbound RT AA to westbound US 50 turning movement with an acceleration lane. This configuration was determined due to traffic counts and public concern that the majority of travelers head westbound from RT AA. Additionally, vehicles would struggle with a J-turn to the east due to the grades, the required weaving and the close proximity of the NB County Road 1801 deceleration lane. The northbound to westbound turn will be the only remaining option at the current crossover location to eliminate conflicts. Traffic traveling westbound on US 50 wanting to go southbound on RT AA will be required to travel to a J-turn to the west of the intersection and return to RT AA. Deceleration and acceleration lanes will also be provided at the intersection for eastbound US 50.
County Road 1801 - Right and left deceleration/turn lanes will be provided from eastbound and westbound US 50. An acceleration lane will be provided for westbound traffic off 1801.
County Road 1751 - Right and left deceleration/turn lanes will be provided from eastbound and westbound US 50. A bus turn around will be constructed off the north outer road of 1751 to safely load and unload students away from US 50.
RT Z/W – Due to the number of conflict points, this intersection will be converted to a J-turn configuration with offset left turn lanes in the median. Acceleration and deceleration lanes will be provided.
Click here to see a full display of the improvements.
How do J-Turns Improve Safety?
J-turns were used on Highway 50 and Route 58 three years ago, a similar intersection that had 28 crashes from 2010 to 2014. Since J-turns were installed in 2015, there have been zero fatalities and very few minor crashes. J-turns were also used on Highway 50 and MO 131 in 2017 with similar results. No fatalities or serious crashes to date.
There was a statewide data analysis focused on Missouri’s 19 J-Turn locations. Overall, the results of the analysis include
- Total crashes have decreased by 25%;
- Fatal crashes have decreased by 88%;
- Serious injury crashes have decreased by 78%;
- Right-angle crashes have decreased by 88%.
For more information J-Turns, review https://www.modot.org/j-turns
For more information on crash statistics, review https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/crash_data_960grid.html
This type of safety improvement is effective and costs approximately $3.5 million. Conversely an overpass with outer roads begins at $15 million before right of way costs.
What is the timeline for this project?
This project is currently in the construction phase and is scheduled for a May 2020 completion date.
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