Wisconsin DOT completes a J-turn lane

The Wisconsin DOT has just completed a new J-turn on state Highway 29 near Gresham.

The J-turn will be located at the intersection of state Highway 29 and County Road U in the Town of Herman.

“The intersection of state Highway 29 at County Road U was identified as having a right-angle crash trend and has been the site of multiple severe and fatal crashes,” said Tegan Griffith, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Region Communications Manager.

According to the project overview from the Wisconsin DOT, the purpose of the new J-turn is to reduce and/or eliminate the severe crashes that the intersection has been known for.

The intersection also has a sight problem as visible distance is limited, due to a hill located east of County Road U.

The project overview gave directions for drivers on how to maneuver the J-turn, saying from the stop line at County Road U — turn right across state Highway 29 into the J-turn crossover lane. When drivers reach the J-turn crossover, they should yield. After doing so, perform the U-turn to the left lane of state Highway 29 while increasing speed.

She said that this J-turn helps to reduce crash potential.

“There are 42 conflict points with a standard intersection,” said Griffith. “With a J-turn, there are only 24 conflict points.”

She added that drivers are only required to look at one direction of traffic at a time and that this provides additional space for longer vehicles to store in the median.

Griffith said that J-turns are becoming more popular, due to the fact they help to mitigate accidents.

“There are several intersections similar to this across Wisconsin,” said Griffith. “When intersection safety concerns are identified the Wisconsin DOT evaluates the most appropriate solution to reduce crashes while also considering construction costs, property impacts and environmental impacts.”

The project overview also states that there are seven J-turn intersections throughout Wisconsin. There is a 21% reduction in the number of crashes and an 89% reduction in the number of crashes that cause injuries and fatalities.

The overview also states that the J-turn that was constructed on the intersection of state Highway 29 and County Road VV in Brown County has seen a 66% reduction in the number of crashes that result in injury or death.