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#Post#: 20146--------------------------------------------------
Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: 12cows Date: August 6, 2015, 10:11 pm
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DOT plans for J-turn intersection at highways 54 and U
Karen Madden, Daily Tribune Media 9:15 p.m. CDT August 6, 2015
BIRON – State Department of Transportation officials have
decided on a solution they hope will improve safety at Highways
54-Highway U intersection.
The DOT is planning on installing a J-turn intersection at the
corner, said Tim Hanley, DOT project manager. Traffic traveling
east or west on Highway 54 will still move through the
intersection the way it does now. Traffic crossing Highway 54 or
making a left-hand turn from Highway U will have to instead make
a right turn, cross the two lanes of traffic to enter a turn
lane, then travel about 1,400 feet down the highway to an
opening in the median designed to allow drivers to make a U-turn
to go the other direction. Drivers wanting to continue on
Highway U then will get into a right-turn lane.
The design is safer than going directly across the divided
highway because drivers are only looking at crossing two lanes
of traffic at a time, Hanley said.
The project will cost about $1.2 million and is scheduled for
construction in 2016, Hanley said. However, the decision of the
intersection, which will be the first J-turn intersection in the
region, met with a less than enthusiastic reaction from
residents and local officials during a hearing Thursday night.
Officials from Wood and Portage counties, Grand Rapids, Biron,
Plover and Grant all recommended an option for the intersection
that involved the creation of a large center island big enough
to allow vehicles, including semis, to wait between the
eastbound and westbound lanes for traffic to clear, said Arne
Nystrom, Grand Rapids chairman.
DOT staff studied all the options for the intersection and
determined the J-turn intersection best suited the needs to
improve safety while not taking any property from residents near
the intersection, Hanley said.
Residents who attended Thursday’s hearing wanted any plan to
include reducing the speed limit going through the intersection
from the current 65 mph to 50 mph.
#Post#: 20151--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: rapids_60 Date: August 7, 2015, 12:49 am
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About time.
#Post#: 20156--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: trollslayer Date: August 7, 2015, 1:43 pm
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Personally, I think anywhere they put a roundabout in place of
an intersection makes the worst intersection worse. I hate
those dam things. Some cities it seems you can run into one of
these every half mile or so.
#Post#: 20163--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: 2fat Date: August 7, 2015, 7:46 pm
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[quote author=trollslayer link=topic=1466.msg20156#msg20156
date=1438973030]
Personally, I think anywhere they put a roundabout in place of
an intersection makes the worst intersection worse. I hate
those dam things. Some cities it seems you can run into one of
these every half mile or so.
[/quote]
While I usually like roundabouts some places sure seem to
overuse them, Mt Horeb for one!! And on hiway 10 between east
side of appleton and I-43 for another one every five miles or
so--and then in the middle of Brillion where there should be a
roundabout there is none!!
#Post#: 20169--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: rapids_60 Date: August 8, 2015, 12:12 am
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No roundabout being built here, just adding a 90 degree bend
(so you can' t blow the stopsign on U) and some changes to the
meridian/turn lanes.
Agreed on the overuse of the roundabouts. We needed one by the
Rapids courthouse on Baker exactly why? There's barely been any
traffic on Baker since the expressway was built.
#Post#: 20170--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: 2fat Date: August 8, 2015, 8:03 am
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[quote author=rapids_60 link=topic=1466.msg20169#msg20169
date=1439010755]
No roundabout being built here, just adding a 90 degree bend
(so you can' t blow the stopsign on U) and some changes to the
meridian/turn lanes.
Agreed on the overuse of the roundabouts. We needed one by the
Rapids courthouse on Baker exactly why? There's barely been any
traffic on Baker since the expressway was built.
[/quote]
safer and cheaper is the mantra---and makes sense too
#Post#: 20171--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: wmd102 Date: August 8, 2015, 8:08 am
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I am not sure if if this was an option but why not just make 54
wider at the "U" intersection like the new US 10 intersections.
Those are wide enough that cars stop midway instead of waiting
for traffic on both sides to be clear before crossing or making
a left turn.
#Post#: 20174--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: Linda Lou Date: August 8, 2015, 10:33 am
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I'm assuming the speed limit will be reduced near these J-turns?
I can't figure out how you'd put that in an area with a 65 MPH
speed limit...
#Post#: 20176--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: Snickers Date: August 8, 2015, 11:35 am
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[quote author=trollslayer link=topic=1466.msg20156#msg20156
date=1438973030]
Personally, I think anywhere they put a roundabout in place of
an intersection makes the worst intersection worse. I hate
those dam things. Some cities it seems you can run into one of
these every half mile or so.
[/quote]
I like round abouts. They are safer. If there are any
collisions they are glancing strikes not a t- bone hit.
That area that 2fat mentioned I also thought was a bit much when
I traveled it this spring. There are I believe 3 of them in a
coup[le mile stretch of the road. But then again I don't know
what the traffic pattern was like before they were installed.
#Post#: 20177--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plans to fix the worst intersection in the area
By: Snickers Date: August 8, 2015, 11:38 am
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[quote author=Linda Lou link=topic=1466.msg20174#msg20174
date=1439048037]
I'm assuming the speed limit will be reduced near these J-turns?
I can't figure out how you'd put that in an area with a 65 MPH
speed limit...
[/quote]
People are asking for that. But the DOT doesn't want to reduce
it there. I think they should just continue the posted speed
limit from Rapids out past that intersection.
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