Reduced conflict U-turn intersection

Georgia Department of Transportation One Georgia Center 600 West Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30308 www.dot.ga.gov

INTERSECTION

An RCUT is sometimes referred to as a J-Turn or a Superstreet

Source (national statistics)
2016 (First Edition) Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Communications Georgia Department of Transportation is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Reduced Conflict U-turn (RCUT) Intersection
One of Georgia DOT's safety focus areas are intersections. Nearly one-third of fatal crashes in Georgia occur at intersections and many are angle collisions. An angle collision involves a motorist entering an intersection from a side street (or accessing the side street from the main highway), hit by an oncoming vehicle traveling at high speed.
To reduce intersection crashes Georgia DOT installs a roundabout, median U-turn, diverging diamond or Reduced Conflict U-turn (RCUT)--depending on the minor road, intersection or main highway.
What is an RCUT and how does it work?
An RCUT is an intersection design that restricts left turns and through movements at an intersection, but allows the same movement downstream using a U-turn. It reduces intersection crashes by changing how minor road traffic crosses or turns left at a major road. An RCUT involves construction of a concrete island in the middle of the median opening.
For example:
A driver on a side street planning to turn left once reaching an intersection will have to turn right instead; then make a U-turn at the designated location.
A driver planning to cross the main highway once reaching an intersection must turn right first, make a U-turn at the designated location and then turn right onto the adjoining side street at the RCUT intersection.

Benefits of RCUT
Georgia DOT plans to install RCUTs statewide. Already GDOT's west district has installed five, which includes one at the Intersection of SR 20 and Simpson Mill Road west of McDonough in Henry County installed in November 2015. The west district tracked crashes at the intersection from December 2015 through May 2016. Within that 6-month period, only one angle collision occurred down from 11 within a 12-month period (2014-2015) prior to the RCUT installation! Additionally, the report shows no crashes involving designated RCUT U-turns during the 6-month period.
The district has plans to install RCUTs throughout its 31-county region.
Other RCUT benefits:
Drivers no longer have to navigate an intersection with traffic traveling at high speed from both directions.
Nationally, RCUTs have decreased fatal crashes by 70 percent and injury crashes have declined by 42 percent after installing an RCUT.
RCUT also:
Emphasizes pedestrian safety when signalized by integrating marked cross walks, pedestrian signals and refuge islands.
Reduces cost by installing RCUT intersections in much shorter timeframes than traditional intersections that require more extensive roadwork.

Provides local access to a main highway while delivering safer, more efficient projects.
Provides access to local businesses and commercial areas because the U-turns accommodate all movements.
Supports a community's pedestrian and bicycle goals as provisions for walking and biking can shape the RCUT design.