Construction underway on a new J-turn intersection along Highway 111 near the Old Sparta Road intersection in Cookeville to reduce the frequency and severity of vehicle accidents,
T-DOT Regional Communications Officer Rae Anne Bradley said maintenance crews began work last week on the safety improvement project. Bradley said the design is specifically engineered to simplify how motorists enter and exit the highway.
“Instead of a driver trying to cross multiple lanes of high-speed traffic without a traffic signal,” Bradley said, “Drivers who want to turn left will simply make a right turn first and then proceed to a designated U-turn area.”
Bradley said the project is expected to be completed by late November. Bradley said the median crossover at the intersection will be closed to traffic in early September and will remain closed until the construction is finished.
“So what this does is it cuts down on potential conflict points with other drivers, reduces the nature and severity of crashes, and then actually also helps reduce delays,” Bradley said. “So we see less queuing with drivers waiting to turn left if they just go ahead and make that right-hand turn and then proceed to make a U-turn.”
Bradley said the department’s traffic operations division selected the J-turn design after studying the location to determine the most efficient use of funds to improve safety. Bradley said the division analyzes data and traffic counts to see if a location meets specific state and federal requirements for a traditional traffic signal.
Bradley said drivers should expect minimal traffic impacts during the first month of construction before the median closure begins. Bradley said the department will use message boards, construction signs, and detour routes to guide motorists through the work zone.
“One thing I like to remind drivers and listeners of as often as I can is that, you know, our folks live and work in these areas,” Bradley said. “They drive these roads every day, just like y’all do. So, like, we understand, how you’re feeling. We see these same issues on our roadways every day. And so we’re doing everything that we can to make the driver experience safer, more efficient, and, and, and better for everybody, um, that, that needs to use it.”
Bradley said motorists can use the SmartWay website to check for real-time traffic updates and camera views before traveling through the construction area.
