The RCUT intersection arrives at US 17 at Clarktown Road

The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning the installation of a Conflict Reduced U-Turn (RCUT) on US 17 / State Route (SR) 25 / Ocean Highway at Clarktown Road in Bryan County.

Contractor Georgia DOT APAC-Atlantic of Savannah is expected to begin installation in late fall and complete by year end. Motorists in the area should watch for signs indicating a lane closure, slow down in the work area, and be alert to workers and their equipment.

An RCUT is installed to reduce corner collisions at a divided highway intersection with a minor street approach. A specially shaped midline is constructed to prevent dangerous left turns or straight line traffic. These motorists will then turn right into the flow of traffic and can use a designated U-turn down that will keep them in the flow of traffic as they head to where they need to go. RCUTs reduce congestion by allowing traffic to flow through the area in all directions, while reducing the chance of a collision by keeping all motorists in the flow of traffic.

The T-intersection of US 17 and Clarktown Road had 33 reported accidents from January 2015 to December 2019. Fifteen were left-turn angle accidents, accounting for 45.5% of the total number of accidents on the road. ‘intersection. Accidents with injuries have been reported, but no fatalities. Nationally, intersections that installed RCUTs saw a 70 percent reduction in fatalities and a 42 percent reduction in personal injury accidents.

This RCUT is a rapid response project. These projects typically cost less than $ 200,000 and can be completed within a short period of time. The money comes from the state fuel tax and is mainly used for small projects to improve operational safety and maintenance on the state road system.