Wisconsin Department of Transportation—WIS 54 and County U Intersection

The intersection of WIS 54 and County U in central Wisconsin was experiencing significant traffic safety and operational concerns. Located along a 65 mph rural-divided expressway with conventional turn lanes, problems included serious right-angle crashes, left turn driver confusion and traffic congestion. A double-fatality crash occurred in 2006, and a 2008 – 2013 crash study revealed that 11 crashes occurred at the intersection resulting in 18 injuries. To combat this problem, WisDOT began work on a $1.5 million J-turn project, the first of its kind in the state. The J-turn features driver-friendly auxiliary lanes that improve operations by allowing drivers to turn directly into the lane needed and avoid stressful (and potentially dangerous) acceleration and high speed weaving. Sidewalk and curb ramps were also included to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross WIS 54 at the core intersection, without having to travel around the J-turn movement on the high speed expressway.