MoDOT Adds Highway 50 and Route 131 Project into Statewide Transportation Improvement Program

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced they will be adding a J-Turn project for Highway 50 and Route 131 in Johnson County to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Project next month.
After conducting a scoping study over the summer, MoDOT engineers concluded that J-turns were the safest solution to reduce or eliminate crashes at this intersection. The project will cost approximately $1.5 to $2 million and is expected to be under construction summer 2017.

The department has added several safety features already to the area to warn approaching motorists of cross route traffic, including intersection warning signs, flashing yellow light and offset lefts (installed in 2011) to facilitate safer left turns.

J-Turns were used on Highway 50 and Route 58 two years ago, a similar intersection that had 28 crashes from 2010 to 2014. Since they were installed in 2014, there have been zero reported crashes.