While I have long stressed that U-turns are usually legal, people making them must do so safely.
Q. When leaving Menards, going south on Magnavox Way, you get a green right-turn arrow to enter Illinois Road. This happens as eastbound traffic on Illinois gets a left-turn arrow to enter Menards. This is not a problem unless the eastbound driver makes a U-turn instead of a left turn. This could be corrected by putting up a “No U Turn” sign. – Jim C.
A. While the city agrees there could be a conflict, Jim, its solution is slightly different.
Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, said he reviewed traffic volumes, crash data and U-turns at this location. He said while there are occasional U-turns, they are not routine. He added that the six-year crash history did not show any problem with eastbound U-turns in conflict with southbound right-turns.
Banning the U-turns might make you feel safer but would likely only create problems at another location, Gunawardena contends. With there being multiple lanes on Illinois at this intersection, technically both turns could be made at once – the U-turn into the left lane and the right turn into the right lane.
In reality, however, this isn’t practical. Drivers rarely make tight turns into the proper lane, as most prefer to get to the lane they want immediately.
Fortunately, to better inform drivers of their responsibilities, the city will install a sign stating “U-Turn Yield to Right Turn.” Now, we can just hope drivers actually read it.
Decatur hearing
The Indiana Department of Transportation will conduct an informational meeting for its planned reconstruction of U.S. 224.
At the presentation, the state will provide information on its plan to raise the road elevation along U.S. 224 to reduce flooding problems from the adjacent St. Marys River. The project will raise the road about 5 feet, putting it above the 100-year floodplain.
To do this, a box culvert will be placed under the road to help drain water from the south of the street to the north. All road approaches along the corridor will also be raised to match the new height of U.S. 224. The limits of the project on U.S. 224 are from the St. Marys River bridge to about 725 feet east of Jackson Street.
The presentation will be made at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Erekson Theatre at Bellmont High School, 1000 E. North Adams Drive. In addition, a formal public hearing will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 30, also at the theater.
Radio Sage
This week’s audio question comes from Dale Hawkins of Huntington who asked about oddly colored mile markers near the Mississinewa River. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
