The Georgia DOT is advising motorists in Muscogee County that crews will construct an 'RCUT' intersection on Georgia 22 where Wynfield Way meets Mallard Drive. The work will include installing a U-Turn lane to accommodate Mallard Drive. The 'quick response' project starts Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 and should take two weeks to complete.

'RCUT' stands for 'Reduced Conflict U-Turn,' and it reduces intersection crashes by restricting dangerous immediate left turns and straight-through driving where motorists must navigate through intersections where traffic is moving at a high rate of speed in both directions.

It involves a specially-designed median that prevents left turns and straight-through driving onto busy roadways by requiring those drivers to turn right instead and then make a U-turn around the median, giving them an easier and safer route onto either the left-hand roadway or their cross-ways destination. Nationally, in areas where RCUTs have been installed, fatal crashes have decreased by 70 percent and injury crashes have decreased by 42 percent.

In addition to the RCUT intersection itself, crews will also install a U-Turn lane specifically for drivers on Mallard Drive who wish to travel eastbound on Georgia 22 or go straight through to Wynfield Way. With the RCUT in place, those drivers will make a right turn and then follow the new U-Turn around to arrive on Georgia 22 eastbound or then make another right turn onto Wynfield Way.

When: Starting Monday, Oct. 22, 2018

Where: Georgia 22 at Wynfield Way/Mallard Drive interchange in Columbus, Muscogee County, GA