Innovative Intersection Planned for Highway 14 Near Dodge Center

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is planning to install a new intersection on Highway 14 between Dodge Center and Kasson in 2024. The Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI) will improve safety according to statistics from the MnDOT. Residents are invited to a virtual meeting through Zoom on Tuesday, June 28 from 6 to 7 pm.

Other components of the plan to improve safety along Highway 14 include installing a high-tension cable median between Kasson and Dodge Center and evaluating access at 260th Avenue near Byron.

MnDOT cites research that RCI intersections "decrease fatalities and injuries caused by broadside crashes on four-lane divided highways," as stated on their website. "Studies show a 70 percent reduction in fatalities and a 42 percent reduction in injury crashes where RCIs are used."

Such intersections can also be designed more quickly and are often less expensive than other interchanges.

MnDOT explains their use, "With an RCI, drivers from the side street only have to be concerned with one direction of traffic on the highway at a time. You don't need to wait for a gap in both directions to cross a major road."

"In an RCI, drivers always make a right turn, followed by a U-turn," reports MnDOT. "This reduces potential conflict points and increases safety. Generally, the delay caused by a signal is greater than the delay caused by the RCI."

Such intersections are in use on Highway 14 in Eagle Lake, Highway 169 in St. Peter, and Highway 169 by Minnesota's Largest Candy Store in Jordan, in addition to other areas.