Highway 14 J-turn to open near Byron on June 17
BYRON, Minn. – A Highway 14 J-turn at Olmsted Co. Rd. 3 east of Byron is scheduled to open Saturday, June 17, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation
The safety improvement project will help reduce right-angle, highway-speed crashes, sometimes called T-bone crashes, which can result in serious injury or death. The J-turn allows Highway 14 motorists to make left turns onto County Road 3, but County Road 3 motorists will not be able to directly cross Highway 14 or immediately turn left. Instead, they will use designated median U-turn sections to reach their destinations.
Between 2018 and 2022, 20 crashes were reported at this intersection. During that time, one crash was fatal and 50% were right-angle crashes.
Construction of the project began in April this year. While the traffic lanes will fully open on Saturday, motorists should be alert for the construction contractor, who will be doing final work at or near the road in the weeks ahead.
The project is part of MnDOT’s ongoing efforts to improve safety along the Highway 14 corridor west of Rochester. Additionally, MnDOT has installed cable median barrier between Rochester and Byron to reduce the incidence of median crossover head-on crashes and closed the median at Olmsted County Road 44 and Seventh Street Northwest. Next year, MnDOT is scheduled to build a J-turn at Dodge County Road 9, install high-tension cable median barrier as well as repave the highway between Byron and Kasson.
Ongoing efforts are underway with Olmsted County to design an interchange at County Road 44, so plans will be ready when full funding can be obtained.
How to drive through a J-turn
- In a J-turn, drivers always make a right turn, followed by a U-turn.
- If you are on County Road 3, you are not allowed to make direct left turns or directly cross Highway 14.
- Motorists on County Road 3 are required to turn right and proceed into a turn lane in the median before they make a U-turn at a designated median opening.
- If you are driving on Highway 14, you can use a designated left-turn lane to proceed to County Road 3 when it is safe to turn.
Stay connected, informed
- Learn more about this Highway 14 project and sign up for email/text message updates.
- Check out other MnDOT southeast Minnesota construction projects and sign up for construction updates.
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- Interested in a job with MnDOT? Career information for the State of Minnesota can be found at the Minnesota Management and Budget website . Come join us.
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