The City of Becker and MnDOT held a public outreach meeting Thursday evening at the Becker Community Center to present ideas and hear public comment on improving the intersection at Hwy. 10 and Sherburne Avenue in Becker.

 

For years, the intersection has been deemed dangerous as drivers try to make the journey over the west-bound lanes to the crossover to gain access to east-bound traffic. Accidents have been abundant as drivers sometimes fail to see the “shadow” vehicle that follows another driver turning from Hwy. 10 to Sherburne Avenue.

 

The most common type of accident at intersections like this one in Becker is a broad-side crash. Broad-side crashes are typically serious accidents and many produce fatalities. As many may remember, a local teenager found herself t-boned at that exact intersection while trying to navigate the crossover on her way to work a few years ago.

 

MnDOT is sure their latest solution for the problems is just the solvent drivers and the city are looking for.

 

MnDOT is proposing a Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI) as a safer alternative to the existing intersection. A reduced conflict intersection consists of raised islands to channel traffic. Special turn lanes are developed to improve sight lines and u-turns are constructed on each side of the intersection.

 

With this type of intersection, all turns from the main highway remain unchanged. Drivers heading to the intersection from the north along Sherburne Avenue would encounter an “island” to their left that would prohibit them from crossing the highway to go east. The driver would wait for an opening, turn right onto Hwy. 10, merge left then do a u-turn about 700 feet down the highway to access the east-bound traffic.

 

Travelers from the west looking to take Sherburne Avenue north would enter the median (with a new island) and their only options would be to proceed north on Sherburne or turn left to head west on Hwy. 10.

 

 

A typical four-lane divided highway intersection has 42 possible vehicle conflict points. RCI's reduce conflict points to as few as 18.

 

A national study sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration evaluated several reduced conflict intersections recently and determined the intersections reduce fatal crashes by 70% and reduce injury crashes by 42%.

 

Several members of the Becker City Council and city staff were in attendance Thursday as well as two representatives from MnDOT. Eric Schiller and Steve Voss from MnDOT were available to answer questions about the new intersection’s safety improvements, how to navigate a reduced conflict intersection and any other questions about the project.

 

The map detailing the intersection improvements will be on display at the BCC along with handouts to further explain the project.

 

The safety improvement and resurfacing project is scheduled for construction in 2018.