The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is alerting the public about a temporary directional median being installed in Oktibbeha County. The directional median will be placed at the intersection of State Route 25 and Longview Rd, near the city of Starkville, on May 2, 2023.
The directional median, which is being installed to improve safety at the intersection, will present changes for motorists. Motorists entering State Route 25 off Longview Rd will only be able to make a right hand turn to go north or south. Motorists must merge into the left lane and make a left turn or u-turn at the nearest median crossover to go in the direction they intend to travel.
State Route 25-Longview Rd
Motorists on State Route 25 will still be able to turn left in both directions to go west or east on Longview Rd. The temporary directional median will be in place as MDOT works to design a more permanent solution commonly known as a Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT).
RCUTs have proven to be a safer alternative to a traditional roadway intersection on a four-lane highway because they eliminate or greatly reduce right-angle crashes, which are often most responsible for fatalities and serious injuries at rural intersections. They also eliminate the need for motorists to cross the high-speed lanes of traffic to get to the opposing lanes.
For more information about these or other MDOT maintenance and construction projects, visit MDOTtraffic.com, download the free MDOT Traffic mobile app or like and follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook and Twitter.