By Barbie Porter

Editor

What is commonly referred to the road to Vergas may have a different look in coming years. At the intersection of County Road 60 and U.S. Highway 10 the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is  considering a U-turn method for getting those on County Road 60 onto U.S. or across the divided highway.

MnDOT is looking for feedback from the public on the possible changes to the intersection, and will have representatives at the Becker County Fair to discuss the project scheduled for construction in 2024.

The options include different designs. The premise of the design is the same, with all traffic coming from County Road 60 taking right turns to join the flow of traffic on U.S. Highway 10.  

In a press release by MnDOT, it was stated the purpose of the proposed change to the intersection includes safety and money. MnDOT reported the proposed intersections have been shown to reduce fatalities on four-lane divided highways by 70 percent and injury from a crash by  42 percent. In addition, the updated intersection is “often less expensive than constructing an intersection with a stop light.”

The MnDOT project explanation webpage stated the proposed U-turn intersection aims to reduce the potential conflict points to as few as 18. With the U-turn intersection, drivers always make a right turn from County Road 60, followed by a U-turn at a designated median opening.   

The typical four-lane divided highway intersection has 42 potential conflict points.