The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has approved a project to improve safety at two dangerous intersections along U.S. 60 in east Daviess County following multiple severe accidents, including fatalities such as the one Friday morning, in recent years. The project, expected to be completed this year, aims to convert the intersections at Hawes Boulevard and Wrights Landing Road into Restricted Crossing U-Turns (RCUTs).
RCUTs are designed to enhance safety by reducing potential conflict points and simplifying traffic movements. Instead of making direct left turns or crossing traffic, vehicles from side roads will turn right and then make a U-turn at a designated crossover. KYTC lists several benefits of RCUTs, including improved safety, increased efficiency, and higher traffic capacity.
According to the KYTC improvement project document obtained by Owensboro Times, the project was awarded in December. According to KYTC District 2 Public Information Officer Matt Hughes, the contract for the project is $3.5 million and the estimated completion date is August 2026.
“This innovative design eliminates multiple points of conflict where vehicles cross paths, including at right angles, which reduces the risk of severe crashes to improve highway safety,” Hughes said.
The project document spans 271 pages and details the construction of a standard barrier median at both intersections. Positive offset left-turn lanes and U-turn crossovers will be added to facilitate traffic movement, and a positive offset right-turn lane for eastbound U.S. 60 traffic onto Hawes Boulevard will also be constructed, according to the document.
With a truck stop near the Hawes Boulevard intersection, semi-trucks frequently pull onto U.S. 60, often needing to cross four lanes of traffic. The upcoming changes aim to improve safety and traffic flow in the area, particularly as the soon-to-open Owensboro Racing & Gaming facility is expected to increase traffic at the Wrights Landing Road intersection.
Rep. DJ Johnson confirmed the contract approval, stating that the changes will introduce “a very different concept on how to do turns there.” Johnson said construction is expected to begin this spring or summer.
State Sen. Gary Boswell also called it an innovative intersection design.
“I am going to request this be given emergency status when I return to Frankfort on Monday. I am expecting the Kentucky Transportation Department to give an update on this project early next week,” Boswell said.
Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman said DCSO has worked several bad wrecks including fatalities at that intersection of U.S. 60 and Hawes Boulevard over the years.
“Sadly it is not uncommon,” he said. “Improved safety at that intersection is something Fiscal Court, Representative Johnson and I have been discussing for a while. Something is needed and I am optimistic that we are approaching a solution soon.”
Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said that addressing this stretch of U.S. 60 has been a topic of discussion in the Owensboro-Daviess County Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee meetings “for a while now.”
“This is a dangerous stretch of roadway,” Castlen said. “We have high-speed traffic on U.S. 60, and vehicles are pulling out from a dead stop, which creates a unique hazard.”
KYTC officials encourage drivers to review educational materials on RCUTs before construction begins to understand how the new intersections will function.
You can learn more about RCUTs, including watching a video detailing their design, here.
