CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The traffic maneuver is called an R-Cut, standing for Restricted Crossing U-Turn, and for the first time the pattern is in the Mountain State.
Beginning on Tuesday, West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) is open up the new traffic pattern along Route 119 in Kanawha County as the Oakwood Intersection Improvement project nears completion.
DOH officials said this R-Cut will create fewer conflict points, which are places where traffic intersect at lights, will reduce the potential for traffic accidents and time-traveling on that traditionally busy stretch of 119, also called Corridor G.
With the new traffic pattern, motorists coming from the east side of Oakwood who want to head north on Corridor G toward Charleston will turn right like they always have. Drivers who want to head south toward Southridge Center or go back onto Oakwood will turn right and proceed north to the new R-Cut at Hickory Road, where a traffic light will allow them to turn left onto Corridor G heading south, the DOH explained.
Drivers coming from the west side of Oakwood who want to head south toward Southridge Center will turn right like they always have. Drivers who want to head north toward Charleston or get back onto Oakwood Road will instead turn right and proceed to the new R-Cut at Lawndale Lane, where a traffic light will allow them to turn left onto Corridor G heading north, the DOH explained.
VIEW: Drone footage of project with arrows
Ryan Canfield, DOH project manager for the R-Cut project told MetroNews this work will eliminate the left-hand turn and straight through at the Oakwood Road intersection.
According to him, the project will boost the ‘Area of service’ for the road from a D and F to A and B. The Oakwood Road intersection and that few miles of Corridor G is traditionally backed up in the morning and afternoon, with traffic entering from area schools, during rush-hour traffic in the evenings, and during holiday seasons.
“The R-Cut will cut the wait time from three minutes to one minute for those on Oakwood Road,” said Ryan Canfield, DOH project manager for the R-Cut project. At the same time, drivers on Corridor G will have shorter wait times at the intersection too.
“They should have more of a straight shot,” Canfield said. “Their stop is going to be decreased.” Drivers traveling north and south on Corridor G will still be able to make a left turn onto Oakwood Road, assisted by left-turn arrows. But drivers on Oakwood Road will only be able to turn right.
Canfield said the R-Cut will be studied and could be a solution to other trafficked areas in the state. He said it’s similar to roundabouts, which are at five busy sections in West Virginia.
“It’ll take time to get used to but after time it’ll be second nature to everyone,” he said.
The Oakwood Road project started in August 2020 and the bid price was $5.8 million by Mountaineer Contractors. DOH officials said this was not the original project plan for the interchange, which was first estimated to be $30 million.