US 15, Frederick County, MD 

RESTRICTED CROSSING U-TURN INTERSECTION 

THE PROBLEM 

Located in a rural area, US 15 

is a four -lane divided highway 

that intersects numerous 

two -lane minor roads. Before 

conversion, drivers found it 

difficult to judge left turn and 

through movements at these 

intersections, resulting in 

high levels of fatal and injury 

crashes. 

THE SOLUTION 

Install a series of six RCUTs 

between Frederick and 

Emmitsburg in Frederick 

County. 

THE OUTCOME 

⯀ After construction of the 

RCUTs, injury and fatal 

crashes decreased by 40 

percent and 70 percent 

respectively. Property 

damage crashes decreased 

by 20 percent. 

Frederick County, MD RCUT Intersection 

Source: RCUT Case Study Video FHWA-SA-14-061 

CONTACT 

Jeffrey Shaw, P.E.

FHWA Office of Safety

202.738.7793

jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov

Mark Doctor, P.E.

FHWA Resource Center 

404.895.6210

mark.doctor@dot.gov

CORRIDOR LOCATION 

39°40’57.7” N, 77°20’50.5” W 

“We can achieve the [safety] 

results we’re looking for at 

a fraction of the cost of an 

interchange. 

Background 

The state of Maryland has implemented a series of 

Restricted Crossing U-Turn, or RCUT, intersections 

along US 15 in the towns of Frederick and Emmitsburg 

in Frederick County. In 2009, average annual daily — Keith Killen, P.E. 

”

Transportation Project Manager, Missouri DOT traffic (AADT) along that stretch of US 15 ranged from 

about 45,000 vehicles per day near Frederick down to 

about 20,000 vehicles per day near the Pennsylvania border.1 

Built in the late 1980s and early 1990s, these RCUT intersections, which are also called 

J-Turns, are a cost-effective way to reduce angle collisions and still provide connectivity at 

minor roads that intersect multi-lane, divided highways. In a 3-year period before conversion, over 250 injury crashes and 10 fatal crashes occurred at these intersections.2 

Challenges 

US 15 is a four-lane divided highway with several minor road intersections. The stretch 

between Frederick and Emmitsburg experienced high rates of injury and fatal crashes at 

these intersections, but there wasn’t enough funding to build expensive interchanges. 

Instead, Maryland started looking for a lower cost solution. The state opted to install a 

series of RCUT intersections, which can cost only a fraction of what an interchange would 

cost to build.3 

Approach 

Maryland installed six RCUTs along US 

15. Due to the higher speed limits on this

stretch, many of the U-Turn crossovers

have dedicated acceleration lanes that

allow drivers to safely reach highway

speeds before merging with traffic.

Results 

After construction of the RCUTs, 

injury and fatal crashes decreased by 

40 percent and 70 percent respectively. 

Property damage crashes decreased by 

20 percent.4 

Frederick County, MD RCUT Intersection 

Source: RCUT Video FHWA-SA-14-020 

1 V.W. Inman, R.P. Haas, and C.Y. Yang, “Evaluation of Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersection as a Safety Treatment on Four-Lane 

Divided Highways,” ITE Journal, 83(9): 29-35.

2

 Ibid. 

3 Interview with Keith Killen, Columbia, MO, October 30, 2013. 

4 Inman, Haas, and Yang, “Evaluation of Restricted Crossing U-Turn,” 29-35. 

www.safety.fhwa.dot.gov

FHWA-SA-14-062 Updated July 2020 This Fact Sheet is a companion to the Video Case Study (FHWA-SA-14 -061)