Corridor Applications, Detroit, MI 

MEDIAN U-TURN INTERSECTION 

THE PROBLEM 

A series of wide medians on 

several corridors in the Detroit 

metro area caused congestion 

and conflicts among vehicles 

attempting to make opposing 

left turns. 

THE SOLUTION 

Application of the Median 

U -Turn intersection design 

on a corridor -wide basis 

throughout the Detroit area. 

THE OUTCOME 

⯀ Near elimination of 

congestion on main arterial 

roads. 

⯀ Fewer accidents occur 

because there are no direct 

left turns or areas where 

opposing traffic can meet in 

a head -on collision. 

⯀ Pedestrians only have to 

cross one direction at a time 

and only have to look one 

way at a time, making their 

crossing safer. 

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

INTERSECTION LOCATIONS 

42°33’54.4”N 83°02’57.2”W 

42°32’48.4”N 83°12’40.7”W 

42°31’08.2”N 83°20’24.2”W 

FHWA-SA-14-054 

Revised June 2020

“The Median U-Turn is a Background proven safety winner. The state of Michigan has been demonstrating the 

effectiveness of Median U-Turn intersections, also

called MUTs or Michigan Lefts, for over 30 years. The

Detroit area in particular hosts several busy arterial

corridors where the MUT treatment has been widely

applied to achieve improved safety and throughput.

There will be fewer 

collisions—especially 

” fewer severe collisions. 

— Joseph Hummer, Ph.D., P.E. 

Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Wayne State University 

Challenges 

Many of the greater Detroit area’s roads have wide medians, which can contribute to congestion. With a median that is too wide, the left turning traffic coming into the intersection often 

meets an opposing vehicle at the median. This leads to drivers not being sure what to do, 

sometimes getting in each other’s way, sometimes colliding or sideswiping as the drivers 

attempt to cross each other’s path. 

Approach 

Michigan has pioneered the use of the MUT as a mechanism to reduce conflicts, crashes, 

and congestion on mainline corridors. The MUT treatment turns these wide medians into a 

workable, easily understood design that promotes traffic flow and eliminates potential vehicle 

conflicts. Michigan DOT quickly realized that the more MUTs on a corridor, the better they work 

together to reduce congestion and improve throughput, enabling drivers to pass through a 

series of green lights. This makes the MUT a popular treatment among drivers who feel like 

they can traverse the corridor more quickly. 

Results 

Some of the greater Detroit area’s most 

heavily travelled roads – Woodward Avenue, 

Northwestern Parkway, Stephenson Highway, 

and Metropolitan Highway – are miles-long 

corridors of MUT intersections working 

together to improve throughput. In addition, 

these MUT corridors increase safety and 

reduce accidents because there is no opportunity for direct left turn or head-on collisions.

Furthermore, the design improves pedestrian 

safety and walkability because pedestrians 

only have to cross one direction of traffic at a 

time and only have to look one way at a time. MUT Intersection, Metropolitan Parkway,

Clinton Township, MI

Source: MUT Case Study Video FHWA-SA-14-053

www.safety.fhwa.dot.gov

This Fact Sheet is a companion to the Video Case Study (FHWA-SA-14 -053)