-

6200 South at Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT 

DISPLACED LEFT TURN INTERSECTION 

THE PROBLEM 

A nearby interchange 

with I 215 caused severe 

congestion at the intersection 

of 6200 South and Redwood 

Road during both the morning 

and afternoon peak traffic 

periods. 

THE SOLUTION 

Convert the conventional 

intersection to a displaced left 

turn configuration as part of 

a systemic application on the 

corridor. 

THE OUTCOME 

⯀ The new intersection moves 

traffic so efficiently, the city 

of Taylorsville decided to 

widen 6200 South, further 

increasing throughput. 

⯀ The nearby interchange 

experienced reduced 

congestion due to the 

improved flow.

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 

40°38’18.8” N, 111°56’19.8” W 

FHWA-SA-14-058 Updated July 2020 

Background 

In 2010, the Utah Department of 

Transportation and Tayorsville City 

in Salt Lake County, Utah converted four conventional intersections 

to Displaced Left Turn (DLT) intersections in order to improve traffic 

flow. One of these was located at 

Redwood Road and 6200 South, 

an intersection that experienced 

severe congestion due to its proximity to the I-215 interchange.

Challenges 

In the mornings, vehicles turning north from 6200 South would experience extensive 

backups. The congestion was so bad that local residents often saw standing queues outside 

their front doors. A quarter of all traffic at the intersection during the morning peak, about 

1,400 vehicles per hour, was attempting to make this left turn movement.1 

Similarly, during the afternoon peak period, the congestion at Redwood and 6200 South 

would cause the freeway off-ramps to back up, putting stationary vehicles next to vehicles 

traveling at highway speeds.

Approach 

To assess the differences that 

would result from installing the DLT, 

a local engineering firm developed 

a simulation showing how the DLT 

would handle traffic compared to 

a conventional design. The simulation, using projected traffic volumes 

for the year 2030, showed that the 

DLT would be able to handle future 

volumes with far less congestion.2 

Results 

After conversion, drivers and residents noticed an immediate improvement in queuing and 

congestion levels. Not only did the DLT at Redwood Road and 6200 South reduce the severe

recurring congestion at the intersection, it also improved traffic flow at the nearby interchange. The new intersection moved traffic so efficiently, the city of Taylorsville decided to 

widen 6200 South, further increasing throughput.3 The improved flow is also estimated to 

reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 19 tons per year.4

DLT Intersection at 6200 South and Redwood Road

Source: DLT Case Study Video FHWA-SA-14-057

DLT Intersection at 6200 South and Redwood Road

Source: DLT Case Study Video FHWA-SA-14-057

1 Telephone Interview with Mel Bodily, April 22, 2014.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Wasatch Front Regional Council, 2010-2015 Transportation Improvement Program, “Section V. 

Salt Lake and Odgen/Layton Urban Area Surface Transportation Program, Program Tables 

and Project Descriptions,” August 27, 2009. Available at: https://wfrc.org/

www.safety.fhwa.dot.gov This Fact Sheet is a companion to the Video Case Study (FHWA-SA-14 -057)