Old Rules Still Apply When Using Offset Left Turn Lanes
Six more intersections on Route 50 now have offset left turn lanes following construction in 2011, but the innovative crossroads design has a few motorists asking questions.
The Rule of Yield
The reconfigured intersections make it safer and easier for motorists to turn left off of the four-lane, divided Route 50 in Jackson and Johnson counties.
Left-turning drivers must yield to oncoming traffic and also to any vehicles in the median, waiting to cross or turn left into the second pair of lanes at the four-way, divided highway.
Those in the offset left-turn lane have the right of way to cross traffic that has not yet entered the intersection. Those in the offset left lane must wait at the yield line – the line of white triangles where the driver has the best view of oncoming traffic until traffic clears.
The new intersections featuring offset left turn lanes are at:
- Lone Jack/Lee’s Summit Road and South Hutt Road
- Route F
- South Bucker-Tarsney Road
- Routes Z/W
- County Road 1601
- Route 131
These innovative designs help clear intersections more quickly and minimize possibility of slow-moving or stopped left-turn traffic backing up onto the high speed lanes of Route 50.
It also keeps turning vehicles from trying to line up behind a crossing vehicle in the median, which also blocks the high speed lane of the divided highway.
By providing a long offset left turn lane separated from the mainline traffic, all drivers have a better view of each other and can proceed safely when traffic in front of them clears without worrying about a high-speed rear-end accident.
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