MADISONVILLE, Ky. (March 3, 2025) – A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is scheduled to begin a $4 million highway safety project along the U.S. 41 corridor in Henderson this week that will see the addition of two Restricted Crossing U-Turns (RCUTs) just south of the Twin Bridges at the intersections of Wolf Hills Drive and Stratman Road.
On Saturday, E&B Paving LLC placed signage along the north end of the U.S. 41 strip to notify motorists of the impending construction and lane restrictions. On Thursday, March 6, the contractor plans to begin work along the outside lanes of the highway’s north and southbound sides.
The project is slated to be completed by mid-October.
The Twin Bridges serve as the primary connection between northwest Kentucky and southern Indiana, with over 41,000 vehicles using them to cross the Ohio River each day. An investigation of motor vehicle crashes found that the intersection of U.S. 41 and Wolf Hills Road/Stratman Road, located between the 18.1 and 18.9-mile points, has recorded a higher-than-normal number of fatal and serious injury crashes during the last five years.
Between 2019 and 2022, 94 crashes were recorded at that intersection, with five resulting in serious injury or death.
RCUTs are designed to reduce or eliminate left-hand turns that see vehicles from side roads crossing the paths of two or more oncoming lanes of traffic on the main roadway. On average, around 1,200 vehicles exit Wolf Hills Road onto U.S. 41 daily, with another 600 coming from Stratman Road.
Once completed, the RCUTS will not alter traffic flow in either direction along U.S. 41, only vehicles exiting Wolf Hills and Stratman. Traffic looking to make a left-hand turn from the two side streets to first turn right, then utilize a U-turn lane to make a left turn and merge with traffic on U.S. 41.
RCUTs are being incorporated more often in highway projects today to promote a freer and safer traffic flow. A review of a RCUT installed by KYTC on U.S. 68 in Trigg County recently showed a 64.5% decrease in total crashes since the RCUT was completed and a 71% decrease in injuries – exceeding benefits found in a national study, which showed RCUTs reduced crashes by 54% on average.