DOTD to discuss J-turns project

State officials will hold a public meeting Thursday near Patterson to discuss constructing J-turns along U.S. 90 in the area, according to a state Department of Transportation and Development news release.
The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Patterson Area Civic Center. The project will involve installing J-turns from the Calumet area to Berwick.
J-turns eliminate vehicles from being able to turn left directly across a highway from a side road. Motorists would instead have to turn right and then make a U-turn at a designated spot in order to turn left.
Using J-turns reduces the risk of severe crashes, such as T-bone or side collisions, DOTD Spokeswoman Deidra Druilhet said. The project will also help lessen travel time because it will require vehicles to always travel with the flow of traffic, she said.
The purpose of Thursday’s meeting is to provide information about the project and to get input from interested parties. Issues to be addressed include preliminary road alignment, environmental concerns and socioeconomic issues.
At the meeting, DOTD officials will display maps showing exactly where the J-turns will be located, Druilhet said.
Druilhet estimates construction may begin on the J-turns in late summer or early fall.
In October 2015, state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, said state transportation officials had set aside $3 million to $5 million for St. Mary Parish to do the “interim safety project,” Allain said.
State leaders plan to eventually upgrade U.S. 90 throughout the parish to interstate quality so that it can become part of I-49.