MassDOT proposes redirected‑turn (RCUT) redesign at Route 2/Route 111 in Acton to reduce crashes and add 10‑foot shared path

Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials presented a proposed redesign of the Route 2 and Route 111 intersection at Piper and Taylor roads in the Town of Acton at a public informational meeting, recommending an asymmetrical redirected crossing u‑turn (often described as a redirected‑turn or RCUT) intended to reduce crashes, shorten delays and add a continuous shared‑use pedestrian/bicycle connection.

The proposal, presented by MassDOT project manager Lawrence Cash and consultants from HDR Engineering, would reconfigure several turning movements so that drivers from Piper and Taylor would generally turn right and use downstream signalized u‑turns rather than making traditional protected left turns through the main intersection. MassDOT said the design aims to reduce the intersection’s conflict points and to improve nonmotorized connectivity with a 10‑foot, barrier‑separated shared‑use path across Route 2.

The project’s purpose and analysis

“Safety, mobility and reducing delays” are the project’s three stated goals, Jeff Toussaint of HDR said during the presentation. MassDOT noted the intersection is a high crash location and that a large share of crashes are angle and rear‑end types. HDR engineer Will Hume described the preferred RCUT alternative as an atypical Federal Highway Administration countermeasure that “reduces the overall conflict points” and therefore crash risk. Hume said comparable treatments nationwide have reduced crashes by about 30–35 percent and that the project’s micro‑simulation showed an estimated 34 percent reduction in average travel time in the AM peak and about a 60 percent reduction in the PM peak for the modeled movements.

MassDOT described…