Springville rebuffs new 'J intersection' design

SPRINGVILLE - Public sentiment in Springville has turned sharply against a state proposal to make the city's dangerous Highway 151 safer with a “J intersection” design rarely seen in Iowa.

Two people have died and 22 others have been injured in crashes at the intersection of Highway 151 and Springville Road since 2003. The intersection has neither traffic signals nor turning lanes, and sight distance is limited by a curve and elevation changes.

More than 600 area residents signed a petition opposing the state's proposed “J-turn” design in less than a week, according to Dixie Bray, a Springville small business owner who circulated the petition with schoolteacher Kim Wittenburg.

The petition asks for further study of the safety problems, along with further input from Springville residents, before finalizing the project.

The Springville City Council also sent the Iowa Department of Transportation and state representatives a letter opposing the design.

The design includes new right-turn lanes onto Highway 151. But it blocks southbound traffic coming from th Mount Vernon on Springville Road from crossing Highway 151 into Springville. Instead, travelers would have to turn right on Highway 151 and travel about 1,500 feet to an intersection with Old Highway 151 on the east side of Springville.

Bray said many residents didn't think the DOT was taking its objections to the design seriously. Collecting 600 signatures against the project in less than six days was easy, she said.

“We just had had enough,” Bray said. “We're not going to say it's OK.”

Some residents are concerned that the J intersection design will reduce the number of motorists who stop at the town's businesses and that the turning radius of the turn lanes isn't wide enough for big truck rigs, Bray said. A better alternative, she argues, would be for the state to straighten the curve and flatten the elevation of Highway 151 to improve visibility.

Iowa Department of Transportation Planner Cathy Cutler said the design is new to Iowa and ran into opposition in at least one other location - Janesville - where it was proposed.

The design would improve safety with turning lanes, Cutler said, and preserve the ability of commuters to turn left into Springville from Highway 151. It would require very little land acquisition and is designed to allow turns by 53-foot semi tractor-trailers.

Creating a diamond-shaped interchange would take up considerably more land, Cutler said, potentially requiring the acquisition of a newer convenience store and bank near the intersection.

A diamond interchange also would have to compete with many other such requests across the state for limited funds, Cutler said. And it would have a hard time competing because of the relatively low volume of traffic crossing into Springville from Springville Road.

Before a November city election and the Jan. 12 public meeting on the project, Cutler said DOT officials had received generally favorable feedback on the project.

An internal DOT review meeting will be held Feb. 5 to discuss public input and alternatives for the project, Cutler said. The J interchange project would cost about $1.7 million.