Interstate for most dangerous intersection?

The Gazette recently reported that the state is looking to improve safety at a dangerous Dyersville intersection and that engineers “are thinking about building an interchange in the area.” This can't be true, as state officials earlier this year told residents of Springville that it's too expensive to build an interchange at Highway 151 and Springville Road. Instead, they're going to build a J-turn intersection, which entails turning right, traveling 1,500 feet in the opposite direction from the one actually intended, then making a U-turn to head back the other way. In other words, a 3,000-foot detour to make a simple left-hand turn.

The article says the Dyersville intersection has had 15 wrecks and six deaths in 11 years. Various sources report that 25 crashes resulting in as many as four deaths have occurred at the Springville intersection in just nine years.

An archived article at KWWL.com states that the Springville intersection is “considered one of the most dangerous intersections in the state.”

If an interchange is appropriate for Dyersville, then surely it is appropriate for one of the most dangerous intersections in the state.

Kevin Werner

Springville