Michigan Lefts in Kansas: Only Temporary?

[Ned Weasel]

People who have studied or experienced the construction of the US 54/400/Kellogg Avenue Freeway have likely noticed the use of Michigan Lefts on a temporary basis, to improve traffic flow by eliminating signal phases via left turn substitution.  This makes me wonder something:  Traffic engineers in Kansas are undoubtedly familiar with the principal of Michigan Lefts, but have any ever been intended for permanent use?  Does anyone have any insight into reasons for the lack of permanent Michigan Lefts, especially on roads that could benefit from them?

[kphoger]

Where are these Michigan Lefts?  Kellogg is now a full freeway, with no median crossovers, from 111^th Street West to 143^rd Street East.

[Paulinator66]

Where are these Michigan Lefts?

Per Wikipedia:
A Michigan left is an at-grade intersection design that replaces each left turn at an intersection between a (major) divided roadway and a secondary (minor) roadway with the combination of a right turn followed by a U-turn, or a U-turn followed by a right turn, depending on the situation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_left

[kphoger]

Yes, I know what a Michigan Left is.  And I don't know of any on Kellogg.  So I'm wondering what locations the OP is referring to.  As I said, the whole thing is now grade-separated between the far extremities of the city, and everything east and west of those points is handled by normal intersections.

[CtrlAltDel]

Where are these Michigan Lefts?

They are in Michigan.

Seriously, though, I am also interested in the location of these Michigan lefts.

[Ned Weasel]

Where are these Michigan Lefts?  Kellogg is now a full freeway, with no median crossovers, from 111^th Street West to 143^rd Street East.

Oh crap, they finished it already? Google Maps hasn't updated yet. They were used during construction for the intersections with Rock and Webb, during those respective phases. Left turns were banned in all directions, and Michigan Lefts were used downstream on Kellogg to provide the left turn movements, as would be typical on a Michigan state highway that employs permanent Michigan Lefts. I saw the Michigan Left setup for Rock Road personally, before that part was completed. Google Maps still shows it for Webb Road, but look fast, or it may update:

E Kellogg Ave
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Km7cZ3hGrKPRekGL6

[J N Winkler]

Oh crap, they finished it already? Google Maps hasn't updated yet. They were used during construction for the intersections with Rock and Webb, during those respective phases. Left turns were banned in all directions, and Michigan Lefts were used downstream on Kellogg to provide the left turn movements, as would be typical on a Michigan state highway that employs permanent Michigan Lefts. I saw the Michigan Left setup for Rock Road personally, before that part was completed. Google Maps still shows it for Webb Road, but look fast, or it may update:

E Kellogg Ave
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Km7cZ3hGrKPRekGL6

Yes--as Kphoger notes, much of the new Kellogg segment opened as full freeway just last month.  The project as a whole is still in progress (a December 19 flyover video has been posted in the parallel thread dealing with East Kellogg improvements).

The movements you describe do indeed meet the definition of Michigan lefts, but that is not what they have been called locally.  The phrase I've seen most often (in several variations) is "You can't turn left to get to Costco."  I am not aware of any current interest in permanent Michigan lefts, J-turns, or RCUTs in Kansas (the term J-turn itself is most often used in Kansas to prohibit left turns into angle parking on the far side of the street), though MoDOT has tried them in at least 19 locations in Missouri.

[kphoger]

I wondered if that was the location your were talking about.  Yes, that arrangement no longer exists.  Also, I hesitate to even call it a Michigan Left, because it was more than a half-mile east of Webb Road;  I wouldn't really call it part of the intersection at that point.  Heck, the highway in between was even signed "EAST 54/400 – TO WEST 54/400 – TO KTA/35" because it was so far in between the turnpike exit and the U-turn.

By the way, it's only the satellite imagery that isn't up to date.  That crossover doesn't exist in map view.

Left turns were banned in all directions

The phrase I've seen most often (in several variations) is "You can't turn left to get to Costco."

Banned in theory, yes.  However, I'm not sure I could even count on two hands the number of drivers I personally saw turn left at Kellogg & Webb.  And I was far from a regular driver through there.  My guess is that I saw someone illegally turning left there once every three or four times through the intersection.

[route56]

Sounds like I need to update the Kellogg exit guide (not to mention putting the exit guides into the Wordpress API)