MUTs are coming to Beach Boulevard at Southside Boulevard.
That's MUTs as in median U-turns.
Drivers turning left from Beach Boulevard onto Southside Boulevard will encounter a new traffic pattern Thursday night as the Florida Department of Transportation implements the MUT concept.
Median U-turns are part of a $7.4 million project adding S-shaped U-turn lanes within the east/west medians on Beach Boulevard. The configuration allows drivers to get on north- or southbound Southside Boulevard without having to pass oncoming traffic turning the other way across Beach Boulevard, as it has been.
Expect MUTs on both eastbound Beach to northbound Southside, and westbound Beach to southbound Southside. The FDOT also will add a stop-controlled median directional crossover on Beach to Newell Boulevard and a signal-controlled median directional crossover on Beach to West Eve Drive, all designed to reduce congestion and improve safety, the FDOT said.
"MUTs are innovative intersection designs that reroute left-turning vehicles away from the main intersection and direct them to a separate intersection, allowing more green-light time for major traffic movements," the FDOT said. "MUTs also increase the safety factor of the intersection through a reduction in vehicular conflict points."
The full project is expected to be done this summer, the FDOT said.
