Kanab, Utah — The Utah Transportation Commission approved funding Wednesday to convert the skewed intersection of US‑91 and SR‑23 to a restricted‑crossing U‑turn (RCUT) configuration after UDOT staff told the commission the design is intended to reduce high‑severity crashes at the location.

Rob White, UDOT Region 1 director, told commissioners the intersection has been the site of two fatalities and described the geometry: skewed crossing angles increase pedestrian and driver decision complexity and lengthen the distance vehicles must traverse to cross US‑91. UDOT’s presentation explained that RCUTs reduce the number of conflict points by prohibiting direct crossing movements and replacing them with a series of right turns and U‑turns that are separated into simpler, lower‑risk movements.

"This will basically split those decisions up into little tiny decisions that are much safer," White said, adding that signalization at the high speeds on that corridor is not desirable for safety and that RCUTs have reduced crash severity in other states.

Community concern and design tweaks

White acknowledged community concerns at public outreach meetings, including impacts to local access and special‑use vehicles. He said the department adjusted design elements — including increased turn radii — to better accommodate farm equipment and longer vehicles, and that the project will require additional right‑of‑way to accommodate the revised geometry.

Commission vote and rationale

Commissioners debated the trade‑offs at the microphone but ultimately voted to approve the RCUT funding and scope as a safety improvement. Supporters said the design is a pragmatic compromise to lower crash severity quickly where a full grade‑separated interchange would be cost‑prohibitive. Several commissioners commended staff for robust public engagement and design adjustments tailored to local vehicle types.

Staff said the project will proceed to final design and right‑of‑way acquisition. UDOT will continue outreach with the local community as construction approaches.