Sheriff Says Rickman Intersection Sees Decrease In Fatalities Following Change

A dangerous intersection on Highway 111 in Rickman has seen drastic improvements since changing its traffic pattern.

Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said that the intersection had gone from a basic, straight-across intersection to what’s known as a J-turn. He said that there are only a few J-turn intersections in the state.

“A lot of folks still get confused by it, because there are a lot of people who have never seen a J-turn or have had to maneuver their vehicles through one,” Garrett said. “It’s not terrible once you get used to it, but I think the fatalities have drastically dropped since the new intersection was put in.”

Garrett said his best piece of advice for those who are new to navigating these types of intersections is to slow down and pay attention.

Garrett said that TDOT’s work to improve has been several years in the making. He said that it was a combination of speed and traffic crossings that made the intersection a source of concern.

“It was the most dangerous in the county,” Garrett said. “And I’m going to speculate and say that it may have been one of the most dangerous in the Upper Cumberland to be honest with you. There were a lot of terrible crashes there.”