Its design also is promoted as part of the Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts initiative which started in 2011.
[13] When the median of a road is too narrow to allow for a standard Michigan left maneuver, a variation can be used that widens the pavement in the opposite direction of travel.
[10] In Guadalajara, Mexico, there is a grade-separated variation of this setup at the intersection of Mariano Otero Avenue and Manuel Gómez Morín Beltway (20°37′50″N 103°26′06″W / 20.630666°N 103.434981°W / 20.630666; -103.434981).
The capital city of Angola, Luanda, makes widespread use of a simplified variant of this type of intersection on its two- and three-lane, median-separated throughways instead of using traffic lights.
In Ottawa, Ontario, a Michigan left exists to proceed from Bank Street to Riverside Drive in both directions.
In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a Michigan left pairing exists on 8th Street, just west of its interchange with Circle Drive, as well as a few other U-turn lanes as one heads westbound.
In the Philippines, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under Bayani Fernando implemented a "no left-turn" scheme in the early 2000s along several major roads in Metro Manila, prohibiting motor vehicle traffic from turning left at intersections and instead requiring them to make a U-turn at designated U-turn slots and making a right turn after.
[20] However, the implementation of the "no left-turn" scheme in Metro Manila was controversial, as it was notorious among motorists for causing longer travel distances due to having to navigate to the nearest U-turn slot and for incidents of motorists missing their U-turn slot due to difficulties navigating to it safely.
In 2013, Michigan lefts were installed in Alabama for the first time, in several locations along heavily traveled U.S. Route 280 in metro Birmingham.
The increase in traffic flow and reduction in accidents was so dramatic (a 30–60% decrease[32]) that over 700 similar intersections have been deployed throughout the state since then.
[citation needed] Columbus, Ohio introduced a Michigan left at the intersection of SR 161 and Strawberry Farms Boulevard in 2012.
One was located at the intersection of Fondren Road and Bellaire Boulevard in Houston from the 1980s through 2007, when it was replaced with conventional left-turn lanes.
[35] In January 2014, the city announced plans to revert the turn to a traditional intersection as a result of drivers' confusion.
[citation needed] A section of State Highway 71 east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at FM 973 in Austin, Texas did have a signalized Michigan U-turn that was constructed in 2014—this was a temporary fix until the SH71 tollway over SH130 (including the re-routing of FM973) was completed in early 2016.
[citation needed] There are multiple Michigan left turns currently being used along US 281 north of Loop 1604 in San Antonio.
[39] This type of intersection configuration, as with any engineered solution to a traffic problem, carries with it certain advantages and disadvantages and has been subject to several studies.
Because separate phases are no longer needed for left turns, this increases green time for through traffic.
[1] It has been shown to enhance safety for pedestrians at these intersections, since they only encounter through traffic and vehicles making right turns.