What Does A Diverging Diamond Interchange Look Like?

[macdad614]

While this DDI may be okay for a low volume area as it appears to be in Springfield, Missouri, it will only make getting across the interstate to the stores more of a problem for those drivers on the surface road. People getting off the interstate still will have to stop before proceeding onto the surface street.

[Assafro]

I hope one day I can visit Springfield

:p

[4L3X4ND3R5]

Wow! I see why the junction is like this because it helps traffic flow. But would it be weird and put many drivers off from driving on the wrong side of the road.??? And what about drunks in the night? They could collide into oncoming traffic on this bridge.

[ThePaulmp]

@4L3X4ND3R5 what the heck are drunks doing driving anyway??

[PenguinInc]

What? Oh my God, why?

[rdriivideo]

We have two of these planned in concord,NC by 2013. Along with a crazy looking intersection planned for 485 - 85 interchange.

[ThePresD]

thats cool! nice mdot but ahhhh get back to work!

[harleywood86]

first time i drove on this freaked me out., but it doesnt really look as intimidating as the Arialview portrays

[sbentjen]

This looks like a nightmare from the point of view of someone unfamiliar with the area trying to figure out which lane goes where. Sort of like some of the spaghetti freeway interchanges in Chicago.

[mukansamonkey]

This is both safer and takes up less space than a cloverleaf. The danger point with cloverleafs is vehicles entering the ramps too fast and failing to make the turn. It's often hard to make the edge of the turn obvious, especially if there's a ditch on the far side. The only answer is to increase the radius of the first part of the turn... which means much more wasted land in the loop. With the diamond, the ramp is a straight line with an obvious visual endpoint.

[mogueljo]

Think it's great, but who the heck chooses the ridiculous music for these videos?!!! Somebody's like, "The video is fantastic, but I really need a sound to bring it home! Something upbeat and quirky...something you can shake a leg to while watching cars drive smoothly over this bad ass invention. 21st century, bitchezzzzzzz!"

[FeygeleGoy]

@mogueljo This is true. I'd rather have a Ben Stein style narrator than just techno music, especially to explain the way it works to someone who is already intimidated.

[csh000]

At 0:36 red light running equals more of a head-on collision vs. perpendicular collision at a standard intersection.

How can this be constructed with a smaller foot print? I see several wasted acres at 0:01 and land ain't getting cheaper.

[blurplevtx]

I am a professional driver and I doubted this would work, however on Friday afternoons before the weekend the old intersection (standard construction) would easily back up 2 or more miles while on MO-13 South trying to get on I-44. I used to dread Fridays since there was so much lake and Branson traffic in the summer, this is the main artery from Kansas City to Springfield. However it works very well, no backup even during the heavy summer traffic.

[CthuluPrime]

Only in my state would you find stupid stuff like this.

[piratef2004]

I have to say that is one crazy interchange. Cool but crazy. Are there any in Western Pennsylvania?

[dlw401]

@piratef2004 nope the only two in the united states are in Springfield, MO. Other cities are looking into it but for now no. I live here and it is not as complicated as it looks, it is actually really easy to use and since it first opened it has dramatically reduced traffic congestion.

[LexingtonAreaMPO]

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is looking to use a diverging diamond interchange to replace the current interchange at US 68 (Harrodsburg Rd) and KY 4 (New Circle Rd) in Lexington.

[2yevla2]

How does this work when pushy drivers back up thru the middle of the X sections? Naperville drivers are notorious for "yellow means go". I see more trouble ahead once it's built in IL.

[riolindasucks]

@2yevla2 They need to build one of these at I-88 and Route 59. That interchange is a mess. If not they should at least build a SPUI single point interchange there. When they rebuilt I-88 a few years ago I thought they were going to rebuild the interchange with 59, but I guess not. Now they are going to widen 59 to six lanes from I-88 to New York St. They better build a new interchange or the new six lane 59 wont mean crap. And yeah, Naperville drivers are horrible.

[justindula]

awesome music

[strifecaecus]

It's a nifty interchange. It definitely reduces the backups normally seen during rush hour as cars are traveling north and southbound to and from Springfield via MO-13. I've seen backups stretch up to a mile north of the intersection during a PM rush before reconstruction. This definitely helps.

[SumErgoMonstro]

My personal favorite for this sort of situation is the 6-ramp partial cloverleaf. The traffic exiting I-44 would either turn left or right from a single ramp each direction, while the MO-13 traffic would use two right-exit ramps each direction, two for right turns and two cloverleaf ramps for left turns.  Unlike the full cloverleaf and the diverging diamond, there is no "weaving" between traffic leaving and entering one of the roads. Like the diverging diamond, only two lights are required.

[RaiZuka92]

This is a great idea!

[p51d007]

It cuts down on the backup of traffic trying to make a left hand turn from the bridge to the other road.

This video was taken above the first DDI in the USA in Springfield Missouri, Interstate 44 & Highway 13. In the morning & evening the traffic would back up all over the bridge, now it does not. They are putting a 2nd on on the other end of town where it backs up worse than this one.

[alarmamix]

What purpose? Anyway one should yield on the intersection.

[Clorow]

It's a higher-capacity interchange. Most intersections and highway exits have 4-phase stoplights; this one only has 2 phases.