Diverging Diamond Interchange: I-25 and Business 25/Wyo 212 College Drive

[andy3175]

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2013/11/17/news/01top_11-17-13.txt

The new diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 25 and College Drive appears to be working as planned.

The interchange, where construction began in February, is still technically incomplete with a few minor tasks left to do.

But since the new configuration was opened to motorists on Oct. 8, delays have decreased, especially for the semi trucks that frequent the truck stops on both sides of the interstate.

The diverging diamond is a fairly recent innovation in American traffic engineering. Only a few dozen have been built in the U.S. since they were introduced in Springfield, Mo., in 2009.

The College Drive interchange is the first of its kind in Wyoming.

Brown said the idea behind the design is to let vehicles get on and off the highway without having to make left turns in front of oncoming traffic.

Prior to the new construction, it wasn't unusual to see trucks getting backed up during peak hours at the intersection, Brown said.

The problem was that southbound trucks would get off the interstate to turn right toward Flying J and then take an immediate left into it. Meanwhile, other trucks were leaving Flying J and headed across the bridge to make left turns to go north on I-25.

"Trucks, by nature, move a little slower, and when you get those things happening up there, we're creating some backups, some stacking issues down the ramps,"  Brown said.

The new configuration is meant to handle traffic at the I-25/College interchange for the next 20 years. One wild card, though, is how quickly development occurs to the southwest of the interchange, Brown said.

Regards,
Andy

[Henry]

I never would've thought to put a DDI in such a sparsely-populated area as that!

[corco]

I havent been there in a while but that was an annoying interchange due to truck traffic, compounded by the fact that its the last fuel in Wyoming before entering significantly more expensive Colorado.

[froggie]

I never would've thought to put a DDI in such a sparsely-populated area as that!

Cheyenne has close to 50,000 people.  While Wyoming as a whole is "sparsely populated", the state still has cities that generate some traffic.  Plus it's only one interchange down from I-80 which has A LOT of trucks through Wyoming.

[NE2]

There's probably a college there too.

[corco]

LCCC is kinda east of there- I doubt many folks use that interchange to get to it. Traffic from Laramie or Wheatland would just use I-80 east, traffic from Greeley would take US 85, so basically you'd be looking at FoCo traffic and I can't imagine there's too many Fort Collinsites going to LCCC.

[Brandon]

There's probably a college there too.

Only one big college/university in the entire state, and that's over in Laramie (University of Wyoming).

[corco]

LCCC is pretty substantial as far as community colleges go- it would be a notable traffic generator in the area

[Sykotyk]

I've been through there. A lot of truck traffic exits I-80 just to go to the truck stops there, and return back to I-80. That alone can add a ton of congestion.