Coming Soon To The Keystone State, DIVERGING DIAMONDS!!

[jpi]

Looks like Pennsylvania is jumping on the diverging diamond ban wagon!

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/penndot-s-new-idea-for-ephrata-intersection-drive-on-other/article_bf6d84a6-37a8-11e4-bc95-0017a43b2370.html

Looks likt he first central PA diverging diamond will be at exit 4 of I-83\ PA 851 in Shrewsbury, just 10 miles south of where I used to live.

[Zeffy]

So they are going to take a regular diamond interchange and turn it into a DDI? I've never actually gone through a DDI so I don't know what it's like, but the whole "drive on the left side of the road" thing just seems like it's a catalyst for dumb motorists to crash their vehicles. How busy are those roadways that they need to upgrade?

[froggie]

The PA 851 interchange area is pretty busy, between being an outer bedroom community for both Baltimore and York, and a lot of traveler services and IIRC a WalMart in close proximity to the interchange.  PA 851 is also single-lane through the area and can get pretty congested.

[jpi]

I know the Shrewsbury interchange is pretty busy since it is basiclly an "outer outer" suburb of both York, PA and Baltimore, MD with a number of big box shopping centers and restaurants (including my job) so the traffic does warrant it. As for the Ephrata US 222\ US 322 intechange, again that is a busy interhcange, basically the only serving Ephrata which population wise is bigger then Shrewsbury, this one I am concerned with the horse-and-buggy amish traffic and tourist traffic who is not familiar with this type of set up. My only experience with this type of interchange is in the Bridgeton, MO area (St Louis) and is not very hard to figure out when you go through it once or twice. But this is a new, unknown style interchange for central PA motorists so this should be interesting to see how people react to it.

[jpi]

Thanks Froggie, I was typeing up my "book" inbetween calls here at work and yes I second your opinion. :-)

[hbelkins]

So they are going to take a regular diamond interchange and turn it into a DDI? I've never actually gone through a DDI so I don't know what it's like, but the whole "drive on the left side of the road" thing just seems like it's a catalyst for dumb motorists to crash their vehicles. How busy are those roadways that they need to upgrade?

They're actually designed in such a manner that it would be tremendously difficult to go the wrong way in one.

[rickmastfan67]

Looks like Pennsylvania is jumping on the diverging diamond ban wagon!

I-70/I-79 @ US-19 would beat this one no matter what.