Diverging Diamond Interchanges - Yea or Nay?

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Who in the Cornbread Hell came up with this crazy idea and what were they smoking? Are they trying to kill us off or what?

Are you a fan of these Rube Goldberg-type interchanges that are cropping up all over the U.S.?  I found them very confusing and scary the first time I encountered one.  I was waiting for a head-on collision at any time.

This would really suck if you just wanted to jump off a highway, shoot across the intersection, and pull over on the get-on ramp to take a potty break.  Truckers must be up in arms about these.

Here is a bit of a demo of what this is all about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40OUCb1cODY

What are your thoughts on this and navigating a bus through one of these?

[CrabbyMilton]

Nice concept but people are stupid enough that they can't handle roundabouts so one can only imagine the "first day of kindergarten" panic at one of these while attempting to exit or join an expressway.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 We have had one for about 3 years and it works exceptionally well,, but I still don't see any advantage to it..>>>Dan

[Jim Blackwood]

Our new one is fine except for one thing. Those idiots were too stupid to make it a right on red after stop at the bottom of the off ramp. As a result the off ramp stacks up when there is really no need for that at all.

Jim

[luvrbus]

We have a few in AZ I cannot see the advantage,a waste of tax payers money to me lol this is the US not Europe,states here complain about the cost of hiway construction then they do this type of thing

[Dave5Cs]

We have that in Manhattan Kansas and actually it works well. But was a little cornfusing at first.  It is funny because it is right next to the Fort Riley Police Department. We joked that they did it to raise revenue.

[epretot]

Fact: If all traffic management systems were removed, everything would be fine.

Stop signs = stupid

Traffic circles = exceptionally stupid

Traffic lights = mostly stupid

I witnessed a woman driving the wrong direction through a traffic circle the other day. When she realized her error, she tried to drive over the curb.

[TNBrett]

I admit that they can be a little confusing at first. But it’s hard to argue with the volume of traffic they can clear quickly and with fewer opportunities for accidents. As they become more prevalent, people will be less confused and intimidated by them. I remember how round abouts created panic in people when they first started showing up. Fortunately most people have learned to move through them efficiently now. Even when they were new and a driver were unsure what to do, the round abouts were still more efficient at clearing traffic than a traffic light or stop sign. I think some improved signage informing drivers ahead of the interchanges may speed up that learning process for the divergent diamond.

[Jim Blackwood]

There used to be a skill and knowledge requirement for obtaining a driver's license. Now I think it is more along the lines of an entitlement.

Jim

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Yes, I agree they will be better, safer, and more efficient until people get used to them just like the roundabouts.  This guy still needs some training don't you know.

https://youtu.be/hLJb-qd9fzk

[luvrbus]

With the round abouts every mile on hiway 89 in Sedona AZ with heavy traffic on Sat and Sun they back traffic up for miles

[luvrbus]

Yes, I agree they will be better, safer, and more efficient until people get used to them just like the roundabouts.  This guy still needs some training don't you know.

https://youtu.be/hLJb-qd9fzk

Can you vision the cost of building those ?

[lvmci]

Ran across this in Dallas area going under a freeway years ago...

[luvrbus]

Ran across this in Dallas area going under a freeway years ago...

You will probably get one in Vegas before long at the stadium Tom,Vegas is like Houston and Dallas they never stop working on the hiways

[CrabbyMilton]

Yeah, people who work in road construction will never starve. I'm not knocking them but spending money on things that may not work is ridiculous.