I-70 Diverging Diamond Interchange Public Open House July 1

June 28, 2013 - Northwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 3 - GRAND JUNCTION, CO June 28, 2013 —The Colorado Department of Transportation and the City of Grand Junction are partnering to improve safety and traffic flow on I-70 at Exit 26 (at US 6 & 50).

The City has a project already underway to reconfigure 22 Road at US 6; and on Monday, July 8, CDOT will begin a City-designed project to reconstruct the I-70 Exit 26 interchange as a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI).

An Open House will be held on MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Fruita Community Center, located at 324 N. Coulson Street in Fruita. Representatives from CDOT and the contractor, Lawson Construction, will be on hand to discuss the project plans for the Diverging Diamond Interchange, the project schedule and mitigation measures for traffic along US 6 & 50 during construction.

CDOT and the City are working together on the timing of these two projects at 22 Road and at the I-70 interchange to minimize impacts to travel through this area. The projects are designed to improve safety and traffic flow along the affected corridors.

CITY PROJECT UNDERWAY - City of Grand Junction – 22 Road Improvements, March 2013 through August 2013: The City is realigning the 22 Road and US 6 intersection, moving it 500 feet west. This lengthens the intersection spacing with the I-70 interchange ramps, which will improve traffic efficiency and safety. A new connecting street will link Valley Court to 22 Road. Traffic will be able to access US 6 via the signalized intersection at 22 Road, eliminating the need for left turns out of Valley Court and improving safety.

CDOT PROJECT BEGINS JULY 8 - Colorado Department of Transportation – I-70 Diverging Diamond Interchange, June 2013 through November 2013: In this partnership project, the city has designed—and CDOT will now construct—a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at I-70 Exit 26. A DDI eliminates traditional left-hand turns by crossing lanes and shifting drivers to the left side of the road. This gives drivers direct access to a left-hand ramp to access the interstate without waiting at a traffic signal. The lanes then shift drivers back to the right side.

Diverging Diamond Interchanges can carry much more traffic than conventional diamond interchanges, and the capacity for left-turn movements is twice that of a conventional diamond. Safety has been shown to increase at interchanges and intersections built as diverging diamonds. The amount of crashes is reduced, as are the severity of crashes. The accidents that do occur are at angles that eliminate the dangerous “T-bone” that can happen at a traditional signalized intersection.

The cost of the I-70 DDI is $4 million, whereas other alternatives for interchange reconstruction are between $10 and $15 million. Minimal right-of-way acquisition is required for this type of intersection.

PROJECT INFORMATION - Additional information on these two projects is available via the following:

 

CDOT’s DDI will be paid for, in part, with FASTER funds. Funding Advancements for Surface Treatment and Economic Recovery was established by the Colorado General assembly via Senate Bill 09-108 (www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster) to fund the repair or replacement of Colorado’s poor-rated bridges and make safety improvements to Colorado’s key corridors.