A radical new interchange design that sees drivers briefly cross to the ‘wrong’ side of the road has been found to both improve safety and save money.
The diverging diamond interchange (DDI) has been steadily gaining popularity in the US since 2009, when the first interchange of its kind opened in Missouri.
The design takes the form of a standard diamond interchange – but with a twist. From the highway, the interchange looks like any other diamond interchange form, with one ramp off the highway and one ramp on to the highway.
However, on the cross road there is something quite different. As traffic approaches the first ramp, the intersection is adjusted so that traffic will be placed on the opposite side of the road. At the second set of ramps there is another crossover intersection that returns traffic back to the right side of the road.
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