The Impact of Boca’s Diverging Diamond Interchange
Bottom Line: After a delayed start due to rain, the Florida Department of Transportation’s Diverging Diamond Interchange in Boca went live yesterday. Road projects in South Florida, that’s standard operating procedure. The DDI’s design isn’t. As explained by the FDOT... A DDI, or Diverging Diamond Interchange, is a form of interchange that allows the two directions of traffic on the roadway to temporarily cross to the opposite side of the road to provide a safer left turn movement to and from I-95 as well as improving overall safety of the interchange. Switching traffic to the left side through the interchange eliminates left turn movements against oncoming traffic, reducing the number of serious crashes associated with that movement. Another benefit, fewer traffic lights and much less time stuck at them. DDI’s aren’t new, the first of its kind project in the states took place in Missouri in 2009, and quickly proved so successful dozens of others across the country soon followed.
Currently, there are approximately 150 interchanges which are in use providing a large sample size of the benefits of them. Nationally, there’s been a monitored 55% decline in accidents with use of DDI’s. Specific to Boca’s new interchange, here’s what the FDOT is estimating the following improvements will be:
- A 9% reduction in crashes on Glades Road
- A 33% reduction in crashes where the interchange connects Glades Road with I-95
Notably, every DDI project in use has reduced accidents and related injuries, so there’s every reason to think the FDOT’s estimates are accurate. And with fewer traffic lights to boot – it's a win that way as well. It’s likely Boca’s DDI is the first of many more to come to our state.