Springfield ''diverging diamond'' - I-44/MO-13

[Cheesecake]

http://www.news-leader.com/article/2...nd-interchange

The newly redesigned interchange at Interstate 44 and Kansas Expressway is open to traffic. A MoDOT spokeswoman said traffic was moving smoothly around the "diverging diamond" interchange.
(click on link for video--pretty interesting)

And, I can see me now...caught in the middle somewhere going the wrong direction.

Truckinfarmer, thinks its GREAT...it's been such a terrible intersection. Might still be terrible?

Stuff like this confuses me ... bout as bad as Round-About.

[nohona]

As of last Saturday I thought it was right down ugly (in appearance). Don't know if that concrete barrier will be staying in place or not. I would take a round about any day compared to that thing. (Guess I really shouldn't say that as I HATE HATE HATE the one at the new Springfield airport). I can see an impared driver coming off 44 and screaming what the!!!!

I'll just have to get use to it.

[b55olds]

a couple yrs.ago heading S. on 13 to Branson got to within a block of 1st stoplight and street rod nationals were going on coming out of the fair grounds got grid locked there for over an hour this looks like it'll help a lot

[ArkanDan]

Haven't had the "pleasure" of driving this one yet, but have driven the one in Hollister (Lowes exit) for some time now. Don't know if they are the same thing, but they sure look similar. I'm no fan of that thing in Hollister, but I have become somewhat accustomed to it. It seems not overly confusing now until the snow falls and all the lane division lines disappear. It then becomes a sort of free for all.

[ggh]

the interchange at Kansas/HWY 13 and I44 is the first of it's kind in the US - and I've only driven through it a couple of times, but both times, it's been very easy to navigate, and it does seem to be helping traffic move through the intersection faster.

But, I can see how if you've never driven through the intersection, and you're unaware of it, it could really throw you for a loop.

Time will tell!

[Troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by nohona

As of last Saturday I thought it was right down ugly (in appearance). Don't know if that concrete barrier will be staying in place or not. I would take a round about any day compared to that thing. (Guess I really shouldn't say that as I HATE HATE HATE the one at the new Springfield airport). I can see an impared driver coming off 44 and screaming what the!!!!

I'll just have to get use to it.

The tall barrier is necessary at night.

Remember that your headlights on low beam shine downward and to the right.

With traffic in the middle of the interchange on the left side of oncoming traffic, the low beams of oncoming traffic will be as bright as high beams.

The barrier blocks the light from the oncoming headlights.

There is also a need to keep traffic turning left from the off ramp from seeing the far roadway.

[ggh]

Originally Posted by ArkanDan

Haven't had the "pleasure" of driving this one yet, but have driven the one in Hollister (Lowes exit) for some time now. Don't know if they are the same thing, but they sure look similar. I'm no fan of that thing in Hollister, but I have become somewhat accustomed to it. It seems not overly confusing now until the snow falls and all the lane division lines disappear. It then becomes a sort of free for all.

This is the design of the 65 & Sunshine interchange. I like it - it works very well at Sunshine - AFTER you get use to it. I am sure it's confusing when you've never seen it before.

[82corvette]

We went through that contraption going to Branson & coming home. Being from Nebraska I was astonished at this thing, beats me what its for but it sure was fun watching a delivery truck get in the wrong lane then trying to back up into trafic!

[pamlet]

My oldest son (who really should have gone to school to be a city planner - not a computer geek) was jabbering about this a month or so ago ... he read about it and thought it was a unique way to solve the whole intersection thing.

He's a riot - he rates interchanges ... what he likes, what he doesn't ... when he was 4 ... yes FOUR he had a whole monorail planned for Raleigh when we lived there. We drive by intersections and he explain where the track would be... where the station would be ... and he was consistent... it was VERY weird. He had a little wooden train set that he would configure all over the living room on cans and boxes so it would be a "monorail" ...