Diverging Diamond Interchange - FM60 & 2818

3,778 Views | 41 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Centerpole90
Centerpole90
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Last few months coming and going to College Station I've seen the new interchange @ FM60 & 2018 by Easterwood taking shape. The first time I drove the new traffic pattern was, I think, when I took some stuff up to my Aggie before classes and at the time I thought it was just temporary routing to facilitate construction. If you don't know what I'm talking about - the interchange flip flops traffic so you drive a spell on the left side of the roadway. The night of the Clemson game it was a nightmare near the intersection - even though the comment by gameday experience committee was that eventually it would be better (per premium thread). Back up there for the Kentucky game I saw the curbing is poured and I realized for the first time that this is INDEED the new, and permanent, traffic pattern for the interchange.

I don't come across too many Diverging Diamond Interchanges out here in the country so when I got home I did some research and came to find out that actually; there aren't many of them in Texas. This College Station blog post dated 2017 said it is the 3rd in Texas. The concept has a website devoted to it with an interactive map showing every one in the world, although it needs updating a little since the one in CS is in construction.

https://divergingdiamond.com

The intersection has always been the welcome mat to Aggieland for Ags coming in our way. A narrow 2 lane road that brought us into town by the Vet School. I guess it's all grown up now - I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.

Mookie
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There is one at Parmer and 1431 and 1431/university and 35 in round rock. I like them, you almost always get a red light but you never back up or get stuck.
CanyonAg77
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I first saw some of these in Kansas City. I still don't understand how they are supposed to be an improvement.
SPI-FlatsCatter 84
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It can be really good. IMO

However, the crew that set this one up must have passed using "the curve ". And just barely

If you are S bound on 2818 and want to make a left onto University E, theres nothing stopping you until you are across the overpass

If you are N bound and want to get to the airport, its a different story....... for no obvious reason. You get red lighted before you can get on University W.

It looks promising but currently looks like its a 600 level Sr class project run by a student that's never actually had a usa drivers license TBH

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Centerpole90
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SPI-FlatsCatter 84 said:

If you are N bound and want to get to the airport, its a different story....... for no obvious reason. You get red lighted before you can get on University W.
This is the case right now, isn't it? I crossed the intersection just the way you described with my daughter and when I complained about being held up she told me where she'd read how much this was going to help; that's what caused me to research it.

If you look at this plan drawing, there is no hold-up in the final plan... we can come from the South, exit, and the only place we should see a red light on the way home is once we are across the bridge. If they stick to this. I just didn't understand why the night of the Clemson game they didn't allow any of us West on 60 get on 2818 South; then everyone was going past Easterwood and at the first opportunity making U turns in the middle of 60. It made for an unsafe situation. I hope that was construction related. I haven't gone that way since then after a game.

http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/bry/notices/021116-open-house-layout.pdf
SPI-FlatsCatter 84
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Thats correct. The way it was set up, a driver would never meet a signal light until crossing traffic. No lights for merging.

And BTW after the UK game they had it open to turn left after crossing the bridge to head S on 2818.

Why they didn't for Clemson I have no idea
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sts7049
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why do they build this to give two red lights to those traveling on 60 in either direction? i don't understand how that could be more efficient than building a flyover to give direct access without stopping.
JAW3336
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IMO they are built more for safety than speed and effectiveness of travel. I hate the one at 1431 and 35 because now I have to sit at a light to make a right hand turn. No turn on red. That irritates the hell out of me.
VitruvianAg
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sts7049 said:

why do they build this to give two red lights to those traveling on 60 in either direction? i don't understand how that could be more efficient than building a flyover to give direct access without stopping.
Or a simple "cloverleaf" that takes up much less land and doesn't impede traffic.
Bob_Ag
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I've been on the one in Round Rock many times and it works fine, but it's kind of a different intersection being that it's right off a major interstate in a booming area. Plus, we are talking about an intersection that already had lights in place. There wasn't lights on FM60 at 2818 before, correct?

I feel like this intersection could have been done a little better without really needing to have the lights on FM60. For example, if you are west bound on 60 and you need to exit to go south bound on 2818, why not just have them exit to the right once past 2818 with a curve that loops back down to the north 2818 lanes? Kind of like you see in a lot of other states that don't have dedicated frontage roads like we do in Texas.
Now that the lanes are diverging, there has to be a light on 60 to control traffic. Not sure if I am just not visualizing this one right or not.

I'm just having a hard time seeing how this one will actually improve congestion, particularly on FM60.

redd38
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VitruvianAg said:

sts7049 said:

why do they build this to give two red lights to those traveling on 60 in either direction? i don't understand how that could be more efficient than building a flyover to give direct access without stopping.
Or a simple "cloverleaf" that takes up much less land and doesn't impede traffic.


Apparently they didn't have room for a cloverleaf.

I think just two normal lights (without crossing the traffic) would have been as good or better and much cheaper. But I don't make those decisions.
SPI-FlatsCatter 84
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I don't know, but i think the biggest consideration was the volume of traffic that needs to go south on 2818 from 60 Westbound

The new system will work. Work well. But its not set up right yet.
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Centerpole90
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SPI-FlatsCatter 84 said:

I don't know, but i think the biggest consideration was the volume of traffic that needs to go south on 2818 from 60 Westbound
I think it is 100% about this right now. My daughter said that the left turn lane would be crazy at times and there had been some bad accidents there. Going forward, I can see where the traffic going East 60 into town or south on 2018 will become heavier when the Rellis Campus gets in full swing.

I think it will work too, and to add to your point 'its not there yet'; the lanes are choked down right now, I don't think there's a full 3 lanes across the bridge yet. When it's finished it'll be 3 lanes each way with 10' shoulders.
tk for tu juan
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EMY92
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Enjoy the chaos!

https://texags.com/forums/35/topics/2965341
Centerpole90
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We have an Aggieland board? I'll be dang.
Duncan Idaho
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Seems like a lot of work to avoid a round about
Pahdz
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Duncan Idaho said:

Seems like a lot of work to avoid a round about


Ha, good luck getting anyone in the south to get in board with those. I love it up here in MN and WI they are everywhere.
Aggieangler93
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The first few weeks after they opened the ones up here in Central Texas, they had to have Deputies in Tahoe's park at each end, and when someone would attempt to go the wrong way, they would slam on the gas, hop off the curb, and basically throw their vehicle in the person's way. It was not fun to watch, imagining the pucker factor the officer must have been under.

I rarely see someone screw one up now, as most folks in this area are used to them now. But I would wager that one off IH-35 and 1431 probably has at least one person a day screw it up, as there are a lot more idiots jumping off the Interstate.

One thing I have noticed, is the amount of people that can't seem to figure out how to make a left turn from IH-35 south to 1431 East. Many of them end up on 1431 westbound, and then they decide to flip a ***** near a blind hill. I've almost hit 5 or 6 of them myself and I am only over that way a few times a month.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
Aggieangler93
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Pahdz said:

Duncan Idaho said:

Seems like a lot of work to avoid a round about


Ha, good luck getting anyone in the south to get in board with those. I love it up here in MN and WI they are everywhere.
Speaking of this, the other day, while in Waco, we decided to get a burger at Health Camp. So I am rolling around the circle in Waco, and there is a 60s fella there in a camry, that was slowing, to try and figure out what to do. He rolled past his yield sign, and never looked to the left in the circle. So he never saw me. He barely missed me by about a foot. I was really angry, but a Butterscotch malt made it all better.

Oh, and if you think a roundabout is a bad idea, try the one outside the Jackson, MS airport. Take a bunch of drivers from what statistically was the worse state in the nation, and then put a roundabout near an area where many folks are renting cars and venturing out to parts completely unknown. I used to have to travel through there monthly, and the amount of upended trees, flowers, signs etc, I saw, with skid marks leading up to them, was very impressive.

We always laughed about it, as we were working on a large project for the State Traffic Safety engineer.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
EMY92
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They just recently fixed the circle in Waco by forcing the outside lane to exit at the next street. Before it was 2 lanes of people weaving around.
Ol_Ag_02
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Pahdz said:

Duncan Idaho said:

Seems like a lot of work to avoid a round about


Ha, good luck getting anyone in the south to get in board with those. I love it up here in MN and WI they are everywhere.


Southlake says hi.
Flaith
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bunch of armchair traffic flow experts popping up. is this facebook?

This video was very satisfying. The turbine interchange is awesome looking.



Appears that DDI kicks the sheet out of all similar interchanges in throughput, and it has the benefit of reducing accidents due to eliminating left hand turns across traffic. As well, it requires minimal capital or land investment to convert an existing overpass to DDI compared to similar volume interchanges (e.g. cloverleaf). Seems like a win win to me.
LOYAL AG
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Can we at least wait until it's completely finished before we decide it wasn't the right idea and won't handle the volume of traffic they say it will? I mean it is still a construction zone, right? When is the last time one of those worked like the final product? They tell us this interchange was the best option and since I don't get paid to manage traffic I'll defer to them. These are engineers not politicians so what reason do I have to question their decision?

The prior intersection was a death trap. All left turns had times of day where the lines waiting to turn were longer than what the turn lane could hold. During the morning rush it wasn't uncommon to see cars turning from 2818 coming from opposite directions pulling into the turn lane going opposite directions. At 40+. This configuration eliminates left turns. That's the #1 risk at a high volume interchange. No more heading north on 2818 and having to slow down to 40 in the left lane so you can merge into the W bound 60 turn lane that's full while simultaneously avoiding someone heading south on 2818 who is slowing down to pull into the turn lane for E bound 60.
DannyDuberstein
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Went thru it this weekend with no idea the project was in the works. First time thru went from 60 west to 2818 south. Outside of a "whoa, oncoming traffic is on my right now" reaction, it worked great. Then later just went thru it headed northbound on 2818. Seems to be well designed for that intersection, at least once it's finished.
Aggietaco
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I like how that simulator allows small cars to drive under a semi's trailer when necessary.
Flaith
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Aggietaco said:

I like how that simulator allows small cars to drive under a semi's trailer when necessary.
Dominic Toretto approves this simulation
Mr. Dubi
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Ityan academic solution to a virtually nonexistent problem; you go from a simple, safe traffic pattern to an expensive, complicated dangerous pattern with two lights...
Flaith
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I don't think that's accurate. The original design was way more dangerous than this one - fewer accidents being one of the major benefits of a DDI
JAW3336
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Flaith said:

I don't think that's accurate. The original design was way more dangerous than this one - fewer accidents being one of the major benefits of a DDI
Too bad it does nothing to aleviate congestion. At least compared to the one in Round Rock. Although the one in Round Rock has very different light patterns than the one on the video.
Flaith
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Just because you potentially have to stop twice when traveling through the interchange doesn't mean that it does nothing to alleviate congestion. Was that statement based solely on your own experience?

According to stats, it's actually more efficient at moving cars through, on, and off the interchange while being 50+ percent safer.
JSKolache
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Duncan Idaho said:

Seems like a lot of work to avoid a round about
Or a cloverleaf. Old school clovers seem to work fine.
VitruvianAg
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Aggietaco said:

I like how that simulator allows small cars to drive under a semi's trailer when necessary.
I can drive under a trailer in my Europa, did it once, albeit the trailer was in a parking lot and not moving, and I would have had to wait for the idiot that parked so no one but me could get out!
JAW3336
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Personal observation.

Plus you can't turn right on red in several spots which is bullcrap.
JAW3336
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Flaith said:

Just because you potentially have to stop twice when traveling through the interchange doesn't mean that it does nothing to alleviate congestion. Was that statement based solely on your own experience?

According to stats, it's actually more efficient at moving cars through, on, and off the interchange while being 50+ percent safer.
and I believe the stats are just a theory on a computer as far efficiency. I am not arguing the safer aspect.

I haven't seen actual stats from the one in RR.
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