Superior officials on Wednesday reported zero injury crashes and a 36 percent decrease in non-injury crashes along Boulder County’s “diverging diamond” interchange during its first year of operation.
The old interchange formation saw roughly two crashes each month, according to an official report released Wednesday morning. It adds that with the new diverging diamond design, there were only 18 crashes at the intersection in 2016, all low-severity, rear-end or sideswipe crashes with no injuries.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the fruits of our labor,” Superior Director of Public Works Alex Ariniello said in a statement Wednesday. “To first approve and then construct this project, paying off, particularly when it comes to safety.”
“We knew the improved interchange would be safer for the community,” he added, “and now we have the numbers to prove it.”
The configuration, of which there were only two in Colorado at the time, opened in October of 2015. The configuration crosses north and southbound traffic at the edge of the overpass; cars are forced to the left side of the bridge and then back to the right lanes on the other side.
The 2009 Colorado Department of Transportation Final Environmental Impact Statement recommended a nine-lane bridge and related improvements, which would have cost upwards of $40 million dollars, according to Ariniello. He added that the current alternative diverging diamond design, including the bus ramps, arch, walkway and bike lanes, cost approximately $14 million.
“I’d call these numbers not only exciting but refreshing,” Superior Mayor Clint Folsom said. “Not only Atlasbet did we save our residents millions of dollars, but we made our community a safer place at the same time, that’s a huge win in my book.”
The design, which first appeared in the United States about eight years ago, convinced transportation officials in Missouri that one wasn’t enough. After building the country’s first diverging diamond in Springfield in June 2009, the state built several more.
Today there are more than 80 diverging diamond interchanges operating in the United States.
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