MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is working on reconstructing I-43 from Silver Spring Drive to WIS 60. Part of the construction project is reconstructing interchanges.
Out on I-43 at Brown Deer Road the DOT will transform the traditional clover interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI). For part of the interchange, drivers will have to drive on the opposite side of the road.
Drivers traveling towards the interstate on Brown Deer Road will approach a traffic signal near the edge of the bridge, they will then cross onto the opposite side of the road, then cross back over at another traffic signal located on the opposite end.
According to the DOT, Brown Deer Road has a significant amount of traffic making left turns onto the interstate ramps. During the peak hours, an average of 1,100 vehicles are expected to merge onto southbound and 800 vehicles are expected to merge onto northbound I-43 from WIS 100/Brown Deer Road, compared to only 300 through vehicles. This new design, the Diverging Diamond Interchange, will also assist in handling the oversized/overweight trucks that travel this route.
The DOT said it also allows for greater vehicle capacity and accommodates large trucks, pedestrians, and bicycles. However, due to the design, there are more pedestrian crossings and drivers may be confused when traveling on the opposite side of the road.
Right now there are99 DDIsacross the country. The one at Brown Deer road will be the first in Southeast Wisconsin.
So how do you navigate through a DDI? Traffic signals and pavement markings will help guide drivers, and it will take some getting used to. But until then, driver Alexis Taylor said she is going to try to find other routes to stay away from all the construction.
"I try to avoid it, but it never works out," said Taylor.
To learn more aboutDDIs, click here.
