(Credit: Texas Department of Transportation)
Another diverging diamond intersection is coming to Travis County. Following a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the I-35 at Parmer Lane project, the Texas Department of Transportation officially kicked off construction on the $24.6-million project.
“The I-35 at Parmer Lane project is part of the Texas Clear Lanes relief initiative, which is designed to remedy congestion at some of our biggest choke points around the state,” said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. “These improvements are anticipated to reduce delays on the north and southbound I-35 frontage roads at Parmer Lane by more than 80{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d}.”
According to TxDOT, a diverging diamond intersection temporarily shifts traffic to the left side of the road, allowing through-traffic and left-turning traffic to proceed through the intersection simultaneously. This eliminates the need for left-turn arrows. TxDOT says this type of intersection has proven to decrease the number and severity of crashes by reducing the number of potential conflict points between cross-traffic and left-turn movements.
“This project is located in the heart of my district, and I want to thank Chairman Bugg and TxDOT for prioritizing these improvements at Parmer Lane,” said State Representative Celia Israel. “This will improve commute times while increasing safety and I’m pleased to see construction begin.”
In addition to constructing the DDI, the I-35 at Parmer Lane project will also add a southbound intersection bypass lane, reconstruct the northbound bypass lane along with entrance and exit ramps, and enhance bicycle and pedestrian paths. The project also includes additional turn lanes at the intersection of Parmer Lane and North Lamar Boulevard.
“I-35 serves as the backbone of our local, regional and national transportation network,” said TxDOT Austin District Engineer Tucker Ferguson. “As our population continues to grow, highway congestion is only going to get worse. Innovative intersection designs, like the DDI being constructed at Parmer Lane, provide significant travel time benefits with limited construction interruption at a relatively low cost.”
The construction is expected to wrap up in 2021.
