Coming Soon

Project Purpose

The purpose of this project is to improve the I-64 interchange on Route 15 at Zion Crossroads (exit 136).

In 2007, VDOT identified a need to increase the capacity of the I-64 off-ramps at the Route 15 interchange, which—combined with a forecasted increase of traffic due to the area’s commercial growth—prompted a study of potential interchange options. 

In addition to the diverging diamond interchange (DDI), VDOT analyzed the construction of a single-point urban interchange, improvements to the existing diamond interchange, and a no-build alternative. The clover-leaf interchange was not included based on the amount of land acquisition it would require. 

Overall, the diverging diamond interchange produced the best results based on today’s traffic volumes as well as those projected for 2035.

What is Proposed?

VDOT proposes to reconstruct the 0.49-mile stretch where Route 15 meets I-64 (exit 136) as a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). By briefly shifting vehicles to the opposite side of the road, this innovative interchange design eliminates traditional left turns that must cross over oncoming traffic. The DDI improves safety by reducing the number of spots where vehicles could collide and can handle more than 600 left-turn movements per hour, twice the capacity of a conventional interchange.

The diverging diamond interchange is new to the U.S. Though the design originally appeared in the 1970s in Versailles, France, America’s first DDI was built in 2009 in Springfield, Missouri. Since that time, two others have been completed in Missouri, as well as one each in Utah and Tennessee.

Links

YouTube video simulation of proposed interchange design

Diagram of proposed interchange design (321 KB)

News release: Public Hearing June 22 on Zion Crossroads Interchange

Page last modified: Feb. 3, 2012

 

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