DelDOT wins recognition for DDI Project

Dover, Del. — The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) was recognized at the 2018 Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) Conference when it won an America’s Transportation Award in the Operations Excellence category for the state’s Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) project. Projects in this category demonstrate the ability to make more effective use of existing transportation assets in order to reduce congestion, improve reliability, address maintenance, or advance transportation systems management and operations efforts.

After studying solutions to better manage this traffic growth, DelDOT decided on a DDI, as it would increase capacity of turning movements by allowing for “free-flowing, high-volume” left turns, while also reducing driver delays via two-phase traffic signals that provide more “green light time” on SR 72. Those two efforts not only improved safety for drivers by reducing number of conflict points, but also for pedestrians and bicyclists as well due to the “shared-use” path. Implementation of the $9.3 million DDI reduced travel times for vehicles by three to seven minutes, while making commuting safer and easier. The DDI was also a more cost-effective option than implementing a loop ramp for northbound vehicles, and broke ground in April 2016 and was completed in January 2017.

“We are very pleased with the results of Delaware’s first DDI, and winning this award is a credit to the many DelDOT employees who took an innovative approach to helping address the traffic and congestion issues at this interchange,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.

“This well-deserved recognition represents the innovative work DelDOT is doing that benefits motorists and our communities,” says Cathy Rossi, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “DelDOT clearly continues to earn a reputation for effective problem solving and forward-thinking well beyond the borders of our state.”

The America’s Transportation Awards competition recognizes transportation projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Best Use of Technology and Innovation, and Operations Excellence. America’s Transportation Awards are sponsored by AASHTO, Socrata, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.