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FDOT Planning To Widen I-10, Add Diverging Diamond Intersections At Pine Forest, Beulah Roads
April 8, 2021
Diverging Diamond interchanges are planned as part of a Florida Department of Transportation I-10 widening project.
The project would widen I-10 from four to six lanes from the weigh station near the Alabama state line to Highway 29, and the interchanges at Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road will be reconstructed as diverging diamond interchanges.
Project details were presented during a Florida Department of Transportation public hearing this week, and residents still have a chance to make public comment. For video of the meeting, click or tap here.
For more information, and to submit a public comment, click or tap here.
What is a diverging diamond interchange?
According to the Federal Highway Administration, a diverging diamond interchange is a simple design innovation that improves safety and mobility, often at a much lower cost, compared to conventional interchange designs. The key to what makes a DDI work so well is how left turns are handled.
The DDI resembles a conventional diamond interchange, which is the most common form in the United States. Drivers make right turns at a DDI just as they would at a regular diamond interchange.
The crossover intersections are what make DDIs different, and they are very intuitive for the driver. The crossovers gently transition – or diverge – traffic from the right side of the road to the left side of the road and then back again. Because traffic is on the left hand side between the crossovers, all left turns occur without having to cross opposing traffic. The road geometry, signs, and pavement markings all work together to make this very simple. In cities where DDIs have been built, drivers say they don’t even notice the crossover intersections. according to the Federal Highway Administration.
NorthEscambia.com graphics/FDOT data.
Comments
27 Responses to “FDOT Planning To Widen I-10, Add Diverging Diamond Intersections At Pine Forest, Beulah Roads”
If you dont like the input from the commissioners, i suggest you check to see which road company and engineering firms donated the MAX to certain concerned commissioners.
I would prefer not to make the changes if this project is handled like 9 Mile Road or the Three Mile Bridge. This area is very congested and we don’t need construction delays.
Still waiting on 9-Mile Rd to be completed. Should have been started and done years ago. Traffic backups now past Navy Federal every day AND from Beulah Rd due to the huge number of new housing in the Beulah area. Please finish this project before starting others!
The diverging diamond is a proven concept and design. There’s nothing confusing when driving thru the intersection…you simply follow the lanes/signs as with any other intersection.
The Benefit is that left turning traffic no longer holds up straight going traffic, as the traffic turning left no longer has to turn in front of the straight going traffic headed the other direction.
This looks like a whole lot of rework that only eliminates the current left turn lanes (one from northbound and one from southbound Pine Forest that provide access to the interstate. On top of that, now add in the confusion this new scheme will bring to the average driver. More details: Where’s the plan to expand and add the lanes to Pine Forest Road especially on the north side of I-10.?
You people keep complaining, yet you keep sending these same characters back into office.
Someone had to vote for these officials; that someone is you.
Stop complaining, you got what you voted for.
They will finish just in time to accommodate the new line of flying cars!
What about the eastbound Davis Highway exit? There is the worst traffic congestion in Pensacola. Forget plaiting pigtails into I-10 until that’s fixed and an exchange is built at 9th Avenue. Then address Pine Forest. I haven’t seen serious congestion at 29, which, with the extended merge land from south to east, needs only a longer merge lane from north to east. Yes, FDOT — have the guts to disturb the CSX.
Building that mare’s nest of criss-crosses would guarantee horrendous traffic jams for years from Avalon Boulevard to the Alabama line. Anderson Columbia could streatch that job out until 2050.
I have never in my life seen such a convoluted nightmare design mess such as this. Was someone drunk or on drugs when they came up with this sad excuse for a plan?
I don’t get it?
How am I supposed to get home?? I and thousands of other turn onto Wilde Lake Blvd from Pine Forest Rd. to go home. I only see outbound traffic coming from Wild Lake Blvd to enter Pine Forest Road north and southbound.
We haven’t had a single piece of road work finished in the town on time in over 20 YEARS! It’s nice to see the county designing bad ideas and playing with their hotwheels cars but………..put the cars away, fold up your useless mats with road pictures and require the current projects to be completed BEFORE letting out and more contracts to clog up traffic for another ten years! Do the county commissioners EVER listen?
Will there be enough “barriers” to cover this project?
who is the person who designed
this………does he or she even live in this county ???????
that is most stuiped designed I have every seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay. I can’t wait for more concrete.
What we need are more places to cross I-10; not make the existing crossings more complicated. I-10 divides the county in half like the Great Wall of China through the center of a heavily populated urban area. There are only 8 “gates” that let people pass from one side of the wall to the other. Except for Beulah Road, they are all traffic nightmares. Look at this list of roads that cross I-10 and you’ll see 7 of the most congested areas in the county where they cross I-10:
Beulah Road
Nine Mile Road
Pine Forest Road
Highway 29
Old Palafox
Davis Highway
9th Avenue
Scenic Highway
So, the answer seems clear to me. Punch more holes in the wall to let people through. Don’t build fancy clever gates to try to manage an ever-growing number of people a different way.
Also, I didn’t include I-110 in the list because it doesn’t cross the Great Wall. It dead-ends into it. They should have extended I-110 north when it was proposed 20 years ago. I’ve lived in Cantonment 23 years, and back then my neighbors said “we don’t want I-110 bringing all that traffic up here.” I tried to explain that it wouldn’t increase the number of people going from one side of I-10 to the other — it would just make it easier to do it.
Just to clarify my post Pine Forest south bound lanes are two lane from Nine Mile to Mobile hyw. Only the North bound lane from the interstate to Nine mile is one lane which can get backed up well past the interstate. Literally one mile of north bound Pine forest is one lane like they forgot to finish and just said “eh good enough”.
Well that’s great and all but in the mean time can you please widen PINE FOREST!!! Good lord trying to get home after 3pm on north bound Pine Forest is a nightmare. Pine Forest has only ONE NORTH BOUND LANE from I-10 to Nine mile it can take you almost 45 minuets to get literally ONE MILE. This has been the case for years now and before they start planning large interstate projects they need to plan the areas around them.
Seems like they only focus on nine mile mostly in escambia county. The bad is they still haven’t finished and there planning more changes. If you want to focus on a pine forest road then focus on the one in walnut hill. The north end has so many pot holes and wash board roads. It’s funny how we pay taxes so pensacola can have nice roads and we have to drive on rubble roads.
Presumably the crossovers will be controlled by lights, not shown on the model. If not, this looks extremely dangerous.
I don’t see any benefit of the one ALDOT built in Malbis.
How about giving the contract to a quality company instead of the crappy ones. Spend more up front and save money due to always being behind schedule and over budge with the crap companies.
I personally hate these diverging diamond traffic makers. They have them in Atlanta and do nothing for keeping traffic moving. It still backs up on the interstate with these crazy crossovers and keeping drivers confused with driving the wrong way crossing the bridge. Nothing but a cluster in my opinion.
Sweet!
My great grand children will appreciate it.
FDOT needs to take care of existing state roads in Pensacola, Fl. Especially Sorrento Road. FDOT keeps building up this area which will soon make Beulah a new City and CC Bergosh the mayor.
Just when you thought the pain couldn’t get any worse…
It’s not funded until 2025 and given that a certain “intentionally behind schedule and over budget” road paving company will likely get the contract, not a single person reading this article will still be alive to see the project completed.
There needs to be incentives for early completion and harsh penalties for delay of completion into every DOT contract.