The May 2016 Luncheon consisted of an overview of the Illinois Route 59 Construction Project and a bus tour of the newly constructed diverging diamond interchange. Jason Salley, IDOT District 1 Geometrics Unit Head, led the presentation, hosted in collaboration with the City of Naperville.
Over 60 professionals attended the luncheon at the Naperville Municipal Center and filled the tour bus. The presentation covered the history of the project, proposed alternatives, and the selection of the diverging diamond interchange. Attendees heard about the design considerations of DDI's including operations, safety, pedestrian accommodations, and cost. The audience was very interested in Mr. Salley's "lessons learned" while going through the design and construction of this project.
Jason Salley, IDOT District 1, presenting an overview of the Illinois Route 59 Construction Project
The event concluded with a charter bus tour along the entire project limits. Mr. Salley pointed out various features along Route 59 which had been covered in his presentation. The bus traveled through the diverging diamond interchange several times, allowing participants a firsthand experience of the DDI design and operations. Multiple diverging diamonds are now being proposed in Illinois, making this a topic of interest for many transportation professionals.
Diverging Diamond interchange at Illinois Route 59 and I-88