The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Indiana Section awarded Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) with the prestigious 2015 Project of the Year Award for leading the I‐65 and Worthsville Road Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI); the first new access DDI in Indiana. The award was presented at ASCE Indiana Section’s annual meeting on April 20, 2016
The Worthsville Road & I‐65 Interchange was conceived as a way to enhance economic growth, reduce congestion, and provide better east-west connectivity and traffic movement in Johnson County. While initial plans were in place for years, complete funding for the project proved elusive. In response, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the City of Greenwood entered into a partnership for a cost‐sharing plan.
After extensive collaboration with INDOT, the City, as well as other partners and stakeholders, CMT’s Design Team recommended a “Diverging Diamond Interchange” solution – the very first new access Diverging Diamond Interchange in the state of Indiana. The Diverging Diamond Interchange is lauded for its safety and ability to maximize traffic capacity by allowing for free left turns that don’t cross opposing traffic.
As well as introducing a new interchange type while applying a context sensitive strategy, this project served as a case study for the methods that INDOT would eventually incorporate into its OpenRoads approach to project delivery. Such as:
- Taking a critical look at existing data,
- Questioning traditional methods and conventional thinking, and
- Considering design exceptions that provided additional value without compromising the project’s goals.
The consideration of areas where additional value could be found led to $4.1 million in savings. CMT helped realize these savings by recommending a more economical interchange type (the Diverging Diamond), rejecting the plan for resident relocations by finding alternate solutions, right-sizing hydrologic models and early engagement with utility companies so that design decisions could be mutually beneficial.
CMT is grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on the Worthsville Road & I‐65 Diverging Diamond Interchange. Since opening the interchange in late 2015, the City of Greenwood has witnessed a continued stream of residential and commercial development and expect that trend to continue well into the future, in large part to the efficiency and safety of the interchange.