Northern Nevada’s second-ever diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will help alleviate the North Valley’s ever-growing traffic woes. Work concluded on this complex braided intersection in just three months, reconfiguring the US 395/Lemmon Drive interchange, widening Lemmon Drive from four to six lanes and adding a new raised median.

Scheduling posed a major challenge with only 130 working days allotted to build the DDI, but the most difficult element was maintaining constant traffic flows throughout the project. Typical DDI construction calls for full closures as new sections are built, creating a secured area for crews. Given the volume of traffic in this area, the owner urged the team to keep one lane open in each direction at all times. To keep vehicles moving, the contractor temporarily paved segments of the new traffic pattern, opening the primary flow of traffic continuously from Lemmon Drive to US 395. These temporary portions allowed for safer traffic switches and offered more working space for crews.

The contractor also accelerated major components preceding the DDI. A one-mile stretch in the project’s first segment included 35,000 cu yd of excavation and 22 ft of widening and full-depth roadway reconstruction. Though the owner approved a four-month winter suspension in late 2021, the contractor continued working through the winter months to expedite delivery, ultimately finishing the project below budget and ahead of schedule in June 2022.