Ontario's first diverging diamond interchange opens. Here's how it works
Ontario's first-ever diverging diamond interchange opens to drivers Monday morning, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed.
The new interchange, located at Glendale Avenue and the Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEW) in Niagara, will open to drivers on the morning of Sept. 26.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, the interchange has been installed to reduce gridlock and improve traffic flow for motorists getting on and off the QEW at Glendale Avenue.
It is supposed to accomplish this by reconfiguring traffic lanes to allow for direct access to all four directional highway ramps.
The diverging diamond interchange eliminates the need for motorists to make any left-hand turns when entering or exiting the highway by using a series of interconnected crossover lanes controlled by traffic lights and highway signage.
The Queen Elizabeth Way and Glendale Avenue in Niagara, Ont. (CTV News Toronto)
"A diverging diamond interchange provides easier access and flow for traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians,” the ministry said in a statement to CTV News Toronto earlier this month.
"This interchange design will reduce the number of vehicle conflict points and allow unrestricted access to the QEW."
(CTV News Toronto)
While diverging diamond interchanges will be new to drivers in Ontario, they have been used in other places, like the U.S., for years. There are currently two diverging diamond interchanges in Canada, one in Calgary and the other in Regina.
The Ontario government held an in-person public education session to learn "how to navigate" the new interchange.
At that time, an animated drive-through video was released showing how Ontario's interchange works.
(CTV News Toronto)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.