Diverging diamond interchange to open in Stafford County

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Have you ever heard of a diverging diamond interchange? Ready or not, one is about to debut in Northern Virginia.

It’s part of a $195 million project aimed at reducing congestion in Stafford County’s Courthouse Road area. The interchange will open December 7 over Interstate 95 at Exit 140.

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Here’s how it’ll work, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation: The new interchange briefly shifts vehicles on Courthouse Rd to the other side of the road on new overpass bridges, which allows drivers to merge left onto the I-95 northbound and southbound ramps without stopping at a traffic signal.

VDOT released a simulation video of the intersection, which FOX 5 showed to drivers. Initial reviews were mixed.

“I think it’ll improve traffic for our local community, and I think we’ll see less slowdowns and jams here in northern Virginia,” Grant Ellis said.

“It looks like there’s a lot of room to move around,” Jennifer Atkins added. “So actually it looks pretty nice.”

Others, however, were a little less optimistic.

“52 years old, been driving since I was 16,” Steve Ostrosky said. “I am going to freak out the first time I approach that.”

VDOT is holding a community meeting on the diverging diamond interchange on December 2 at Colonial Forge High School. For additional details on the interchange and associated changes on the roadway, you can click here.