Design saves $66 million for Ohio River Bridges Project
December 22, 2009 - A major cost-reducing reconfiguration of the IN-265/IN-62 interchange has been unveiled for Clark County, Ind. It's a Diverging Diamond, a unique concept for the U.S., but one that has been used in Europe for many years.
A Diverging Diamond is a more efficient design than a full cloverleaf because it has a smaller footprint, meaning less right-of-way land will be purchased. It also allows the use of existing overpass bridges.
"This design is cutting the cost in half," says Kevin Hetrick, the project manager of the Ohio River Bridges Project (ORBP) for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The preliminary estimate from the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was $118 million. The new estimate based on the Diverging Diamond is approximately $52 million. Read More »