This $8.5 million project involved reconstructing a 0.9-mile urban and rural section roadway of 4-/6-lanes with sidewalk, multi-use path, and bike lanes, including a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) for WIS 26 in the City of Janesville. The previous interchange formation was more straightforward but caused congested traffic, whereas a Diverging Diamond Interchange is more complex but allows free-flowing turns and eliminates the left turn against oncoming traffic.
KL’s team, led by Kevin Wehner and Mike Scarmon, completed a massive traffic analysis, traffic signal design, and signal timing effort for this project.
Wehner shared, “I got the opportunity to work on this project early on in my career. It was a great experience to design signals for a new type of interchange with a simple operating principle. We developed multiple alternatives for facilitating the progression of drivers through the interchange. Each intersection along the WIS 26 corridor was analyzed to find the right balance between safety, simplicity, and efficiency.”
Scarmon further explained, “With this type of interchange, pedestrians are required to cross multiple ramps and need to use a center-running path under a wide freeway overpass. We worked hard to make sure all aspects of the interchange were designed to be well marked, signed, lighted, and to confirm with ADA standards. Our team was focused on making this interchange safe and easy for pedestrians and cyclists to use.”
This amazing project has been honored with four awards: a 2023 WisDOT Excellence in Highway Design Award, the ASCE Wisconsin Section 2023 Engineering Achievement Award, the ACEC Wisconsin 2024 Engineering Excellence “Best of State” Award, and a 2024 ACEC National Recognition Award.
Know someone who is ready to make a change? KL Engineering is always looking for great talent to join our award-winning team! Check out our Careers page for more details and learn what #ABetterExperience is all about. https://klengineering.com/careers/
