Free Republic

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Drivers on Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County will have an easier and faster way to get around. Express lanes are being built in the southern part of the county, but that means years of construction are ahead. The Florida Department of Transportation is investing $1 billion in building express lanes from Broward County to Delray Beach. The tolled lanes would connect with the current lanes already built in Miami. "Driving on 95 right now, it is a zoo," said Christopher Tapia when asked how he'd describe driving on I-95. The express lanes project started in...

Dive Brief: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has announced the completion of the state's first-ever diverging diamond interchange (DDI), located on Interstate 70, according to Equipment World. The DDI design eliminates left turns across oncoming traffic, improving vehicle flow and decreasing the chance of accidents. The agency also chose the DDI configuration because it could use the former interchange's cloverleaf footprint, reducing the impact of construction on the area. PennDOT said it modified the traditional DDI design slightly. Dive Insight: Design is one way transportation agencies are combating gridlock resulting from increased traffic. Other tools in DOT arsenals are...

Christiana Briganti-Dunn is a civil engineer who oversees design-build projects for the Virginia Department of Transportation, but two years ago, she found herself holding a set of paint swatches up against a wall like a homeowner planning a kitchen renovation. The wall was at Chapman Mill, a five-story stone gristmill built in the 18th century near Broad Run, Va. Christiana’s job was to pick colors that would be painted on a set of bridge abutments on nearby Interstate 66. Everyone wanted the bridges to look pretty. “When we were meeting with the communities of Haymarket and western Prince William County,...