Feb 21, 2017 3 min read

Have you experienced the diverging diamond interchange at Murtland Avenue/Route 19 and I-70 in Washington yet? It kind of reminds me of a wild ride at Kennywood or maybe the old Turnpike ride there (you know you remember pretending to drive those little cars on the metal track!)

I waited with anticipation for construction to end to see how the final layout would work. When I read officials describing how drivers would have to cross over and switch lanes, I couldn’t quite picture it in my mind despite looking at aerial photos and computer renderings. They swore it would lead to better traffic flow through the area, so who am I to question the experts’ genius, right?

I have to admit my first experience with the new traffic pattern left me scared and a bit confused. Driving north past Oak Spring Road, the lanes suddenly start to curve to the left and lead you to switch sides. This scared the daylights out of me the first time I drove it because for my entire life, traffic coming south on Route 19 under I-70 was always on that side of the road. Now, I’m driving headfirst into it… or so my brain and muscle memory told me.

What were the folks who designed this imbibing in when they dreamed up this pattern? They must be the same engineers who design mall parking lots with all of the curbs and barriers so that there’s only one place in the entire lot to get out to the main road, and finding it is like finding a needle in a haystack. It seemed counterintuitive to me to cross over and start driving the other way than you’re used to on Route 19, but I followed the leader and went with the flow… very slowly.

After all, how did I know the driver in front of me knew where he or she was supposed to go? I suddenly felt as if I were trying to drive in England on the wrong side of the road. As I reached the crest of the hill, the lanes veered back over to the right side. I started to feel a bit dizzy, but apparently that was how it was meant to flow to reduce “conflict points” where crashes usually occur.

I have driven the new pattern enough now that I at least know where I’m supposed to go, though I may never get used to it. The one glorious part of the new interchange is entering I-70 westbound from Route 19 southbound. That temporary stop sign is finally gone, and so is the massive backup it caused daily. Now, there’s a whole new huge merging lane that continues all the way through the I-79 north split. Cruising on that feels like riding on the Autobahn. That part makes this diverging diamond in the rough look a lot shinier to me.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.