Blue Springs, Mo. – The City of Blue Springs in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Transportation will close Woods Chapel Road over I-70 between South Outer Road and Jefferson Street including the ramps connecting Woods Chapel to I-70 on Tuesday, September 24 at 9 p.m. The roadway will reopen as a diverging diamond interchange on Wednesday, September 25 at 5 a.m.
Northbound traffic on Woods Chapel Road will be detoured to South Outer Road and then to Highway 7. Southbound traffic on Wood Chapel Road will be detoured to Jefferson Street and also to Highway 7. The ramps to and from I-70 to Woods Chapel Road will be closed to motorists.
“We are very excited that the Diverging Diamond Interchange will be opening soon,” said Mayor Carson Ross. “That being said, we will all need to learn how to navigate through a new traffic pattern. Please give yourselves a few extra minutes for your first commute through the newly configured intersection.”
By Wednesday morning, traffic on Woods Chapel Road at I-70 will be switched to a diverging diamond with new pavement striping and a new traffic configuration. As part of the continuing work on the new interchange, westbound and eastbound I-70 will be reduced to one lane under the Woods Chapel Road Bridge from 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 25, to 5 a.m. Thursday, September 26, to install pedestrian fencing for the new sidewalk across the bridge. In addition, one lane of southbound Woods Chapel Road across the bridge will be closed for this work. If necessary, work will continue again Thursday night into Friday morning, September 27.
Diverging Diamond Interchange
A diverging diamond interchange is a type of interchange in which the two directions of traffic actually cross to the opposite side. The Federal Highway Administration thoroughly researched the concept and also found a number of benefits including:
• Fewer conflict points
• Better sight distance
• Reduced speeds
• Simpler signal timing and geometry
• More difficult wrong way entry onto ramps
• Less infrastructure to construct, maintain, and replace
• 50% lower overall project costs compared to the traditional design
• More room for trucks to maneuver
• Shorter construction schedule
Work on Phase I of the Woods Chapel Road Reconstruction Project will continue after the switch and should reach substantial completion by November 2013 with a project cost of approximately thirteen million dollars. Phase II of the Woods Chapel Road Reconstruction Project is currently undergoing utility relocations and is expected to be under construction throughout 2014 with substantial completion in the spring of 2015.
The Woods Chapel Road Reconstruction Project was made possible by the 2008 No Tax Increase Voter-Approved Bonds.
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