Indianas first Diverging Diamond receives ACEC award

Fort Wayne — The Indiana Department of Transportation announced the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at Interstate 69 and State Road 1 in Fort Wayne has earned Indiana’s highest engineering honor. During the 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards, hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Indiana, the DDI was named the Grand Project Award winner.

ACEC presents the Engineering Excellence awards to recognize outstanding engineering achievements that demonstrate a high degree of merit and ingenuity. Projects entered in the competition are judged on the basis of technical innovation, social and economic value and other factors.

Designed by Burgess & Niple, the interchange modification project was built to add traffic capacity and relieve congestion for an estimated 40,000 motorists who travel the interchange each day. The redesigned interchange has also improved access for emergency vehicles to the two hospitals in the area.

Additionally, the $3.5 million project features a barrier-separated median designed for pedestrians. It has proven to be a safer path for pedestrians to navigate the interchange and connect to Fort Wayne’s existing trail network.

In April, the DDI was named the Civil Engineering Project of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers Indiana section.