Long awaited ‘diverging diamond’ interchange opens in Lacey
The Marvin Road overpass in Lacey is now a “diverging diamond” interchange after crews finished their weekend work early, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The overpass was completely shut down on Friday, and it was expected to remain so through early Monday morning; instead, it reopened late Sunday, a spokeswoman said.
“Crews have successfully completed work on the overpass well ahead of schedule,” WSDOT officials said in a news release.
However, the new overpass has opened with a temporary configuration, which includes reduced lanes through mid-September. That will create some congestion until then, spokesman Doug Adamson said.
“If we get good weather, we’re hopeful to have the project fully complete before the end of the year,” he said.
Why build a diverging diamond interchange? The state says it helps ease congestion and reduces the potential for crashes.
Miso Fresh co-owner Ryan Rommann, who operates a restaurant in Hawks Prairie, said Monday he was glad the new overpass finally opened because construction has been “rough and inconvenient” for the business. He added, though, that the state was always good about communicating its construction plans.
“It’s a huge improvement over what it was,” he said about the new interchange.
As for driving across it, Rommann said it was easy, but it will still take some getting used to.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
