trail
How will the Trail Work?
The new DDI interchange will improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists using the Creek Turnpike Trail. With the new interchange, pedestrians will cross the roadway pavement in 3 locations (two ramps and Memorial Drive) with refuge islands between. There will be new traffic signals at the two ramp crossings (Crossing 1 and 3 in the figure below). Where the Trail crosses Memorial Drive (Crossing 2), the length of crosswalk distance has been reduced to shorten the distance pedestrians and bicyclists must cross. Both directions of travel for Memorial Drive (northbound and southbound) will be stopped with a red light to provide the Trail crossing its own green cycle.
The activation and timing for the Trail crossings will provide both improved safety and efficiency for pedestrians and cyclists. As all left and right turns of the DDI will be signalized with pedestrian islands, pedestrians will no longer face conflicts with turning vehicles, nor will pedestrians rely on vehicles yielding to the marked crosswalk at the current right turn islands.
During construction, vehicular traffic will be shifted numerous times to provide workers room to construct the project in stages, requiring the use of temporary signals and removal of existing pedestrian signals. Additionally, vehicular congestion is anticipated to be very heavy to severe for all lanes of the work zone.
For pedestrian safety during construction, the Creek Turnpike Trail will be temporarily closed. As indicated by the green arrow in the figure below, it may be possible to utilize the sidewalks located adjacent to Memorial Drive during some stages of construction to cross approximately ¼ mile further south at E. 98th St. The Creek Turnpike Trail will be reopened upon completion of construction the which is anticipated to take 18-24 months.
