How well does a diverging diamond really work?

It’s the latest traffic craze: the diverging diamond interchange.

Plans for two diverging diamonds are underway in Southwest Florida, and it poses the question: is it worth the hassle?

WINK News Reporter Amy Galo made the trip up to the Sarasota-Manatee County line, where the first-ever diverging diamond in Florida has been in place since 2017 and asked that question.

Intersections like these temporarily allow for two directions of traffic to cross to the left side of the road.

“You feel like you’re in Britain or something like that,” said a driver in Sarasota.

The Sarasota diverging diamond is located at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. It was put in to alleviate heavy traffic.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, projects like these see a significant reduction in serious crash rates and interchange delay times. They also increase in overall capacity.

• RELATED: More changes near Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers
• RELATED: FDOT making upgrades to I-75 diverging diamond interchange

“It’s an efficient flow of traffic,” said Joe Gagliano, a Sarasota resident. “The only complaint I have is that the lights sometimes take a little too long.”

It does, however, take some getting used to.

“At first, it took me just a little time just to focus,” said Lindie Freed, a Sarasota resident. “I would just follow the person in front of me.”

But over time, Freed got over her nerves, and now, she’s thankful for the change. Many others are too.

“As long as people pay attention to what they’re doing,” said Gagliano. “It’s no problem.”

As Southwest Florida prepares to get its first diamond interchange in Naples at Pine Ridge Road and another in Fort Myers at Colonial Boulevard, drivers in Sarasota have a message for their neighbors down south.

“Don’t worry, stay calm and just keep your head and your eyes on the lights,” said Freed.

With an eye roll, Gagliano added: “Try it. You’ll like it.”

FDOT provided the below statistics regarding the area where they are implementing the diverging diamond interchange.

“We have some specific data for the I-75/University Parkway that we can share:

“Based on analysis and crash data from January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2015 (before the project), and from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022 (after the project), the following conclusions were determined:

• 10% reduction in the occurrence of all crashes. This reduction can be attributed to the construction of the DDI intersection improvement with a confidence of 90%.
• 25% reduction in the occurrence of injury crashes. This reduction can be attributed to the construction of the DDI intersection improvement with a confidence of 99%.”

There is a meeting happening Thursday night that will provide more information on Thursday starting at 5 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. The meeting is at the North Collier Regional Park’s Exhibit Hall at 15000 Livingston Road.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting. Some of the topics covered will be what Collier County’s diverging diamond interchange will do and when Collier County’s diverging diamond project will start.