Some major changes are being considered for a busy highway interchange in the Quad Cities. Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Transportation will hold an open house to show its proposed improvements for the I-74 and John Deere Road interchange in Moline.
Matt Farmer from the DOT office in Dixon, says the changes would improve safety and allow for increased traffic and a smoother flow. The vertical clearance for the highway, under John Deere Road, would also be increased.
Farmer says the re-design includes something new for this area, called "diverging diamond interchanges." (see illustration) Approaching I-74 on John Deere Road, vehicles could exit to the right to get on the highway without stopping. Vehicles that wanted to cross the highway before entering would have to stop at a traffic light, and then their lanes would "cross" the lanes coming from the opposite direction - and go across the bridge on the left side.
Once across the bridge, traffic could then get on I-74 without stopping, before their lanes "crossed" to the opposite lanes again.
The open house will be held Wednesday from 1 to 6 pm at the Moline Library.