The Broadus Interchange is officially completed! People in the county have not all been in agreement that it is a good thing, but maybe now that the necessary inconvenience of the construction work is completed, and Miles City starts getting more trucking, hotel and restaurant traffic – many minds will change over to the positive side.
Below is an article we received about the interchange, and since it includes some very well put together links and an explanation of how to safely use the interchange, we thought it would be both enjoyable – and informative. And to make it even more interesting we’ve added some pertinent visual goodies.
Miles City Broadus Interchange – Construction Complete
Originally constructed as a farm-interchange in 1961, today the Broadus interchange serves as the primary gateway to Miles City. Increased population growth and commercial activity in the area have resulted in traffic volumes that exceed what the original Interchange was designed to handle.
Folks in Miles City have waited patiently for the completion of the new Broadus Interchange over the last two years. The Broadus Interchange project is a community-driven solution to reduce congestion and improve the operation and safety of the existing I 94 interchange at South Haynes. It focuses on adding capacity to accommodate future growth in the community while reducing the potential for crashes at the Interchange.
This year’s construction was a mirror image of last year’s, with crews replacing the westbound bridge structure and off- and on-ramps and forming the opposite roundabout. Both new roundabouts are now completed, along with the new bridge structure and off- and on-ramps.
The project replaced and upgraded the bridges crossing South Haynes Avenue. The structures now provide additional clearance for large vehicles and line-of-sight improvements for motorists turning onto South Haynes Avenue from the interstate. Each bridge is also wide enough to accommodate a future expansion of South Haynes Ave. as the community continues to grow. In addition to the structure replacements, all four interchange ramps were widened and lengthened to add additional capacity to the Interchange and improve acceleration onto, and deceleration from, the interstate.
The new pair of roundabouts at the intersections located immediately north and south of I-94 will significantly reduce the potential for crashes at the intersection while improving traffic flow and alleviating congestion.
MDT District Administrator Shane Mintz says he expects reactions to the new roundabouts to be mixed at first, as people get used to driving the completed Interchange in a new way. “What we’ve seen with roundabout openings in other parts of the state is drivers are a little anxious at first, but after a couple of trips through the intersection they adapt quickly,” he said.
Mintz offered a few helpful tips for drivers who are new to roundabouts:
- Slow down when approaching a roundabout and be prepared to stop.
- Look to the left and yield to pedestrians and approaching traffic already in the roundabout.
- Once you see a gap in traffic, enter the roundabout, and proceed to your street/exit. If there is no traffic in the roundabout, you may enter any time.
- Travel around the circle in a counterclockwise direction until you reach your desired street/exit.
MDT has produced a series of short videos focused on motorists, large-trucks, and pedestrians to help roundabout beginners get started.
As always, MDT would like to thank the traveling public for their patience and understanding throughout the construction of the Interchange over the last two years.
From,
The Broadus Interchange Team
