Loading Video…
This browser does not support the Video element.
SARASOTA (FOX 13) - The new 'diverging diamond' interchange has opened along I-75 in Sarasota.
Drivers started using the new traffic pattern at I-75 and University Parkway around noon Sunday.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the new interchange is expected to improve efficiency and safety, as well as eliminate long lines at the left turn signals.
The diverging diamond lanes cross over each other to shift traffic to the opposite sides of the road for a brief section. That creates free flowing left turn lanes onto the on ramp of the highway.
The interchange was supposed to open early Sunday morning, but it was delayed to noon because of rain overnight.