In September 2022 the Ministry of Transportation opened the province’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI). This interchange is located at The Queen Elizabeth Way and Glendale Avenue in Niagara.

The main goal of this type of interchange is to reduce the gridlock and increase traffic flow for motorists entering and exiting the expressway.

This interchange means that vehicles will have direct access to all expressway on and off ramps. It eliminates the left turns in front of oncoming traffic accessing the on and off ramps and uses interconnected crossover lanes that are controlled by traffic lights and signs.

Drivers accessing the expressway, will follow signs to the specific ramp. The lanes on the bridge actually flip to the left side of the road in order to facilitate access to the expressway and then back to the right side.

There are other diverging diamond interchanges in other parts of Canada, Calgary and Regina.

The diagram is from the Ministry of Transportation. It shows how the flow of traffic works to access the expressway and how the lane crossover works with directional arrows.