CONCORD, N.C. -- Motorists found some relief Monday in navigating an area known for congestion.
A brand new diverging diamond interchange opened Monday morning at Poplar Tent Road over I-85 in Concord.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says this is the first fully-functioning diverging diamond interchange in the state.
The big change for drivers is something which might cause an initial double-take, or driving through once or twice to get comfortable with.
Your path over the interstate now takes you into what used to be the oncoming traffic lane, then it curves back once you get over the bridge.
The design eliminates left turns over oncoming traffic, which the NCDOT says will help reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.
We didn't see any issues, but one driver said he saw a car in the wrong lane and it almost caused an accident.
"You'll see more of these popping up because of the improvements to traffic flow, plus they're cheap to build because you're basically re-configuring an existing bridge instead of building a new one.
