BELARDO, EDWARD C.

GROUP #16
LEDDA, NEIL JOHN S.
BSCE-V

DUMBBELL INTERCHANGE

A dumbbell interchange.
A Dumbbell Interchange is a compact and comparatively low cost Grade Separated
Junction design which only requires a single bridge across the major route. At either end
of the bridge two small roundabouts provide access to the slip roads for all traffic. It has
become increasingly common in recent years for new junction design, even between two
major routes.
The majority of Dumbbell interchanges are built at locations where two routes cross each
other at something approaching right angles. However, by increasing the size of one
roundabout, it can also be used to allow two parallel routes to meet, with a spur across the
major road. In such circumstances, the far, terminal roundabout may be converted into a
'teardrop' as there is no traffic making that final movement on the roundabout.
Dumbbells are also common where full movements are not necessarily required, for
example where there are only south facing sliproads. Similarly, a number of
former Diamond interchanges have been converted to Dumbbells in recent years, to try
and reduce queuing on sliproads amongst other reasons.
The ramp intersections may also be configured as a pair of roundaboutsto create a type of
diamond interchange often called a dumbbell interchange (due to its aerial resemblance
to a dumbbell), and sometimes called a double roundabout interchange. Because
roundabouts can generally handle traffic with fewer approach lanes than other
intersection types, interchange construction costs can be reduced by eliminating the need
for a wider bridge. This configuration allows other roads to form approach legs to the
roundabouts and also allows easy U-turns.
This type of interchange is common in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and is becoming
increasingly common in the United States. Examples of dumbbell interchanges in the
United States are located on Interstate 35 in Medford, Minnesota, on Interstate
87 in Malta, New York, on Interstate 17 at Happy Valley Road north of Phoenix,
Arizona, and on Interstate 80 at California State Route 89 (exit 185) in Truckee,
California. An example in Canada is found on the Pat Bay Highway in North Saanich,
British Columbia, near Victoria International Airport.
One or both roundabouts in the dumbbell interchange may also contain side lanes to
increase the capacity. A good example of such a "turbo" dumbbellinterchange, which was
formerly a half cloverleaf, can be seen in Jülich, Germany at 50.914055°N 6.323368°E.
There are interchanges similar to dumbbells in which the ramps do not meet the
roundabouts at intersections; these more closely resemble bowtie intersections. One such
interchange exists at the junction between the Ruta Interbalnearia and Route 35 North
near La Floresta, Uruguay

The dumbbell is a hybrid between the diamond and the roundabout interchange, which
makes it a very close relative of both. Its name derives from the way its two roundabouts
linked by a single bridge resemble a weightlifter's dumbbell.
The UK's first full motorway interchange was a variation on the dumbbell: it was a folded
dumbbell (or if you like, a parclo with roundabouts), with two of the sliproads looped to
turn 180 degrees. It was built at M6 J31 Samlesbury, on the Preston Bypass, and opened
in 1958. It has since been converted to something a bit more like a standard dumbbell. A
few others with folded sliproads were installed in the earliest parts of the motorway
network; one of those that remain intact is at M50 J1.
The main advantage of this type of junction is that it can provide most of the capacity of a
roundabout interchange, but with the smaller footprint and the single bridge of a diamond
junction. Smaller, cheaper and nearly as good.
Typically, a dumbbell can't quite match the capacity or speed of a full roundabout
interchange unless the two roundabouts are made very large and the bridge is a dual
carriageway, so its typical home is on expressways and upgraded A-roads, where it
provides a reasonably high capacity junction without taking up too much room.
The earliest example of what we now consider a standard dumbbell, as pictured above,
may be M62 J31 at Normanton, which opened in 1974, but which has been significantly
altered since then.
We've already covered the argument about space. On any road scheme where space is at a
premium, it may be possible to install a dumbbell interchange where a roundabout
interchange wouldn't fit. Of course, it's possible — with careful design — to make a
roundabout interchange very small, if the roundabout is only just big enough to span the
main road. But a dumbbell can also win the day with a cheaper construction cost,
requiring only one bridge instead of two.
There are some locations where a dumbbell has an advantage because several roads
connect at the junction, and if there are significant traffic flows that don't interact with the
motorway, and instead are just going between two surface roads, a dumbbell can keep
that traffic off to one side, rather than have it circumnavigate a huge roundabout and
cross the motorway twice.
The last reason might be that you're replacing an existing roundabout interchange. If the
motorway is being widened, and the bridges have to be rebuilt to accommodate the
increased width, it's possible to make the job simpler by building one new, wider bridge
in the middle of the old junction, convert it into a dumbbell, and then demolish the old
bridges. That's the history of the dumbbell junction at M6 J20 near Lymm, which used to
be a two-bridge roundabout interchange and got one new bridge in the middle when the
M6 gained a fourth lane.

Advantages

 Cheaper than a roundabout interchange, with just one bridge and less land take.
 An easy-to-build step up from the diamond junction.
 Often takes up less space than other types of junction.
 Easily upgraded with traffic signals.

Disadvantages

 Lower capacity than the roundabout interchange, with two roundabouts often
functioning less effectively than one.
 Often installed today where a larger but more expensive junction would have been
built in the past.

Variations
Most variations can be accounted for by the installation of a roundabout on only one side
of a diamond junction. There are also numerous unique layouts that involve two or more
roundabouts and which are best described as dumbbell derivatives.
You can also perform all the same sliproad gymnastics as with a diamond, by putting
some or all of the sliproads on the same side of the roundabouts, turning some of them
into loops and creating a folded dumbbell.