One of Dolphin Expressway's Diverging Diamond Interchanges Opens Monday

Drivers looking to travel on the Dolphin Expressway will have to be prepared for a new traffic pattern taking effect on Monday.

The new Diverging Diamond Interchange traffic pattern opened shortly before 6 a.m. at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue.

MDX Engineering Director Juan Toledo said MDX wants "people to just pay attention" and to "stay in their lanes" while traveling through the new pattern.

MDX officials said they hope drivers can save between 10 and 15 minutes in their commute.

In the DDI, the travel pattern shifts to the left or opposite side of the road under the expressway. 

Drivers traveling on 27th Avenue will have to cross over to the left side of traffic as they go underneath the expressway. Then, they'll have the choice to either get on the expressway or continue on.  Once drivers pass the expressway, they will have to cross over back to the right and continue driving as normal.

"Still confusing to us. I think the best way is just to get on the road," one driver told NBC 6.

Officials are cautioning drivers to pay attention to traffic signs and new permanent markings. Law enforcement will be present for the next two weeks to help drivers get used to the pattern.

MDX officials revealed the DDI last month as a part of a modernization project that includes widening portions of the expressway to alleviate traffic. The DDI at NW 57th Avenue will open by the end of this year.

Detailed information, including alternate routes, can be found here.