H.E. Bailey Spur and the Kilpatrick Turnpikes?

[plmccordj]

I tried to search for this topic before posting but found nothing. If I missed it, please feel free to move it to the correct area. I am curious to know if there are any plans to eventually connect the H.E. Bailey Spur Turnpike to the Kilpatrick Turnpike. If you follow the paths on Google Earth, they look like they are are almost together as it is. The H.E. Bailey Spur follows Highway 9 out of Norman West and then curves back to the North to Mustang Road and then curves over to Sara Road. Then where Sara Road runs into SW 15th Street, it is only a block or two from where the Kilpatrick Turnpike ends.

If you look at the KFOR weather map, they actually draw the two as though they are already connected. Even if they are not going to do it soon, I think if they EVER plan on doing it, this may be a good time to claim the area before structures are built there. I have seen this map many times and never think to come on here and ask the question. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

[adaniel]

Its always been my understanding the the Kirkpatrick Turnpike would go further south, then take a bend somewhere between Mustang and the airport, intersect with Highway 152, turn eastward and connect w/ 44 before going roughly parallel to the South Canadian River before ending at I-35 somewhere around Indian Hills Road. The only reason I know this because I knew a girl who worked at Mid American University in Moore and the OTA approched them a year ago about buying right of way from them. Unfortuantley I can't find a link showing this routing but I'm sure someone else can.

The route you describe would take the turnpike roughly to where it would connect to Highway 4 and go south into Tuttle before connecting with the Spur. The main problem with that is Mustang and Tuttle are so built up now it would get expensive to buy up all of the required right of way. But I do agree with you, the OK-4 route would be the optimal route. The current proposed way would just dump truck traffic into Norman. It would be much wiser if we could have thru traffic bypass the entire metro before that traffic enters Cleveland County. And speaking of right of way they are going to have some difficulty extending the turnpike south no matter what. There are now several neighborhoods built up around Sara Rd and SW 15th so there's going to have to be some crazy curves in the highway to go around them.

Whatever route they decide on it needs to come quick, The truck traffic through OKC on I-35 has become awful, and its really starting to wear on the road. My last trip to Norman I noticed how beat to hell some parts of 35 south look, and these are on parts that were just redone a few years ago.

[flintysooner]

See: http://www.oklongrangeplan.com/faqs/
and look at #12

Southwest Outer Loop
12. What is the status of the proposed Southwest Outer Loop around Oklahoma City?

An Outer Loop Corridor Study was conducted by ODOT, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments between 1998 and 2002.

This study identified a Southwest Outer Loop conceptual alignment that would connect the current endpoint of the Kilpatrick Turnpike (near SW 15th and Sara Road in Canadian County) and I-35 (near Indian Hills Road in Cleveland County).

A number of preliminary steps remain before this project could proceed. These steps include updating current development and land use information and conducting an environmental assessment. Additional communication and cooperation between affected local governments, ACOG, and ODOT will need to occur.

In addition, sufficient funding sources for preliminary engineering, right of way acquisition, utility relocation, design, and construction have not been identified. As a result, these projects are not currently included in the Department’s 8-Year Construction Work Program.

[OKCisOK4me]

I'm positive there used to be a topic about this on oktalk.net but that forum is no longer available. I've seen drawings before attempting to show where the route would go through. Also, I'm positive the OTA has land up in the Mustang area and I'm positive the curves can be taken care of. Ever driven the western end of the Creek Turnpike on the SW side of Tulsa. That's some nice curvature there!

[warreng88]

I remember starting a thread about this a little while back. Here you go:

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...8&daysprune=-1

[mburlison]

My ex father-in-law lives at 149th & May, and they (as far back as 1977) were considering something along 149th even then... could have changed completely by now though.

[ljbab728]

I used to live in Mustang and until about 3 years ago lived just west of the Sara Road and Hwy. 152 intersection. I definitely remember a proposal at one time to extend the highway through my house. I watched for future developments closely but never saw anything concrete.

[BPD]

I used to live in Mustang and until about 3 years ago lived just west of the Sara Road and Hwy. 152 intersection. I definitely remember a proposal at one time to extend the highway through my house. I watched for future developments closely but never saw anything concrete.

NO pun intended I hope?

[hipsterdoofus]

I don't see how the Kilpatrick can extend from its current endpoint. It looks like there are neighborhoods and houses going up around it. It almost looks like they'd need to back up and go around to the West side of the middle and elementary schools there:

[Kerry]

I don't know who approved the homes along SW21st St - but that was a major screw-up. Guess they could build a bridge over them. In retrospect - the tunpike should have gone to the north and west of Yukon and connected at where I-40 turns to the south. It could have then gone south on the west side of Mustang and connected with the HE Baily Spur near Tuttle.

[plmccordj]

If you zoom out slightly on that Google maps view, you can see how the H.E. Bailey Spur runs into Highway 4, that becomes Sara Road. All they would have to do on the Kilpatrick is cut Southeast across that field with a small road and connect to Sara Road and then it will be a complete connection to I-35. Then in 20 years or so when they decide to expand, and they want to turn it into a freeway, they will already have the path secured.

I use to live in Phoenix, AZ and they did that very thing. The current Agua Fria Freeway on the West side of town was once 99th Avenue that had signs marking it as the future Agua Fria Freeway. Now if you go look at it on Google Maps you can see that it is a full blown freeway. I remember when it was 99th Avenue. I think if they just cut across the field with a narrow road, then they will have the path available to them when they are ready to expand.