To fix rush hour problems, You'd need to make I-35 12 lanes (both directions, 6 lanes each direction) from I-40 to Norman, 12 lanes from expressway to i-240, make I-240 10 lanes both directions, 3 thru lanes to get to i-35 south from I-240, I35 would be like 18 lanes wide near I35/I240 interchange if everything was perfect.... i-40 would need to be 10 thru lanes from yukon to mwc, but your taxes would probably double to afford it all, so deal with minimal rush hour traffic for now..It is nothing compared to most cities of this size.

Once the I235 and I-44 section is done, the only slow going sections will be I-35 from downtown OKC to Moore, I-44 from Route 66 to I-240, I-40 from Council to Yukon exits, other than that it should be smooth sailing during rush hour.

Even 3 thru lanes on every interstate and 2 transition lanes from each direction would fix most rush hour problems, its all about $$. Concrete aint cheap.

Outside of what Kerry will probably repeat from his earlier statements, that a functioning highway will encourage more people to use it. A major issue with how rush hour clogs the interstates is that you need design and policy to get more volume through the junctures than is carried on the mainlines to keep traffic from backing up, however almost every interstate juncture does the opposite in a few ways and as congestion forms there it then spreads back just getting worse till traffic load drops hour(s) later.

Drove it today at 7:20. It was a 15 - mph grind until Penn and Western, with half of the traffic getting off at those off ramps. Hardly anyone got off on Shields. You pick up an extra lane at the Penn exit so it actually picked up. The Skydance bridge is an incredible beast to drive under.....it has the WOW factor going on. The speed picked up to 65 after Western, and the East end was no issue. I also like the boathouse view......
Was on it right about the same time but I exited on Penn...experienced the same as you...taking the same route for the last 3 months to get to work on the old with those construction twists & turns and never had to come to a near stop like I did Friday morning and crawl over the lanes of traffic to get to the exit. Still faster than going 10th to Penn.

Hopefully it is all temp and when they get more lanes opened up and folks get used to it...but then again, Hefner Parkway has the same problem with traffic backed up bad at NW Highway, a little less at the next exit and so forth. Every curve in the road has the person in the front deciding to slow down to 40 or less or slow down to try to get over to an exit ramp etc. Odd thing i noticed a while back even though there wasn't any construction on HP, the slow downs happen regularly, yet at the same time, go through the ever changing construction zone that was Broadway Extension a while back (from I-44 north) and people were flying thru there at 55 or more (and down to 2 lanes). Go figure.

I find it amusing people were actually expecting a smooth transition from one the new section to the other. If had still had to use I -40 for my commute I would have taken a different route to work for at least the first few days. Thanks to a transfer my commute is now seven minutes of city streets.

The off ramp situation reminds me of how people react to locked doors on public buildings. One set of doors will be locked however, a short walk one direction or the other there is another entrance. They will pound on the door or get frustrated and walk away. Meanwhile every other person quickly decides to try the other door or use another entrance.

http://fingercandymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/square-peg-round-hole.jpg

I took the new crosstown yesterday during rush hour. I had quite a wait getting from I-44 southbound to I-40 in the first place. Western was terrible. I had read the map before hand and realized that Shields would be the better way to go. When I got off the ramp at Shields I was the only one at the light. I told my coworker who lives west of town to take Shields and since she is not that familiar with downtown after I said Shields turns into EK Gaylord turns into Broadway that sounded a little intimidating to her so she decided to take Western with every one else. I got to work about 30 minutes before she did. I think that persuaded her to take Shields the next time.

It doesn't bother me because I know the streets downtown well, but at the Shields exit, why can't they put something like:

Exit -->
Shields Blvd
EK Gaylord Ave
Broadway Ave

Then after you exit but before you get to the light put something like the following:

<-- To
EK Gaylord Ave
Broadway Ave

The exits off of I-235 list multiple downtown streets, why can't I-40?

It doesn't bother me because I know the streets downtown well, but at the Shields exit, why can't they put something like:

Exit -->
Shields Blvd
EK Gaylord Ave
Broadway Ave

Then after you exit but before you get to the light put something like the following:

<-- To
EK Gaylord Ave
Broadway Ave

The exits off of I-235 list multiple downtown streets, why can't I-40?

I also don't know why the same stretch of road has three different names.

I drove on it today! It was great, it felt like I was in another city. I loved how I could see the river and parks in my view for most of the trip. I like how the walls get bigger as you get in downtown with O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A C-I-T-Y on the wall. I can't believe some of the people said it was bumpy. I drive a very bumpy truck and it was so smooth. The only bump I felt was when we go over the canal bridge. Plus, the cracks that are tires hit on the long stretches, are due to the lanes being offset during the temporary constructions.

I drove on it today! It was great, it felt like I was in another city. I loved how I could see the river and parks in my view for most of the trip. I like how the walls get bigger as you get in downtown with O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A C-I-T-Y on the wall. I can't believe some of the people said it was bumpy. I drive a very bumpy truck and it was so smooth. The only bump I felt was when we go over the canal bridge. Plus, the cracks that are tires hit on the long stretches, are due to the lanes being offset during the temporary constructions.

As you can see on the video I posted, it is a little bumpy. My car has a pretty tight suspension. Driving to Lawton on I-44 is rough.

Camera shaking slightly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpW0xq-6rdE&feature=related&hd=1


BpW0xq-6rdE&feature=related&hd=1

It is not nearly as smooth as Broadway extension from I-44 to Edmond.

SSEiYah, you don't understand Kerry's point. He is being sarcastic and thinks there should not be a freeway of any size through downtown. He's against freeways of any kind and thinks we should only have cow paths around town.

Yes, that is what I mean. Give me a break.

http://oclblog.wordpress.com/category/highway-planning/


Gridlock! Traffic! Crying Wolf in Seoul
April 1, 2011

What would happen if they took out what was considered a vital traffic artery carrying 168,000 cars per day? Lots! Improved travel time, improved environment, increased property values, more public space, revitalized central business district.

Kamala Rao, MCIP, Transportation Planner in Vancouver, BC, and a Sightline board member, profiles Seoul’s success story of urban highway removal at Sightline Daily.

Before and after
http://oclblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/seoul-before-and-after.jpg

http://daily.sightline.org/wp-content/images/legacy/koreaseoulcheonggyecheon01-ddef2bd82254b946ed473403870d29be-preview.jpg



If you need proof that removing urban freeways increase property values and improves livability just watch what happens along the old I-40 route over the next few years.

^^did you happen to fly in to OKC and take part in that occupy OKC movement at the dedication of the new I-40 on Thursday? Because if you didn't then boy did you miss out.

Yes, that is what I mean. Give me a break.

http://oclblog.wordpress.com/category/highway-planning/



If you need proof that removing urban freeways increase property values and improves livability just watch what happens along the old I-40 route over the next few years.


I didn't see any cows in that picture, Kerry. It's a failure.

If you need proof that removing urban freeways increase property values and improves livability just watch what happens along the old I-40 route over the next few years.

You obviously forget where you live. Oklahoma City is one of the most fossil fuel dependent cities in the country. Without gasoline we'd be f***ed. Just saying.Public transit is non-existent here and you need to have good freeways to get around. We cant remove freeways/interstates since the infrastructure/economy here depends on it. Have fun with the commute from 122nd and Council to downtown with your bicycle. For now we need good interstates and OKC has them for the most part until gas is $10/gal. Once I-40 is done I should be able to get from my house from my house in Edgemere Park area (NW 35th and I-235 area) to Portland/I40 area in roughly 10 minutes during rush hour....Hopefully. No complaints here.

As far as increasing property values. I think the new replacement boulevard will increase property values. You will probably see some chains/big box stores replacing the abandoned warehouses, hopefully some higher density developments. Hopefully it turns into a more Urban-style Mixed use multi-floor Development vs the NW Expressway-suburban-style developments which have been popular in the last 20+ years. Eventually Higher Density development will be more favorable once oil prices reach crazy prices. Higher density developments are the wave of the future.

You obviously forget where you live. Oklahoma City is one of the most fossil fuel dependent cities in the country. Without gasoline we'd be f***ed. Just saying.Public transit is non-existent here and you need to have good freeways to get around. We cant remove freeways/interstates since the infrastructure/economy here depends on it. Have fun with the commute from 122nd and Council to downtown with your bicycle. For now we need good interstates and OKC has them for the most part until gas is $10/gal. Once I-40 is done I should be able to get from my house from my house in Edgemere Park area (NW 35th and I-235 area) to Portland/I40 area in roughly 10 minutes during rush hour....Hopefully. No complaints here.

As far as increasing property values. I think the new replacement boulevard will increase property values. You will probably see some chains/big box stores replacing the abandoned warehouses, hopefully some higher density developments. Hopefully it turns into a more Urban-style Mixed used multi-floor Development vs the NW Expressway-suburban-style developments which have been popular in the last 20 years.

SSEiYah, you're wasting your time in trying to reason with Kerry about that. And he doesn't live here. He lives in Jacksonville. I appreciate your comments but please try to leave out the expletives. It adds nothing to the discussion.

(I was joking about the broken-down Nissan truck, cuz I have a Nissan truck, too.)

I just got back from Deaconess ER (refer to my latest Facebook status), then onto Walgreens on MacArthur before getting on I-40. It was hard to pinpoint the switchover, because it was dark. I tried to watch carefully to see how they did it. Anyway, the stretch is beautiful!!! The bridges and side walls are all artistically designed and painted. The lanes are very wide (way bigger than shown in pix). I think only 3 is open right now, but I may have noticed the 4th lane all the way to the left. Overall, the drive is smooth, but there are some bit of rough patches along the way, which I hope they will repair. Oh, special thanks to OKCTalk, there are now two giant flashing signs informing the drivers, "DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC USE SHIELDS BLVD." However, I looked very carefully and do not see OKLAHOMA CITY on any of the walls. The Skydance bridge is beautiful, but its only for eastbound drivers to enjoy, and yes, the lights were off, so no pictures from me. Its further away from Devon Tower, but it still look real tall, but not as scary tall, cuz of the distance now. I can feel it..just know it that when it is all completed, there will be zero traffic congestion, unless a major accident take up two lanes. Usually, an accident take up one lane, that will leave three lanes. Most definitely will be so smooth when its all said and done. Thunder officially give a grade of A-. This will turn into A+ once some rough patches are smoothed.

How about some trees? Will there be trees all along both sides? I was thinking, since this interstate-forty will be passing through a grand central park, we should accent the entire stretch with trees and landscaping. That will for sure be a huge plus for OKC, and all the trees will just absolutely love to absorb the pollution from the vehicles, which will overall help OKC greatly with weather.

Btw, try driving westbound at night (during the dark) and just stare at the bare old eastbound. Its real sad and heart-breaking to see our history closer to doom. It served our ancestors for many generations, including us.

SPECIAL REQUEST

Whoever have the picture of the old eastbound I-40, can you make a "NEVER FORGET" picture with the date it officially closed? I feel that its worth remembering it. Also make one for westbound when its time.

[QUOTE=Thunder;497043] Its real sad and heart-breaking to see our history closer to doom. It served our ancestors for many generations, including us[QUOTE]

I'm glad you approve but I don't share your nostalgia about the elevated I40. I was around here for many years before it was built and won't miss it at all.

I will miss the elevated aspect as I like looking out over the City

You obviously forget where you live. Oklahoma City is one of the most fossil fuel dependent cities in the country. Without gasoline we'd be f***ed. Just saying.Public transit is non-existent here and you need to have good freeways to get around. We cant remove freeways/interstates since the infrastructure/economy here depends on it. Have fun with the commute from 122nd and Council to downtown with your bicycle. For now we need good interstates and OKC has them for the most part until gas is $10/gal. Once I-40 is done I should be able to get from my house from my house in Edgemere Park area (NW 35th and I-235 area) to Portland/I40 area in roughly 10 minutes during rush hour....Hopefully. No complaints here.

As far as increasing property values. I think the new replacement boulevard will increase property values. You will probably see some chains/big box stores replacing the abandoned warehouses, hopefully some higher density developments. Hopefully it turns into a more Urban-style Mixed use multi-floor Development vs the NW Expressway-suburban-style developments which have been popular in the last 20+ years. Eventually Higher Density development will be more favorable once oil prices reach crazy prices. Higher density developments are the wave of the future.

Care to guess how much the State of Oklahoma has spent on freeway construction around OKC in the last 20 years? Any idea how extensive of a mass transit system they could have built with the same amount of money and how many billions of dollars OKC residence would have saved in gasoline alone?

Good Video Thanks

Good video SSEiYah. I drove the new I-40 recently, and here are my thoughts.

The Pros:


Seems to be room to grow.
The scissor-tailed bridge thing is pretty cool.
The surrounding construction looks modern/quality.
The lower elevation does not greatly reduce visibility to downtown until you are right upon the center of town.


The Cons:


Absolutely horrible signage. Hopefully this will get better quickly.
It is amazing to me that there are so few exits into downtown. Once you're in the core there's Western and Shields and that's it. I checked out the Shields exit and I have to say it feels like it is dumping you out in no mans land. I don't know how popular that is going to be.
I think the exit arrangement is actually quite poor for Midtown and some of the newer (and at least until now) growing portions of west downtown.
I was a little surprised at how rough the road felt considering it is brand new. Like the previous poster said it is not as nice/smooth as the new I-235.
It's not really five lanes. It is mostly three lanes, and occasionally four. For whatever reason they have the fifth lane barricaded throughout.
The I-40 east-bound exit onto I-35 is a joke. Blink and you will miss it. Actually make it and you'll be sad.
It will be a disaster during Thunder games. Everyone is going to take Western.


So basically pretty standard OKC fare... two steps forward and one back. It'll probably become more usable in 2-3 years after some corrections.

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

It's a fantastic thing for downtown, moving the crosstown will allow it to grow. Why do so many people on here assume that everyone traveling down I-40 is automatically going to go into downtown OKC? Most people traveling down an interstate aren't going to stop, they are heading from point A to point B and are only looking to stop at places that are an easy off and on from the interstate. Also, not everyone going into downtown uses I-40, so I don't think it is going to be a ghost town now that I-40 has moved and has limited access.

Personally, I prefer highways with limited access - it makes for much faster and safer travel.

I can only speak for myself, but if I am going downtown I am now going to always use I-35 and cut across from there. Maybe that is what the city wanted, I don't know. But I-40 is too ineffective for me as an entry point into downtown now. Sadly that makes west downtown seem farther away.

I can tell you that as someone who does not live downtown, if roads are continued to be built that as a direct result add another 10 or 20 minutes to my commute to McNellie's or a place like that, then I will stop going downtown. Since I have no desire to live downtown, that ends me as a customer. Since I go to restaurants and bar hop and occasionally talk to people, I know that the vast majority of folks down there don't live anywhere near downtown OKC, so again I just don't know how good a thing this is for the city if others are in a similar situation. Hopefully we can get more housing and apartments built down there before this horrid highway kills everything off.

You did a good job of mentioning the negatives so here are some positives:

Odot claims over half of the i-40 crosstown traffic is throughput, meaning not planning to stop in the city. Much of this is semitrucks that are very loud and unpleasant. Moving this traffic into a less desirable area (southside) will quiet downtown and make it more pleasant.

Since the previous crosstown lasted 50 years, that may be a reasonable guess as to the life span of this crosstown. So when we look at that broad of a time horizion, we have to account for gas prices. They have nearly tripled in the last 12 years. If they triple to nearly $10 in the next 12 years (which is entirely possible given the forces that increased demand and decreased supply should not change), many less people will be taking highways to work. Highways will become much more of a commercial form of transportation than they already are.

My prediction and hope is that these 5 blocks south of downtown will become dense residential development so that when gas prices rise further the effect will be minimalized.

Good video SSEiYah. I drove the new I-40 recently, and here are my thoughts.

The Pros:


Seems to be room to grow.
The scissor-tailed bridge thing is pretty cool.
The surrounding construction looks modern/quality.
The lower elevation does not greatly reduce visibility to downtown until you are right upon the center of town.


The Cons:


Absolutely horrible signage. Hopefully this will get better quickly.
It is amazing to me that there are so few exits into downtown. Once you're in the core there's Western and Shields and that's it. I checked out the Shields exit and I have to say it feels like it is dumping you out in no mans land. I don't know how popular that is going to be.
I think the exit arrangement is actually quite poor for Midtown and some of the newer (and at least until now) growing portions of west downtown.
I was a little surprised at how rough the road felt considering it is brand new. Like the previous poster said it is not as nice/smooth as the new I-235.
It's not really five lanes. It is mostly three lanes, and occasionally four. For whatever reason they have the fifth lane barricaded throughout.
The I-40 east-bound exit onto I-35 is a joke. Blink and you will miss it. Actually make it and you'll be sad.
It will be a disaster during Thunder games. Everyone is going to take Western.


So basically pretty standard OKC fare... two steps forward and one back. It'll probably become more usable in 2-3 years after some corrections.

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

Actually, if they applied Just the Facts ideas there wouldn't be a boulevard going though the old route. So we will never know how well his ideas would work like relying on Reno. I don't have a problems with the theory of his ideas. I just don't think we can jump right to them cold turkey.

I agree about the signage, but I think that will improve. For one thing, the Shields and I-35 southbound/ northbound standards are completely missing and their using temporary signs. Don't know why the Shields sign is missing, but I think the crossover lane is in the way for where the foundation for the standard for the I-35 ramp signs are suppose to go. Also, some of the standards on the west end are having to hold signs for both eastbound and westbound lanes under this temporary configuration so sign space is limited.

I-35 exit will improve once they build the retaining walls on the left hand side and remove the the temporary southbound ramp they had set up. They have the left hand lane after the crossover closed right now for them to do that work.

They have the fifth lane in the middle closed because its hard enough merging four lanes into three, much less five lanes into three. Again, this will change once the crossovers are removed in about 6-8 months.

The western side of downtown will see all of its connections restored once that section of the boulevard is complete. Should be the first section to open up.
The eastern side of downtown has Shields/EK Gaylord which will eventually connect to the boulevard which will provided easier access to the central parts of downtown.

Your current assessment is fair. Just promised to reevaluate once everything is completed.

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

That is because you are looking at it from the surban driver's point of view. Over the next few years that will continue to become the minority point of view. Now that I-40 has moved south the area along the old I-40 route will improve. In 10 years most people won't able to comprehend that an interstate even ran through the area.

Care to guess how much the State of Oklahoma has spent on freeway construction around OKC in the last 20 years? Any idea how extensive of a mass transit system they could have built with the same amount of money and how many billions of dollars OKC residence would have saved in gasoline alone?

And care to guess how many empty mass transit cars there would be daily, and what a waste of money this would have been. IMO

I can only speak for myself, but if I am going downtown I am now going to always use I-35 and cut across from there. Maybe that is what the city wanted, I don't know. But I-40 is too ineffective for me as an entry point into downtown now. Sadly that makes west downtown seem farther away.

I can tell you that as someone who does not live downtown, if roads are continued to be built that as a direct result add another 10 or 20 minutes to my commute to McNellie's or a place like that, then I will stop going downtown. Since I have no desire to live downtown, that ends me as a customer. Since I go to restaurants and bar hop and occasionally talk to people, I know that the vast majority of folks down there don't live anywhere near downtown OKC, so again I just don't know how good a thing this is for the city if others are in a similar situation. Hopefully we can get more housing and apartments built down there before this horrid highway kills everything off.

Patience Patience Patience, once the new boulevard is built, getting to any location in Downtown will be a breeze.

Explored more of the route today and I agree that the Shields route could be intimidating if you never came from that way before. The first thing that greats you coming off of I-40 is an unattractive stoplight that they literally grabbed from a stoplight salvage yard. Their not the nice black ones that they have at the other I-40 intersections. Its obvious that the contractor and subcontractors for the central section didn't have time to finish all of the signs and stoplights because of the earlier than expected opening and they had to slap something together.

Also, they were working today on the east end demolishing the old eastbound lanes and building the crossover lanes. Pretty good progress for it only being switched over for four days now.

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

It's just this forum. People love to complain.

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

I second diggyba. If you were to go out and ask a normal person they wouldn't even bat an eye to some of the biggest "problems" that people go back and forth on here over. Certain people on here give OKC a bad rep.

Saw Bellaboo's reaction to the Skydancer and decided to drive the new highway at a relatively light traffic time. I'd have to say the Skydancer has more of an OMG factor. Daggon thing has a for sure distraction potential. As to fewer exits, I'm in favor. I-240 and those exits every 1/4 mile is a nightmare. I don't know which is worse, trying to get onto or off of 240.

When is the new boulevard bieng built?

That is because you are looking at it from the surban driver's point of view. Over the next few years that will continue to become the minority point of view. Now that I-40 has moved south the area along the old I-40 route will improve. In 10 years most people won't able to comprehend that an interstate even ran through the area.

You seem to have a distorted sense of how development happens, you do not go from something like above 98% of the population being suburbanish to a majority being urban in a few years. It will take around ten years before we have all of the seeds for public transportation downtown, then there is no getting around the long lead times in building mid rises, high rises and mass transit expansion. At earliest we are looking at a few decades not a few years for the possibility of it becoming a minority point of view. Several of the plans that you have brought up have absolutely zero support for a transition period.

i can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. are people in this city really that lazy?

the freeway isn't even done, people.

yes

Drove it today to the art museum. Nice but yup, was appalled to see only the two exits downtown. It's going to be fun for commuters when weather or other issues clogs those arteries. But, yeah, the throughput is going to be much better and it will be less dicey in that area than with some of the old short ramps.

as for "fewer" exits, it's something I had to get 'used to' here in North Dallas, but have come to appreciate. The key, though, is to have the frontage/service roads that can handle a high-volume of traffic as well.

I noticed in Austin and in other areas the highway exits and on ramps are between the major cross streets. So it avoids the bottleneck 150 yards from the stoplight. Traffic flows off the highway and still gives drivers time to get in the proper lane while at speed instead of getting off and then trying to jump across a few lanes of traffic while slowing down and merging at the same time.

For those that have driven on the new I-40 now, can one see the land run monuments very well, or does it look like one will be able to when the westbound lanes open up?

Saw Bellaboo's reaction to the Skydancer and decided to drive the new highway at a relatively light traffic time.

This is called induced demand.

Patience Patience Patience, once the new boulevard is built, getting to any location in Downtown will be a breeze.

Move the urban freeway out of the way and traffic will improve. I don't know why that is so controversial when everyone agrees.

Move the urban freeway out of the way and traffic will improve. I don't know why that is so controversial when everyone agrees.

But no one agrees!

I drove through today at 7:05 this morning. Clear sailing, no backups and the traffic was nil. Execellent !

Also, went to the Thunder game last Friday night. Got off on the Shields exit, they have a double left turn and the traffic was smooth, absolutely no problem.....

Is everyone forgetting that the new boulovard will be the primary entrance to downtown ? The 2 exits were adequate today though when I came through, zero backups.

i drove through around 8am and traffic was not backed up at all... looks like people are already getting the hang of it! -M

But no one agrees!

I think everyone agrees traffic has improved and the area along the old I-40 will improve. Just imagine how much better it would have been if 50% of the traffic was routed around the city.

Just imagine how much better it would have been if 50% of the traffic was routed around the city.

Yep, the city would see those dollars driving right on by.................

Instead of routing outside of city they should just make the new I-40 dead end into downtown so everyone would have to get off and spend money. Just ask the Chamber.

Yep, the city would see those dollars driving right on by.................

Yeah, we all know what happened to the towns the railroads didnt build through... ghosttown! Gotta have the highways in the city.

This is called induced demand.

Oklahoma City's very existence is a result of induced demand. The only reason it exists in the middle of nowhere is because it is a hub for agriculture and transportation. Im happy with the compromise of moving the interstate and replacing it with a boulevard.

I drove the new stretch for the first time yesterday... it was a Sunday afternoon so obviously there was no traffic to really speak of. But, I looked at it through the eyes of someone who doesn't live or work in OKC just driving through. And I can say that from that perspective this new stretch of I-40 will really open people's eyes about OKC.

Right after you get on, the first thing you see is Devon and downtown in the distance on the left, plus you see the Stockyard City arch and the Stockyards to your right... not something you could see from the old crosstown. Then you go under some nice new bridges with good color and presentation, then WOW Skydance punches you right in the face... and it's definitely in a GOOD way. Before you can even process skydance, you are now staring at the downtown core to your left and boathouse row on your right.

All told this will really be a great presentation of our city for out-of-towners and like others have said, it's giving our city a feel of a different and much more progressed city. At some point you add to this the humphrey's ferris wheel which will be just another thing to add to this stretch.

All in all I'm a big fan of the new stretch and how it shows off our city.

So, there are downtown exits at Western and Shields. Where are east and west on-ramps from downtown now?

I went home via NW 10th this weekend which is usually a better alternative than using I-40 to and from my location at west OKC and the west side of downtown.

Better yet, anyone have a link to a map for what is there now and what is to come in the not too distant future?

I drove the new stretch for the first time yesterday... it was a Sunday afternoon so obviously there was no traffic to really speak of. But, I looked at it through the eyes of someone who doesn't live or work in OKC just driving through. And I can say that from that perspective this new stretch of I-40 will really open people's eyes about OKC.

Right after you get on, the first thing you see is Devon and downtown in the distance on the left, plus you see the Stockyard City arch and the Stockyards to your right... not something you could see from the old crosstown. Then you go under some nice new bridges with good color and presentation, then WOW Skydance punches you right in the face... and it's definitely in a GOOD way. Before you can even process skydance, you are now staring at the downtown core to your left and boathouse row on your right.

All told this will really be a great presentation of our city for out-of-towners and like others have said, it's giving our city a feel of a different and much more progressed city. At some point you add to this the humphrey's ferris wheel which will be just another thing to add to this stretch.

All in all I'm a big fan of the new stretch and how it shows off our city.

Very good description here, a few things to add that I noticed too.

1. The proximity to the Oklahoma River with many good views of the water.
2. Being able to actually see the old Union Rail Station. It looks amazing and very well kept on the outside, all things considering.
3. Parks and recreation areas, Wheeler Park is right there at the Western Ave exit and it really seems inviting.

So, there are downtown exits at Western and Shields. Where are east and west on-ramps from downtown now?

In the old eastbound configuration you could exit at Western, Walker or Harvey. The Harvey exit was pretty worthless as it dead-ends as you head into downtown after a block. Also, it was only a short distance from the Walker exit.

There will still be three eastbound exits once the new boulevard is finished and they are spaced much better.

In the old eastbound configuration you could exit at Western, Walker or Harvey. The Harvey exit was pretty worthless as it dead-ends as you head into downtown after a block. Also, it was only a short distance from the Walker exit.

There will still be three eastbound exits once the new boulevard is finished and they are spaced much better.

Agreed on the old exits and on-ramps.

But maybe I wasn't clear. If I get off today at either Western or Shields, where do I get back on I-40 to go east from downtown? Where do I get back on to go west? Are there east and west on ramps onto I-40 at Western and Shields now?

Are there east and west on ramps onto I-40 at Western and Shields now?

Yes, third question down: http://www.40forward.com/faqs/

Perfect. I didn't see them when I got off at Shields. Makes much more sense than the mess we had before, even if access is more limited by quantity.

ooops! Not quite yet. The west bound ramp directly off Western at the new highway is still closed and the old west bound ramp off Sheridan at Douglas is still in use.

ooops! Not quite yet. The west bound ramp directly off Western at the new highway is still closed and the old west bound ramp off Sheridan at Douglas is still in use.

Well, duh, that's because westbound traffic is still using the old Crosstown...

Well, duh, that's because westbound traffic is still using the old Crosstown...

Well, duh, if I knew that I wouldn't have asked the question AND gotten a wrong answer to boot.

Well, duh, if I knew that I wouldn't have asked the question AND gotten a wrong answer to boot.

I'm guessing you don't live here, huh?

you're stressing out because somebody doesn't know the exit ramps on the crosstown. let's get back to topic. -M