When did Western open under the bridge? I just noticed it yesterday.

When did Western open under the bridge? I just noticed it yesterday.

Just a couple of days ago. I think I noticed it Thursday.

Given the terminus nature of Reno, they just need to do away with connecting those two streets, except by pedestrian path.

The D-O-T is playing amateur hour over here with a not-insignificant section of Oklahoma's most important land mass (downtown OKC).

When did Western open under the bridge? I just noticed it yesterday.

and....when I was down there this weekend....already had a homeless tent set up under it.

and....when I was down there this weekend....already had a homeless tent set up under it.Better than LA where infrastructure that isn't even finished yet gets tagged.

I tried to take it this morning to get to I-40 but it was still blocked to cross Reno.

The Western/Classen underpass is open but you can only go south to Reno until they finish Western to the south, which will reestablish access to I-40.

In the last photo, you can see what they did to the Exchange intersection. It's no longer part of the Western/Reno interchange; looks like just a single (one way?) lane where you can head south on Exchange from eastbound Reno. The whole thing is just bizarre.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard080619a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard080619b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard080619c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard080619d.jpg

How was this easier or cheaper than an at-grade intersection? They still shifted a 4-lane road, built 2 bridges and have now blocked a rather important connection in and out of downtown from the Stockyards. I just can't imagine what sort of development will go around here.

The Exchange thing is a real head-scratcher.

It's a direct link between the core and the stockyards, with a dedicated bridge over the river.

Why, at a time when that district is trying to do lots of things and broaden their appeal, do we completely sever this tie?

Just don't understand.

I guess one good thing is we now have more blank wall space for local artists!

Oklahoman reporting the ribbon cutting on the boulevard will be 8/19:

https://oklahoman.com/article/5637939/oklahoma-city-boulevard-ribbon-cutting-slated-for-aug-19

How soon does OKC get control of the blvd so they can (hopefully, theoretically, maybe) fix some of it? Although I think OKC's engineers are sometimes doing stupid things about equal with OKDOT...

How soon does OKC get control of the blvd so they can (hopefully, theoretically, maybe) fix some of it? Although I think OKC's engineers are sometimes doing stupid things about equal with OKDOT...

Well city has control of east part and you see what they have planned and wanted to do with Oklahoma avenue.

The Exchange thing is a real head-scratcher.

It's a direct link between the core and the stockyards, with a dedicated bridge over the river.

Why, at a time when that district is trying to do lots of things and broaden their appeal, do we completely sever this tie?

Just don't understand.

The did not want to build the proposed roundabout. Extraordinarily dinasouric thinking by engineers.

^

And we were already spending the money to completely rebuild the intersection.

Now the opportunity to do things the right way has passed.

Now the opportunity to do things the right way has passed.
Or it has just become a lot more expensive!

Or it has just become a lot more expensive!

Which means it almost certainly will never happen.

And the repaving of Reno Ave. has made it a very smooth crosstown boulevard that actually crosses town.

Which means it almost certainly will never happen.
Maybe until a serious investment from the city for the Farmers Market district is in store then yeah. It isn't all bad. Some disconnect can be good and create a districts own funk. The Arts District in LA is separated by a development barrier of sorts and a bad bad homeless area as I'm sure you know and eventually through a new subway proposal among other things the city is looking to connect it with downtown. The Farmers Market area can be looked at the same way and it will surely development regardless of a wide elevated boulevard so as long as the city keeps it momentum.

OKC had no problem laying new concrete down for P180 and tearing it up shortly after for streetcar installation. Perhaps if MAPS 4 happens a MAPS 5 project could be a reconstruction of the boulevard to better fit in with the city goals.

Has anyone submitted the reconstruction of this albatross for MAPS 4 (serious question)?

The did not want to build the proposed roundabout. Extraordinarily dinasouric thinking by engineers.

or just keep it as a 5 way intersection which would also work fine and wouldn't have added much cost ..

not doing either is amazing

Has anyone submitted the reconstruction of this albatross for MAPS 4 (serious question)?
I have. I submitted a detailed proposal with renderings attached made by a former OKCTalk poster.

or just keep it as a 5 way intersection which would also work fine and wouldn't have added much cost ..

not doing either is amazing

... and on top of that, what in the world is that little inlet just east of the Conoco sign that leads to a weird... I don't know... cul-de-sac? Are they connecting that to Exchange?

It's like they had leftover concrete and were like "eh, okay... here's that 'connection' to Exchange you asked for..."

^

Yeah, it goes through to Exchange.

It's beyond strange.

^

Yeah, it goes through to Exchange.

It's beyond strange.

I'm starting to think that that's their "answer" to keeping Exchange technically open at Reno. But that's obviously not very functional. IMO, the important part of exchange at that point is the role it plays from downtown, more so than to downtown, and if they're asking people to make an unprotected left there off Reno, then you're just backing traffic up into the intersection, which is now a very important access route to/from I-40. I mean, I would even assume that such a turn would be illegal.

In a way, doing nothing there, and just having it end may be better than that little turn right next to the big intersection, and then just route Stockyards traffic to Klein through the Farmer's Market.

Will west bound Boulevard traffic have access to Klein in that direction? That's basically where it goes from street mode to freeway mode, and I can't remember what it looks like right there...

Another example of the City checking boxes and not living the actual experience. Kinda like our downtown bike lanes: We have them! But they don't go anywhere and don't increase safety.

Maybe until a serious investment from the city for the Farmers Market district is in store then yeah. It isn't all bad. Some disconnect can be good and create a districts own funk. The Arts District in LA is separated by a development barrier of sorts and a bad bad homeless area as I'm sure you know and eventually through a new subway proposal among other things the city is looking to connect it with downtown. The Farmers Market area can be looked at the same way and it will surely development regardless of a wide elevated boulevard so as long as the city keeps it momentum.

OKC had no problem laying new concrete down for P180 and tearing it up shortly after for streetcar installation. Perhaps if MAPS 4 happens a MAPS 5 project could be a reconstruction of the boulevard to better fit in with the city goals.

I'm honestly not so sure the Farmer's Market is going to develop anytime soon given what a clusterf--k the end product of all this construction turned out to be. It is a complete nightmare to try and figure out how to get around that entire area. And there's really still not that much there, save for The Loaded Bowl and Powerhouse.

I am not an insider with direct knowledge, but I think the Stockyards power structure wants the area to work outward from SW 15th and Agnew. Working from Agnew is the focus for the visitor traffic, and the Farmers Market area doesn't need Exchange to provide them access.

You are talking about two different places??

^^^
Yes. Kinda. I'm old and a lifelong Northsider, and I have gotten the idea through the years that Exchange was designed, built, or evolved as the straight line road from downtown to the Stockyards. In my mind it is (or was) a bee line from Reno to Agnew. After reading your question I realized that I had not really been in that area while paying attention in 20 years or more.

So, Juan and I drove around this morning. Took Agnew to Exchange, then drove Exchange to Reno and looped that area. Looked to me like the City had decided years ago to make Exchange functionally dissolve around SW 3rd and Klein. Appears the north bound lanes are eased into going right (east) on SW 3rd eastbound, so it can terminate at Western, or left (north) onto Klein, so it can terminate at Reno. Appears the southbound preference is to take Klein from Reno and merge it up around SW 3rd. Looks like there is plenty of right of way for Klein to take all the traffic load when/if the Farmer's Market area takes off. The Klein area streets are in relative disrepair and would really benefit from a makeover effort, kinda like what is shown on the 39th & Penn thread here on OKC Talk. I'm thinking the Exchange half-lane thingie coming off of Reno is designed solely to give access to the Reclaimed Wood business and one other building that are both due south of the Conoco station.
Juan said "Hell, when they put the OnCue where the old Burger King and Conoco Station are it will all make sense.

The southwest end is Exchange and Agnew. I'm surprised it is 2 miles. But, it seems that the "Stockyards City" portion of Exchange is only a couple block going east from Agnew. It quickly goes into a commercial/industrial and some residential challenging type of area.

And the point of my whole rant on the OKC Boulevard thread is that I think the City and/or ODOT decided years ago that Exchange isn't important enough to be tied into either Reno or OKC Boulevard.

The good news is that Western is now open all the way between Main and I-40.

The bad news is, after all this time, they decided to tear up the middle of Reno at the Western intersection so drivers still can not get from west downtown to I-40 on Western.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/western081019a.jpg

@Pete ....it's tactical autoism (haha) to make people perpetually have to utilize their shiny new freeway bypass (the boulevard) instead of going down to I-40 via Western. :-)

Beyond ridiculous. The city just now realized a new waterline had to go in? They tore up new concrete for this new project.

Yep, they completely reworked and repaved that intersection, it sat there for months, then right when they go to open Western, they dig it up.

Yep, they completely reworked and repaved that intersection, it sat there for months, then right when they go to open Western, they dig it up.
How f**king stupid. But the city routinely pulls stupid **** like this.

The boulevard is supposed to fully open today.

Here is a shot of the Western/Reno interchange which shows how they have almost completely cut off Exchange and access to the bridge that leads to the stockyards.

The 2nd photo is for 1969 which shows when Exchange was a divided boulevard in that area.

BTW, Reno is still torn up at the intersection with Western, cutting off access to and from I-40.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard081719a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/exchange1969.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard081719b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard081719c.jpg

F. Anyone going to the ribbon cutting at 2 today?

You couldn't pay me to be seen at that event.

guess not, lol.

You couldn't pay me to be seen at that event.

:wink:

Bring your bike and lets ride it

We should get some signage onto the overpass for N/S travel S - Farmers Market; N - Film Row.

We should get some signage onto the overpass for N/S travel S - Farmers Market; N - Film Row.

I think there are plans formulating to make that a gateway into FMD with signage/mural/etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MHr9IUKOwo

They should have waited until Reno and Blvd signal was installed and running. Its going to quickly become a dangerous intersection when BLVD traffic picks up. Its difficult to get through, because of the angle it intersects.

Yeah I can't believe they didn't bother to install all of the stoplights before opening this.

Par for the course.

While this boulevard is a mess urban planning wise, some gratitude is due to Bob Kemper, Jeff Bezdek, and the entire Better Boulevard group. This was very very close to being quietly pushed through under the radar as an elevated expressway replacing the I-40 alignment.

At least that didn’t happen and future progress can be made incrementally bringing this design back to human scale, it could have been a lot worse.

very true Catch. That IMO was the beginning of true change in OKC - when real citizens stood up and were heard by the OKC proletariat. Although ODOT didn't relent to the best and most logical choice, you're right in that we have something better than what WAS originally designed thanks to Jeff and Co's persistence.

It's nice to see people in OKC who care and stand up - even better when the city listens. Now if we could just get the state to listen then OK will be in the top 10 and OKC will compete with other major cities without handicap.

They opened it without having all of the lights installed??? Are there stop signs in their place? .....

They opened it without having all of the lights installed??? Are there stop signs in their place? .....

Yes, when I took photos over the weekend, they were finishing the striping but none of the light poles had been installed.

I'm not sure why they just didn't wait a little longer to get that done. They are going to have to close each intersection when they do make those installations.

Maybe some of the parts were delayed and they didn't want to wait for them?

While this boulevard is a mess urban planning wise, some gratitude is due to Bob Kemper, Jeff Bezdek, and the entire Better Boulevard group. This was very very close to being quietly pushed through under the radar as an elevated expressway replacing the I-40 alignment.

At least that didn’t happen and future progress can be made incrementally bringing this design back to human scale, it could have been a lot worse.

Thanks for the kind words friend.

The article in the Journal Record says it best (and worst). We traded one highway for another.

“The former Interstate 40 crosstown was formally reopened Monday as the city’s new gateway corridor into the downtown business district.”

They opened it without having all of the lights installed??? Are there stop signs in their place? .....

Occasionally... Not all are 4 way stops and the one with the least visibility (Westbound at Walker) is only a 2 way. So you get to cross Walker blind to your right.

I've said all along it's like we just kicked out the supports of the old I-40 and now have it lying flat on the ground.

Hey, but at least it's right next to the new park, convention center, arena, and convention hotel - sure to become one of the highest density pedestrian areas in the city!

There is talk that now that the city has ownership/control, that bike lanes and other improvements will be made.

But of course the way it is built is problematic in ways that will make it hard to make meaningful change.

I've said all along it's like we just kicked out the supports of the old I-40 and now have it lying flat on the ground.

Years ago, I was at a meeting with LEOs and the chief engineer for the project never referred to the "Boulevard," as a "Boulevard." He kept calling it a "bypass." The other "B" word never emanated from his mouth.

My understanding is that several downtown power brokers lobbied very hard so that this roadway could be used as a bypass and as a quick way in and out of downtown.

And that's pretty much what they got.