They closed Oklahoma Avenue this week and started moving over the signals to the new intersection

Traffic light at Klein is active as of Friday the 13th.

^

That's good news.

Also, Klein is no longer one-way which means you can not only easily get to the Farmers Market area, you can also get back on the boulevard from there.

Here are some photos of the boulevard at Klein, showing the new light and intersection.

Previously Klein was one-way (south only) leading into Farmers Market, but now it is 2-way providing great ingress and egress.

The boulevard opened last August and this intersection has been the scene of several wrecks before they finally got this done.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcboulevard031520a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcboulevard031520b.jpg

A pedestrian bridge over the boulevard would be better and they need to develop that land along Klein and the boulevard.

Are those sidewalks to nowhere?

Here are some photos of the boulevard at Klein, showing the new light and intersection.

Previously Klein was one-way (south only) leading into Farmers Market, but now it is 2-way providing great ingress and egress.

The boulevard opened last August and this intersection has been the scene of several wrecks before they finally got this done.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcboulevard031520a.jpg

I know its been said many times on here but this pic really shows it. We should have just gone back to the grid. This Blvd gets so little traffic and takes up so much usable and valuable land. I would love to see some studies showing what kind of additional property taxes the county would collect if the Blvd was gone and you had new developments in place of it. And it wouldnt have any negative effect to traffic, because again, there is so little traffic on the western stretch of the Blvd.

I like how they add the sidewalks and crosswalks that don't go anywhere. You can just keep going around and around the intersection.

I like how they add the sidewalks and crosswalks that don't go anywhere. You can just keep going around and around the intersection.

This ramp to nowhere has been there about 10 years and there are plenty more in that area.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4600253,-97.5273951,3a,43.8y,33.99h,88.91t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sptX85ld4B1Un7mo6-swsQQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D ptX85ld4B1Un7mo6-swsQQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.t actile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3 D288.52332%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i 8192?hl=en

As someone who walks in athe area often, I appreciate the crosswalks and the new sidewalks at the intersection even if they don't lead anywhere. This has made the intersection way safer.

^

And there are tons of homeless around there and this will help keep them safe as well.

I like how they add the sidewalks and crosswalks that don't go anywhere. You can just keep going around and around the intersection.

I know, right, heaven forbid they think ahead and plan for the future. I would rather see them come back in a year or two and rip it out just to add sidewalks.

To be clear. I like the crosswalks. My commentary is that there are no sidewalks leading there. It's a disgrace.

To be clear. I like the crosswalks. My commentary is that there are no sidewalks leading there. It's a disgrace.

The disgrace would be if they DIDN'T put them there. In the very least it shows the intent to connect. Apparently they are planning to put the connecting sidewalks in as budget makes it possible.

Just goes to show the old adage is correct... Damned if the do, and damned if they don't.

Took the Boulevard home after the Thunder vs Clippers game a couple weeks ago. Parked in the Santa Fe garage and went south for the first time in my life. A right turn onto OKC Boulevard had us on track to the easiest route home to Hefner Parkway and Britton. Plan to use that route every time we leave the 'Peake in the future.

I think OKC Boulevard is very much a work in progress. And the repurposing of the surrounding land after a half century of use as an elevated interstate highway should take years to gain proper investment to reach it's highest, best use.

The Boulevard is a great road and will be needed. Once downtown gets more built up we will be thankful it was built. It would have been better if it were entirely elevated or tunneled but that ship has sailed.

The Boulevard is a great road and will be needed. Once downtown gets more built up we will be thankful it was built. It would have been better if it were entirely elevated or tunneled but that ship has sailed.

I really don't understand how you think that elevating could be anything but destructive to development, walkability, and the local economy. Elevated roadways kill large swathes of valuable real estate so people can drive past and through the area as soon as possible. There's a highway half a mile away. It seems pretty clear they should have just restored the grid.

Well.... they didn’t restore the grid and they didn’t build an elevated road. This is the configuration we are going to have well past all who read this are dead.

Any ideas on how to improve this roadway?

^

Believe the city will eventually add bike lanes.

The landscaping -- which is finishing up on most stretches -- looks pretty nice.

The disgrace would be if they DIDN'T put them there. In the very least it shows the intent to connect. Apparently they are planning to put the connecting sidewalks in as budget makes it possible.

Just goes to show the old adage is correct... Damned if the do, and damned if they don't.

Just like their intent to connect this ramp.


This ramp to nowhere has been there about 10 years and there are plenty more in that area.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4600253,-97.5273951,3a,43.8y,33.99h,88.91t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sptX85ld4B1Un7mo6-swsQQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D ptX85ld4B1Un7mo6-swsQQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.t actile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3 D288.52332%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i 8192?hl=en

It's mostly just damned because they won't.

I think this a unusual circumstance where Interstate Highway right of way is being released, and how it all goes together with long term development is best served by taking time and letting the city grow into it. Possible some of the land will convert to private ownership and the who and how of doing it will have a big impact.

I think tying the exit into Reno and upgrading Reno would have been better and restore the original grid. I just can't picture any businesses building along the boulevard. Thee's just so much dead land space.

^

And almost all that land is still owned by ODOT and a lot of it has poor access because it was never meant to be developed.

If the grid had been restored, that problem would have been resolved instead of having basically a flattened interstate that impedes N/S access.

Just look at Pete’s picture. This thing was an absolute waste. Reno is (and certainly could be improved) a boulevard that actually goes across town.

Just look at Pete’s picture. This thing was an absolute waste. Reno is (and certainly could be improved) a boulevard that actually goes across town.

And Reno was recently resurfaced and the part through downtown totally reworked through P180.

With ODOT, they are a hammer and thus everything looks like a nail. The boulevard in some ways worse than the old I-40 because that was elevated allowing better movement N/S. The boulevard is a big barrier.

There wont be any development along the western part of the blvd because it wasn't designed to spur development. it was specifically designed to ignore the entire area. The the powers that be who designed it didn't think the area was or would ever be worth acknowledging. A short sided mistake that will hinder this area for decades.

There wont be any development along the western part of the blvd because it wasn't designed to spur development. it was specifically designed to ignore the entire area. The the powers that be who designed it didn't think the area was or would ever be worth acknowledging. A short sided mistake that will hinder this area for decades.

Which is why it is now a huge encampment for the homeless.

Lots of people warned against this and there is tons of great information and examples on how to have done this right. Almost all of it was ignored and we'll be dealing with those bad decisions for a very long time, just like we are now trying to undo the ample harm I-235 did by severing ties within the heart of the city.

And of course, it takes forever to undo the harm and costs staggering sums.

I use the Boulevard a couple times a month. I find it more convenient and quicker than Reno or Main Street for my purpose. My concern is that more people are going to discover how good it can be and begin to traffic it up.

I really don't understand how you think that elevating could be anything but destructive to development, walkability, and the local economy. Elevated roadways kill large swathes of valuable real estate so people can drive past and through the area as soon as possible. There's a highway half a mile away. It seems pretty clear they should have just restored the grid.
Lots of areas that are vibrant are adjacent to elevated roads and many countries are building them through urban areas. They are great alternatives to expensive tunnels though more unsightly.

Along with a walkable cityscape, realities like traffic movement have to be considered in making a city livable and functional as well. Yes well at the moment OKC doesn’t have to worry about traffic congestion but don’t count your blessings, IMO.

A tunnel would have been best with 4-5 portals and a street connection a great opportunity was presented for this. Cut and cover would have been a viable option reducing the need for a boring machine and process. That hope is gone. So now add protected bike lanes, roundabout in several locations, and pedestrian bridges.

PS, this road was intended to be a business route to work with the highway. It’s a supplement.

Lots of areas that are vibrant are adjacent to elevated roads and many countries are building them through urban areas. They are great alternatives to expensive tunnels though more unsightly.

Are there places that have overcome it? Sure, a few rare areas. Does it absolutely kill areas? Absolutely. It's like saying: Drink the poison, some people have survived it.

There's really no debate on the effects of highways on development and vibrancy in urban areas. Go near highways in all but a few places and it kills the area. Look at the dead area between booming downtown Dallas and booming Deep Ellum: absolutely dead. No one will even walk it and it's only a few blocks. People are too scared to walk near highways. Dallas didn't even include sidewalks on all the streets leading to probably it's most successful district from downtown.


PS, this road was intended to be a business route to work with the highway. It’s a supplement.

It doesn't even serve this function well. This whole thing was a massive waste of money that made OKC a worse city. Doing nothing would have been much better.

^

Believe the city will eventually add bike lanes.

The landscaping -- which is finishing up on most stretches -- looks pretty nice.

As long as they keep it properly watered.

There are also tons of other areas around Dallas that are dead and don’t abut freeways.

It doesn’t serve the function of being a business connection well because OkDOT was forced to butcher it and water it down.

As long as they keep it properly watered.

It's all irrigated.

Lotsa trees on the section just west of Scissortail Park:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard050320a.jpg

There's some P180 brick in one of the medians as well I noticed. As one that has always been opposed this street design (or even existing) I'm not afraid to admit it's looking a lot better of late. That doesn't mean there isn't a ton more work to do, but it's less bad that before.

Give it a few years and all those trees will be quite nice looking.

i hope so

Funny thread, relevant entry:

https://twitter.com/jerry_pham/status/1280970449061642241


Bonus round: this GEM of an intersection that leaves no ambiguity to where you are.

i hope so

Did you visit the canal that weekend it first opened? It was pretty uninspiring in terms of landscaping as well. Heck, they only had about 4 patches of grass slapped down on either side of the sidewalk at that point.

The new Myriad Gardens were similarly uninspiring when they were first planted. For any landscaping, you really have to give it a 3-5 years to let it fill out as the plants grow before you know what it's going to really look like.

I hate to beat a dead horse but this is currently proposed for College Station(a small ish town between Austin and Houston).

https://i.imgur.com/zw22wh9.png

https://i.imgur.com/7XqDBdz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TdEdTf9.jpg

https://bcsmpo.org/DocumentCenter/View/300/FM-60---University-Drive-Approved-Final-Report

Absolutely insane but awesome proposal. Whether it gets built or not remains to be seen. The simple fact it was even proposed and studied makes me mad that small towns in Texas have ideas like this yet nothing like this was merely considered for Oklahoma’s capitol and largest city. The best we could do is a hybrid freeway/large at grade slab of concrete.

As a reminder we even had an OKCTalk user do some mock up renderings of his vision for the Boulevard which was pretty cool:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/CuatrodeMayo/FinalPresentation-3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/CuatrodeMayo/FinalPresentation-6.jpg

Which you see more here: https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=30513&p=548500#post548500

Again I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here but I saw that proposal for College Station and it immediately made me think of the OKC Boulevard and how Oklahoma’s largest city ended up with a rural highway design replacing an elevated freeway through its downtown yet some small town in Texas gets that.

I hate to beat a dead horse but this is currently proposed for College Station(a small ish town between Austin and Houston).

https://i.imgur.com/zw22wh9.png

https://i.imgur.com/7XqDBdz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TdEdTf9.jpg

https://bcsmpo.org/DocumentCenter/View/300/FM-60---University-Drive-Approved-Final-Report

Absolutely insane but awesome proposal. Whether it gets built or not remains to be seen. The simple fact it was even proposed and studied makes me mad that small towns in Texas have ideas like this yet nothing like this was merely considered for Oklahoma’s capitol and largest city. The best we could do is a hybrid freeway/large at grade slab of concrete.

All it costs is a 10th of the State budget. I’m sure your boys in the legislature would be down for that.

All it costs is a 10th of the State budget. I’m sure your boys in the legislature would be down for that.
With federal funding the cost would be brought down a bit but yes great things cost a great deal of money. The typical Oklahoma attitude is what leads to the state being completely mediocre. Also, if people in the state were willing to pay more to improve it and not have some of the lowest taxes in the country, perhaps the legislature would have a little bit more to work with.

We wouldn't need anything as extravagant as College Station, just something better than the bridge that was built at Western.

OKC has made a lot of bad planning decisions throughout its history. OKC Boulevard is definitely one of those bad decisions.

We wouldn't need anything as extravagant as College Station, just something better than the bridge that was built at Western.
You’re probably right but it just sucks how we ended up with a 4 lane rural highway design. It seems there could have been something better built between that and the College Station proposal.

if you hadnt told me that was College Station, I would have sworn that first pic was of OKC on Lincoln Boulevard and 4th Street, the streets in the pic look just line Lincoln as do the surrounding land use.

That vision works perfectly for OKC.

Don't know if this has been mentioned or not but the speed limits on the East end of the boulevard have been adjusted. It's now 35 all the way to the railroad underpass. Either that or someone stole the first 25 MPH sign. ;) This makes much more sense in the context of the current lack of pedestrians out there. If the Coop land gets developed, it may need to go back down.

I think I was hallucinating, but it looked to me that east bound OKC Boulevard had a light (or flashing yellow arrow) for left turn onto east bound Reno this week. Didn't that left turn used to be illegal?

Just a few days ago I made the left turn there also thinking it was new. Usually I go down to Shartel before turning left.

I think I was hallucinating, but it looked to me that east bound OKC Boulevard had a light (or flashing yellow arrow) for left turn onto east bound Reno this week. Didn't that left turn used to be illegal?

Don't recall it being illegal; seems as though there use to be an option with a left protected turn arrow or a yellow caution turn--this may have been before the Boulevard.

Recall getting off there when my friend (Diabetic) had an episode--had to turn into what was a Phillips convenience store service station in 2000, (Reno/Exchange) leaving a $10 bill, grabbing a candy bar--later returning to get my change.

God rest his soul, my friend died two months ago (January 2021) from complications associated with diabetes.

I think I was hallucinating, but it looked to me that east bound OKC Boulevard had a light (or flashing yellow arrow) for left turn onto east bound Reno this week. Didn't that left turn used to be illegal?

Mayor Holt posted about this the other day. One of the things the city was planning to get fixed once they took over from state that just got accomplished

As Sir Elton John said many decades ago, the boulevard is not that bad.

Not great, either, though.

I remember when the State spent millions "beautifying" Lincoln north from the Capitol to 36th St (IIRC 1998 or so). As part of that project, they planted a crapload of trees. Today, most of them look pretty good plus they help hide the industry on the west side of the street.

I remember when the State spent millions "beautifying" Lincoln north from the Capitol to 36th St (IIRC 1998 or so). As part of that project, they planted a crapload of trees. Today, most of them look pretty good plus they help hide the industry on the west side of the street.

The idea was to remove everything from the middle so that when you're driving south toward the capitol, you'd have an unobstructed view of the dome. I do think it's a pretty drive in.

As a reminder we even had an OKCTalk user do some mock up renderings of his vision for the Boulevard which was pretty cool:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/CuatrodeMayo/FinalPresentation-3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/CuatrodeMayo/FinalPresentation-6.jpg

Which you see more here: https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=30513&p=548500#post548500

Again I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here but I saw that proposal for College Station and it immediately made me think of the OKC Boulevard and how Oklahoma’s largest city ended up with a rural highway design replacing an elevated freeway through its downtown yet some small town in Texas gets that.

I do love those renderings. I could see a roundabout with one of those old fashioned oil derricks in the middle. One of the local companies could even buy their logo on it.

The city is planning to add a traffic signal at Harvey and finally open up that stretch of road:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/harvey051721a.jpg

I was by there today. The signals are already up, but the lights have bags over them. They could get them running by the end of the day if they wanted to.

Oh good, that's probably why there were digging around there, was worried it was site prep related and that we'd lose Harvey. I wonder if the streetcar will have signal prioritization there out of the gate.

https://youtu.be/k33NJTeCi9s