but 25 on the part of of the road built like a limited access highway is nuts.

I think this is why many people tried so hard to get the design changed. They built a highway to serve as a boulevard.

I think this is why many people tried so hard to get the design changed. They built a highway to serve as a boulevard.

Agreed, but that's done and can't be changed. I encourage low speed limits on the part where pedestrians will be, but not on the elevated parts. It just sets up an obvious unfair speed trap (See the west end of the Boulevard).

I just hope this leads to decreased congestion after Thunder games.

This set of photos is starting from under the bridge just east of EKG/Shields and progressing all the way to Lincoln where it ends near Boathouse Row. Right before Lincoln, there is an exit to head west on I-40 which also allows you to go south on I-35.

These are the only access points along the whole stretch other than going north on Oklahoma which is not open yet.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016e.jpg

These are starting at Lincoln and heading back west to EKG.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016j.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016g.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016i.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016h.jpg

Great pictures Pete.

I absolutely hate how this has turned out so far.

I loved the view coming west Wednesday night. It reminded me so much of the old crosstown bridge and was a very easy access point downtown.

I prob. haven't been following this as much as I should but is there a reason it dead ends where it does? This doesn't make much sense to me unless they are planning a huge parking lot where the road ends on each side.

I prob. haven't been following this as much as I should but is there a reason it dead ends where it does? This doesn't make much sense to me unless they are planning a huge parking lot where the road ends on each side.

It is going to keep on going OKCRT in the next phases until it reaches the other dead end at Western.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/blvd112016b.jpg





Did ODOT reach a deal with Uhaul? Lonnie the District Manager said they had a room full of lawyers who were going to make them pay to move their offices and Uhaul parking to the west side of the building. Noting that the Uhaul rental parking lot looks as though it remains behind the Jersey barriers.

I absolutely hate how this has turned out so far.

I don't have as much as a problem with this end as I do with the next phase.

I don't really see much of a problem with boulevard traffic getting on eastbound 40 in the 35 exit ramp. There's plenty of room to do it as long as people aren't driving stupid. (That's the key here, though.) My only problem is the left exit to the boulevard from 35 NB. It just kind of juts off to the left, and you don't have room for mistakes.

I'm just glad they bothered to build the sidewalks we're seeing in Pete's pictures.

I absolutely hate how this has turned out so far.

Agreed. Only gets worse from here as well. At least now we have a hideous, unwalkable gash running East-West to match North-South Gaylord/Shields!

I'm just glad they bothered to build the sidewalks we're seeing in Pete's pictures.

There is only sidewalk on one side.

There is only sidewalk on one side.

There are sidewalks on both sides, but the sidewalk on the south side of the boulevard ends at the Oklahoma intersection.

There are sidewalks on both sides, but the sidewalk on the south side of the boulevard ends at the Oklahoma intersection.

Yes, and I think that's because the Lumberyard property and beyond will be developed down the road and they wanted to incorporate the sidewalks into that.

Also, as of now there is not even a curb cut to get to the Lumberyard and Coop which I'm sure will change as those projects take shape.

So the streetcar is going on its own right-of-way for part of this, right?

So the streetcar is going on its own right-of-way for part of this, right?

Yes. Between Robinson and Hudson the streetcar will be in it a separated right-of-way. The cars will be traveling west in that two block section. A grand double-sided stop at the Robinson/Boulevard intersection will service this area.

The double sided stop has track switching that allows two trams to be stacked next to one another for greater capacity and the ability to 'dwell' longer at the stop. This feature allows maximum flexibility to enable both Blue and Red lines to frequent this stop and react to greater demand placed on the system by events at the Chesapeake Arena, new MAPS 3 Park, or the new MAPS 3 Convention Center.

This particular stop will also contain a high-performance charging bar for the streetcar to 'dock' and charge its lithium ion batteries if need be. This is unique technology in the USA centric only to the Oklahoma City Streetcar System thus far.

Urban Pioneer, what's the final track through Midtown? Up Hudson to how far north, and then back east to what street before going south again? I thought it was 13th, but somebody said it was 11th.

Urban Pioneer, what's the final track through Midtown? Up Hudson to how far north, and then back east to what street before going south again? I thought it was 13th, but somebody said it was 11th.

This will show you the route, turnpup.

https://www.okc.gov/government/maps-3/projects/modern-streetcar-transit

This will show you the route, turnpup.

https://www.okc.gov/government/maps-3/projects/modern-streetcar-transit

Thanks, Urban Pioneer! I'm just now seeing your response. Sorry for the delay.

Has final engineering been completed to determine how the streetcar will traverse the traffic circle at 10th and Walker? Is it planned for the streetcar to simply cut through the center of the circle?

Has final engineering been completed to determine how the streetcar will traverse the traffic circle at 10th and Walker? Is it planned for the streetcar to simply cut through the center of the circle?

It will move through the circle just like a car would.

It will move through the circle just like a car would.

Streetcars don't move like regular cars. They are much larger, heavier, and on tracks. Completely different from a car.

Streetcars don't move like regular cars. They are much larger, heavier, and on tracks. Completely different from a car.

The plans show that the streetcar follows the path of the roundabout rather than cut through the center. Just saying it takes the same path as cars.

And I just realized I posted that in the wrong thread! Should have been in the streetcar thread instead. My apologies!

Yeah that makes sense. I'm interested to see it in action.
The plans show that the streetcar follows the path of the roundabout rather than cut through the center. Just saying it takes the same path as cars.

Replied on the streetcar thread- "Only a minor modification will need to be made to perimeter curb to allow the track to make a semi radius to navigate the roundabout. It is very nearly a straight shot within the travel lane"

What's the point of opening the east end of you can't get into bricktown. What a cluster

What's the point of opening the east end of you can't get into bricktown. What a cluster

Bricktown is not the only destination for people who will use that street. Why block access to the rest of downtown just because the immediate Bricktown access is not yet available?

Bricktown is not the only destination for people who will use that street. Why block access to the rest of downtown just because the immediate Bricktown access is not yet available?

Why block Bricktown though? The connection is finished. The construction on Gaylord is a nightmare. What are they waiting for?

Why block Bricktown though? The connection is finished. The construction on Gaylord is a nightmare. What are they waiting for?

The city is still working out a deal with Uhaul. Their parking lot is in the way of Where Oklahoma will be located!

While that is true, would it not be possible to temporarily direct that traffic around the west side of the building? Last I saw, the street was still completely open around the west side. Or do they just not want to open the connection until it's 100% complete?

The U-Haul situation is laughable to say the least. Lonnie, the district manager of U-Haul, told me that they had a "team of lawyers" ready to protect their interests. U-Haul wanted ODOT to fairly compensate them for fully reorienting the interior of ground floor of their building as the layout of the interior office and sales space fronts the parking lot which is slated to be Oklahoma Avenue. Evidently, they didn't have a problem with the plans if the building layout was resolved and the true costs of maintaining their operations and flipping the orientation to the west side were fully absorbed. I would assume that ODOT balked this and that is why it hasn't been resolved.

When folks get mad about the government, there is probably no bigger bully nor more disruptive force than the engineers who plan and administrate highway construction. It is probably the single biggest divisive arm to disrupting urban fabric and small business.

I love my car. I enjoy driving it at high speeds and some of our highways are awesome autobahns and truly engineering feats. However, after attending dozens of these meetings and experiencing the sheer arrogance of planners, engineers, and administrators, one has to smile when they try to force a major American business chain to swallow their bidding. Good for U-Haul for actually making them sweat it out. It is a shame that most mom and pops, neighborhoods, etc don't have the resources for a "team of lawyers" to actually build highways that both accomplish auto movement and are sensitive to their affect on existing spaces.

So will it end up being the city or ODOT who has to work things out with U-Haul? It sounds like ODOT for now, but does that have the potential to flip to the city if it takes too long?

ODOT has to resolve this. It is "their" project as they often state. The city will have nothing but tangential influence on all parts of the project until ODOT "hands over the keys". Quotes are things I vividly remember that have been oft repeated by ODOT and City Staff in different public meetings.

The boulevard is being treated as a Federal highway project. The program administration is in the same context that a new highway is in terms of being built. The right-of-way acquisition, compensation, environmental impact among other things are most definitely in the legal realm of ODOT itself with the only supervisory body being the Federal Highway Administration.

The U-Haul situation is egg on their face. So is the schedule. They are years behind schedule. I vividly remember when Paul Green came to our streetcar meeting and told us that the project couldn't be delayed and basically that it would be completed without our interference or others. That was years ago. But if you talked to any of them, they would give you the impression that this schedule was all part of the plan.

ODOT has to resolve this.

Couldn't be more wrong.

Couldn't be more wrong.

Do tell?

Do tell?

OKC is acquiring the rights of way for this. Right of way expenditures are clearly shown in ODOT's 8 year work plan. This is the city's project, being built by ODOT.

This is the city's project, being built by ODOT.This is such PR spin. This is a Federally funded highway project supervised by the Federal Highway Administration. It is possible that the City is helping with Right-of-Way acquisition. It is possible that US Highway Departments use the City's right to Imminent Domain to help obtain properties. I don't know. What I can tell you is- 1. that U-Haul wants fair compensation for redoing their entire store. 2. The city is not permitted to install permanent streetcar tracks until they formal hand off the project to the city. We will be saw cutting and tearing out brand new concrete instead of integrating the project while concrete is being poured. 3. The city is not allowed to build in the Right-Of-Way that is not used by ODOT until the project is handed off. The Right-of-Way is excessively large due to the former I-40. We can't touch it. 4. The city will not be able to do landscaping, pedestrian amenities, transit stops, etc until the project is formally handed off. 5. ODOT completely ignored the City's original desire for a completely different alignment. Does this sound like a project that the city owns or has any control over. NO This is not the city's project.

Do you really agree with the city not being able to lay street car tracks down until the street has been constructed and handed to OKC?

Also, why is it not possible for the city, ODOT, and the FHWA to work together?

OKC is acquiring the rights of way for this. Right of way expenditures are clearly shown in ODOT's 8 year work plan. This is the city's project, being built by ODOT.

So are you saying that ODOT is going to completely ignore the U-Haul problem until project handoff, and then let the city deal with it? I may be misunderstanding, because so far I do not follow your conclusions.

Here's an semi-educated educated guess about what is going on-

Back when Friends for a Better Boulevard was going strong and forcing the environmental assessment, I remember an absolutely crazy plan to route traffic around the west side of the UHaul building up Compress Street and east to Oklahoma on SE 2nd on to Oklahoma. It essentially argued to the Federal Government that it was ok for mass traffic movements to make two rights and a left or two lefts and a right to get into Bricktown from the new boulevard. Several of us raised hell about it and Oklahoma was presented in the final environmental assessment.

This "Boulevard" project was simply a mechanism to get the new I-40 Crosstown built. It was "the solution" to providing local access to the highway. But many of the nonsensical and poorly planned urban street connections were evaluated in further detail after FBB forced the new assessment and broad public input. I wonder if this is just a result of that process. Something that could have been resolved years ago had the original project been more methodically designed with urban sensitivities and more public input. Now that bad planning has caught up with them and they have to enter into new and broader procurement processes to make the improved Boulevard design happen. Add in that UHaul has virtually unlimited legal representation, no wonder it is blocked off with concrete barricades. This should have been worked out years ago.

The city is still working out a deal with Uhaul. Their parking lot is in the way of Where Oklahoma will be located!

Then why did Oklahoma City originally vacate the right of way (I know Oklahoma originally connected) for Uhaul to have a parking lot there? My only point regarding that is the irony of it, and curious whose historic blunder that was.

I just don't understand anything that is going on with this Boulevard. What a cluster. Is anything at all going right with the state government?

From Steve's article (http://newsok.com/article/5540891):


The next major project to impact Bricktown will be the start of construction on the next segment of the new Oklahoma City Boulevard, extending it from where it dead-ends at E.K. Gaylord west to Walker Avenue. That project is expected to start this summer.

Negotiations, meanwhile, continue with owners of the U-Haul warehouse in Lower Bricktown to buy the property's east easement to connect Oklahoma Avenue with the boulevard.

Wenger said similar negotiations will be needed before the final segment of the boulevard can be built with a new elevated section to go through the south parking lot of a McDonald's at Sheridan and Western Avenues. Wenger said the final segment of the boulevard, between Western and Walker Avenues, is expected to start in 2018 and take about one year.

I drove the boulevard on Sunday (thinking I could get to Climb Up and the Grain Elevator project) and soon realized there is not one exit off of it.

You enter from the interstates to the east and then it dead-ends at EK Gaylord. Absolutely no access to Bricktown at all, nor to the coop and lumberyard properties to the south.

I know that will change but it's basically a freeway where we once had a freeway.

I took it on Tuesday night and observed the same. However I had previous walked from the arena to Bricktown via this route on the new sidewalks and it's nice to have that slightly less crowded (currently) route into bricktown by foot.

I drove the boulevard on Sunday (thinking I could get to Climb Up and the Grain Elevator project) and soon realized there is not one exit off of it.

You enter from the interstates to the east and then it dead-ends at EK Gaylord. Absolutely no access to Bricktown at all, nor to the coop and lumberyard properties to the south.

I know that will change but it's basically a freeway where we once had a freeway.

In fairness the Oklahoma intersection and lights are already done (Clearly the north connection is not built yet). The south turn and the road to 3rd st connecting to walnut (climb up). And compress to the 4th street underpass is finished. It is just blocked off right now Not sure why they are waiting to open it?

In fairness the Oklahoma intersection and lights are already done (Clearly the north connection is not built yet). The south turn and the road to 3rd st connecting to walnut (climb up). And compress to the 4th street underpass is finished. It is just blocked off right now Not sure why they are waiting to open it?

Exactly. Connections have been constructed but for whatever reason have not yet been opened. I know the north side of the intersection at Oklahoma is still waiting for negotiations with U-Haul for the eastern half of their parking lot, but I'm not sure either what the south side of the intersection is waiting for before they open it up.

Don't know if this is on a different thread, but does anyone know why the street lamps on the new (fairly, I guess) I-40 Crosstown are almost never let up, and when they are it is only a small section at a time? This is our major thru way for travelers so one would think it would be lit up nicely every night to help guide our guest safely through our city. This thing should be lit up like the Kilpatrick Turnpike is! I just don't get it. This has been going on since the dang thing was opened. I would think our city leaders would find this troubling if not embarrassing and would have had it lit end to end from the get go.

I found the right thread and posted there. Sorry

Is the work they're doing on Western and Classen near the McDonald's related to the Boulevard?

Is the work they're doing on Western and Classen near the McDonald's related to the Boulevard?

No.

That's for West Village, the apartments being build around 21c Hotel.

Work on Oklahoma Ave connection to the Boulevard.

http://i.imgur.com/s1TOmHb.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/XAZkfwi.jpg

Ha! I just took a photo of this tonight because I was trying to figure out what they are doing.

I hope this means they are going straight through on Oklahoma and not going around the UHaul building.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boulevard080117.jpg

I am surprised I am not in that photo, to be honest... Was legit just down there, but didn't hear/see your drone.

They haven't come to an agreement with Uhaul, so they are building roads in the surrounding parking lots. Northbound on the east side of Uhaul and Southbound on the west side..

They haven't come to an agreement with Uhaul, so they are building roads in the surrounding parking lots. Northbound on the east side of Uhaul and Southbound on the west side..

Wow, that sounds like a mess. I wonder if the City is trying to annoy and make life difficult for Uhaul by basically putting them in the middle of a roundabout.