On my drive to and from work, I drive the freeway and come in contact with a few exit only lanes. You know, you're driving along in what seems to be a normal lane of traffic only for it to eventually become an exit only lane down the road or a lane that veers off onto another thoroughfare. If you drive it every day, it's an annoyance. But inevitably, there are people who don't drive it every day and are surprised that they are now in an exit only lane and that they need to get over which causes traffic slow downs and tie ups as they nervously try to navigate a small opening in the lane next to them so they can stay on the freeway. It's especially unnerving for out town and/or out of state travelers.

I know that you have to have these lanes sometimes, but I think our metro has more than our share. OKC seems to really like putting these lanes in. I don't recall see that many exit only lanes in other states and cities I've driven in. Is it an Oklahoma thing? It's just aggravating to merge onto the freeway and then you have to start planning you move to the next lane because you know that in a few miles you lane becomes an exit only. You're driving at a decent speed and there's no one in front of you and you have no good reason to have to change lanes other than you lane is going to end. And then on down you have to get over again because the lane that you just got in becomes an exit lane as well. And then you have the people not expecting the lane to end panicking to get over at the last minute.

There has to be a better way of designing our freeways. A simpler way that makes sense.

35E in the Dallas metro seems to have a lot as well. I agree they're annoying, especially if you're not familiar with the roads. Sometimes it seems like they put them in to help plan for future capacity and in anticipation of future construction, but some here don't make sense. Broadway Extension southbound has a couple of those.

35E in the Dallas metro seems to have a lot as well. I agree they're annoying, especially if you're not familiar with the roads. Sometimes it seems like they put them in to help plan for future capacity and in anticipation of future construction, but some here don't make sense. Broadway Extension southbound has a couple of those.That's all being fixed.

But the ones on Broadway Ext. are there for the future widening of the freeway through the interchange which is starting soon.

That doesn't explain the far right one that turns into exit only at Britton, then restarts again, then exit only again. The left lane makes sense though.

Yeah I've only really seen that in Oklahoma and Texas where that happens. I think there are one or two places here in L.A. where you will see that but I can't remember exactly where off of the top of my head.

The worst offender I've seen is outside of Albuquerque where I-40WB literally shifts two lanes over. Crazy.

Speaking of I-40 WB, I noticed something when driving back out to LA recently that I haven't noticed before. Texas has completely at grade intersection on I-40. I don't care how low the traffic counts are there, that is not an interstate or at least what the standards would have you believe. Unbelievable. As much as I like TxDOT for some of their innovative highway designs for the Dallas area, I will never complain about ODOT doing something as dumb as this.

BTW, while I usually do well over the posted speed limit out there and I notice others do as well, it isn't even safe to have those intersections going 75MPH. I honestly think Texas should loose the I-40 interstate shield until they remove or fix that.

The worst offender I've seen is outside of Albuquerque where I-40WB literally shifts two lanes over. Crazy.

Speaking of I-40 WB, I noticed something when driving back out to LA recently that I haven't noticed before. Texas has completely at grade intersection on I-40. I don't care how low the traffic counts are there, that is not an interstate or at least what the standards would have you believe. Unbelievable. As much as I like TxDOT for some of their innovative highway designs for the Dallas area, I will never complain about ODOT doing something as dumb as this.

Where are you talking about? I driven the I-40 okc-abq stretch 40 times probably

I want to know why when going southbound on Meridian you come up to the West bound Airport Rd on ramp and it says EXIT as you're entering onto Airport Rd? That makes no sense to me.

Where are you talking about? I driven the I-40 okc-abq stretch 40 times probablyThis

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12662563_10207274823061385_8492161652324584431_n.j pg?oh=b4f50d33dbbe92d703eafbc9afe484c8&oe=573022F7

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12650833_10207274823141387_3279805444237791509_n.j pg?oh=f374d27d1215db7d019e7402f32049ec&oe=577102EA

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/12654469_10207274823221389_1901023916914142068_n.j pg?oh=568f9dd60175ef07e44481df565bf05a&oe=5734579C

There are no reason to have those there. It is an at grade intersection and doesn't conform to interstate standards which is what I-40 is supposed to be.

Where is this in Texas? I'm curious to know.

Along I-40 west of Amarillo.

Here is one I found pretty quickly on street view. I don't know how many of them there are that are paved vs. the ones that are not, I could have missed some as I was going through at night when I actually pulled over my car on the shoulder to verify I saw what I thought I saw, and realized Texas actually has at grade intersections on a supposed interstate. I am not sure if they only do this on this section of I-40 or not, but it is a bad practice none the less because it sets a bad precedent, imo.

I'm going to eventually send a letter via email to the FHWA and TxDOT about this and see what their take on this is and I'm interested in hearing TxDOT's defense of building these. I have never seen this anywhere but West Texas on I-40.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1918508,-102.967866,3a,75y,220.86h,84.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHkI_DDCDsq8WXwUaHiAE3g!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DHkI_DDCDsq8WX wUaHiAE3g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D271.0965%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

Eh, having driven that 40 times, I've never once had a problem with it. That must have been this past spring and summer, that's reallllly green.

BTW, while I usually do well over the posted speed limit out there and I notice others do as well

Do they not still have the speed cameras on I-40 through the Texas panhandle? I remember getting an unpleasant surprise after coming home from a trip to Albuquerque (although that was over 10 years ago).

Eh, having driven that 40 times, I've never once had a problem with it. That must have been this past spring and summer, that's reallllly green.I have not had any problems either. That doesn't mean no one else will. I've driven it about 7 times now over the past two years and the last time I drove it was the first I noticed it. But that doesn't mean they should be there.

I can't think of one argument for them. This section of I-40 isn't the most un used. If you take I-8 from Tucson to San Diego, you can go for miles and miles without seeing a single car on a four lane divided interstate but there are no at grade intersections.

It should be up to the county to provide for dirt roads that link to an arterial with enough traffic that warrants a bridge every 5-10 miles or so with I-40 access ramps. We have interstate standards for a reason. If there is not enough traffic to warrant a bridge or underpass than there is no reason to have interstate access for a small dirt road. If there is, then build a bridge or underpass with access ramps.

Do they not still have the speed cameras on I-40 through the Texas panhandle? I remember getting an unpleasant surprise after coming home from a trip to Albuquerque (although that was over 10 years ago).I don't think so. I always know to slow down though when going into to New Mexico because there are usually state troopers sometimes literally sitting at the state line with laser or radar guns.

I know Houston has several speed cameras. I am not for sure, but I have heard from several people that they are not technically constitutional or really enforceable in some way and there are ways to get them thrown out with almost a 100% success rate. Though the tickets are usually relatively cheap under $100 and don't go on your record, so it's mostly for revenue because most people will just pay it.

I'd much rather have the speed cameras then the horrid parking ticket practices here in L.A. I have had so many parking tickets it's unreal. All because I forgot to move my car so the street cleaning vehicle can move through and it does nothing to clean the street either. I really think L.A. does that just as a revenue stream.

Along I-40 west of Amarillo.

Here is one I found pretty quickly on street view. I don't know how many of them there are that are paved vs. the ones that are not, I could have missed some as I was going through at night when I actually pulled over my car on the shoulder to verify I saw what I thought I saw, and realized Texas actually has at grade intersections on a supposed interstate. I am not sure if they only do this on this section of I-40 or not, but it is a bad practice none the less because it sets a bad precedent, imo.

I'm going to eventually send a letter via email to the FHWA and TxDOT about this and see what their take on this is and I'm interested in hearing TxDOT's defense of building these. I have never seen this anywhere but West Texas on I-40.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1918508,-102.967866,3a,75y,220.86h,84.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHkI_DDCDsq8WXwUaHiAE3g!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DHkI_DDCDsq8WX wUaHiAE3g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D271.0965%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

It is possible that it may have to do with agriculture. There are many FM roads that tie into the frontage roads along I-40, but also large distances with nowhere to cross from one side to the other, which would be especially handy during wheat harvest. It looks like there may be gates, and/or cattle guards in the backgrounds of both photos.

I'd much rather have the speed cameras then the horrid parking ticket practices here in L.A. I have had so many parking tickets it's unreal. All because I forgot to move my car so the street cleaning vehicle can move through and it does nothing to clean the street either. I really think L.A. does that just as a revenue stream.

Sounds like you're just a slow learner, plupan. :)

On my drive to and from work, I drive the freeway and come in contact with a few exit only lanes. You know, you're driving along in what seems to be a normal lane of traffic only for it to eventually become an exit only lane down the road or a lane that veers off onto another thoroughfare. If you drive it every day, it's an annoyance. But inevitably, there are people who don't drive it every day and are surprised that they are now in an exit only lane and that they need to get over which causes traffic slow downs and tie ups as they nervously try to navigate a small opening in the lane next to them so they can stay on the freeway. It's especially unnerving for out town and/or out of state travelers.

I know that you have to have these lanes sometimes, but I think our metro has more than our share. OKC seems to really like putting these lanes in. I don't recall see that many exit only lanes in other states and cities I've driven in. Is it an Oklahoma thing? It's just aggravating to merge onto the freeway and then you have to start planning you move to the next lane because you know that in a few miles you lane becomes an exit only. You're driving at a decent speed and there's no one in front of you and you have no good reason to have to change lanes other than you lane is going to end. And then on down you have to get over again because the lane that you just got in becomes an exit lane as well. And then you have the people not expecting the lane to end panicking to get over at the last minute.

There has to be a better way of designing our freeways. A simpler way that makes sense.

Are you talking about an auxiliary lane like there is between 36th and 23rd on southbound I 235? If so here's some information:

http://mobility.tamu.edu/mip/strategies-pdfs/system-modification/technical-summary/Acceleration-Deceleration-Lanes-4-Pg.pdf

FYI, there are exit only lanes all over the Denver metro

On my drive to and from work, I drive the freeway and come in contact with a few exit only lanes. You know, you're driving along in what seems to be a normal lane of traffic only for it to eventually become an exit only lane down the road or a lane that veers off onto another thoroughfare. If you drive it every day, it's an annoyance. But inevitably, there are people who don't drive it every day and are surprised that they are now in an exit only lane and that they need to get over which causes traffic slow downs and tie ups as they nervously try to navigate a small opening in the lane next to them so they can stay on the freeway. It's especially unnerving for out town and/or out of state travelers.

I know that you have to have these lanes sometimes, but I think our metro has more than our share. OKC seems to really like putting these lanes in. I don't recall see that many exit only lanes in other states and cities I've driven in. Is it an Oklahoma thing? It's just aggravating to merge onto the freeway and then you have to start planning you move to the next lane because you know that in a few miles you lane becomes an exit only. You're driving at a decent speed and there's no one in front of you and you have no good reason to have to change lanes other than you lane is going to end. And then on down you have to get over again because the lane that you just got in becomes an exit lane as well. And then you have the people not expecting the lane to end panicking to get over at the last minute.

There has to be a better way of designing our freeways. A simpler way that makes sense.

A lot of the exit only lanes around here seem to come from the end of where a road widening project was going to stop (with the exception of the ones that the entry to exit ramps have their acceleration/deceleration lane connected), since this tends to be near bigger destinations they should not be that much of an issue in most of the cases, the alternative is the lane just ending with a relatively short merge to the right which is arguably worse for the people not familiar with the area and surprised it is happening. The only spot like this I consider an annoyance is the pair on i235 southbound near downtown, which is more about that road handles enough traffic it never should have dropped to two through lanes.

Are you talking about an auxiliary lane like there is between 36th and 23rd on southbound I 235? If so here's some information:

http://mobility.tamu.edu/mip/strategies-pdfs/system-modification/technical-summary/Acceleration-Deceleration-Lanes-4-Pg.pdf

No, that's not really what I'm talking about.

Let me give y'all an example. You're on I-35 northbound and you're trying to get to Danforth in Edmond. You're in the far right lane only to find out it becomes an exit only lane at 23rd so you move over a lane. You think, "Oh, I can relax now. I'm safe." Then you get to Wilshire and realize you're still in an exit only lane so you move over a lane again. You get to Kilpatrick turnpike. "Oh, there's those yellow signs above my lane again. Am I in another exit only lane?" Only it's a trick and you're not in an exit lane, you're okay. Then you get to 2nd street to realize you're in yet another exit only lane.

That's a lot of exit lanes in only about 15 miles.

The whole section is essentially two lanes. The lane you're referring gets created at 4th and is an exit lane the whole time. Same for wilshire. If you don't hug the right without looking at the signage you're in good shape. I guess the section could be converted to 3 lanes, but the increase in traffic comes from the edmond hoard annexing toward Arcadia.

The only place that pops into my mind immediately is the 6th street exit. Which is awful, and I'm convinced there's a populous of A-holes that purposely drive to the end of it, passing traffic, then slam their brakes and wait for some sucker to let them merge. These are the same A-holes who fly past stopped cars doing 70 when I-235N goes from 3 lanes to 2 for a mere mile from 36th to 63rd.

Then there's the nightmare that is the 235-35-40 crossroads. 235 south gets a lane created by 5th st, then Lincoln, so it goes from 3 lanes, to 2 lanes, to 4, BACK to 2, in less than a quarter mile. And when the cluster that is becoming of the boulevard, it will bloat to 5 to 2. So if you want to get into the boulevard lane from 235South you'll have to dive into the traffic trying to traverse 4 lanes to get to 40E and go 3 lanes over in only a couple hundred yards...disgraceful.

I have not had any problems either. That doesn't mean no one else will. I've driven it about 7 times now over the past two years and the last time I drove it was the first I noticed it. But that doesn't mean they should be there.

I can't think of one argument for them. This section of I-40 isn't the most un used. If you take I-8 from Tucson to San Diego, you can go for miles and miles without seeing a single car on a four lane divided interstate but there are no at grade intersections.

It should be up to the county to provide for dirt roads that link to an arterial with enough traffic that warrants a bridge every 5-10 miles or so with I-40 access ramps. We have interstate standards for a reason. If there is not enough traffic to warrant a bridge or underpass than there is no reason to have interstate access for a small dirt road. If there is, then build a bridge or underpass with access ramps.

The reason for this is because property owners have access rights. You have to be able to access your property from the public road system. If your access is cut off then the agency has to compensate you for the loss of access. Most of these properties' only access point was to US-66. When US-66 was upgraded to I-40, the at-grade intersections remained because it was seen as a waste of public funds to build an entire interchange for a ranch gate that may not get used more than once a week, or even to buy the access rights. As far as I know none of these intersections can be used to access public roads, only private property.

In most of the rest of Texas this problem is solved with frontage roads. In the Panhandle it's not even financially worth it to do that.

Like I mentioned before, most of these gates are used maybe once a week, if that. The property owners are familiar enough with the situation that they're not likely to have an accident.

The whole section is essentially two lanes.
Essentially nope. Once you go past the I-44 interchange it's 3 lanes then goes back to 2 after 2nd street.


The lane you're referring gets created at 4th and is an exit lane the whole time. Same for wilshire.
That's one way to look at it. But when people can travel in that lane for more than just a mile, they assume it's an actual lane of traffic and not just an exit lane.


If you don't hug the right without looking at the signage you're in good shape.
People who aren't familiar with an area tend to drive in the right lane so that they can drive slower and figure out where they're going. I don't know if you realize it but, there's a lot of out of state traffic that uses that section of road. I've seen a lot more than just a few truckers have a difficult time getting over as they see that their lane is exiting. Those truckers have to make that move at 23rd, Wilshire, and 2nd Street. Not to mention just your regular cars having that same issue.

I don't really worry about it and just drive.

I don't totally disagree with you. But the 2 lane section I'm referring to is the original section of I-35 between 4th and just south of wilshire. laid back in the 70's when I-235 aka Broadway aka highway 77 and memorial road aka Route 66 were the national crossroads. The 3 lane section you're referring to is part of the expansion of I-35 and the turnpike from the not too distant past(the mid 2000's I think). Which, and I could be wrong, was largely funded by the turnpike to flow traffic up to the kilpatrick and turner. I don't recall the funding/reason for expanding to six lanes from turnpike to 2nd, likely for the same reasons. In the 90's it was 2 lanes throughout the state save the 235 interchange. But I can agree, like most of our roads, it was poorly engineered. 23rd makes some sense because it connects I-44 west and 35 south to highway 66 which was an important road before I-40.

I don't totally disagree with you. But the 2 lane section I'm referring to is the original section of I-35 between 4th and just south of wilshire. laid back in the 70's when I-235 aka Broadway aka highway 77 and memorial road aka Route 66 were the national crossroads. The 3 lane section you're referring to is part of the expansion of I-35 and the turnpike from the not too distant past(the mid 2000's I think). Which, and I could be wrong, was largely funded by the turnpike to flow traffic up to the kilpatrick and turner. I don't recall the funding/reason for expanding to six lanes from turnpike to 2nd, likely for the same reasons. In the 90's it was 2 lanes throughout the state save the 235 interchange. But I can agree, like most of our roads, it was poorly engineered. 23rd makes some sense because it connects I-44 west and 35 south to highway 66 which was an important road before I-40.
I'm pretty sure Memorial Rd. was never a Route 66 road. Also, I think I-35 between 122nd in OKC and 2nd in Edmond has been three lanes since before 2005. I don't have any documentation to back that up, I'm just going on memory here.

It wasn't. Kelly was. But you had to make a slight left on memorial where it dead-ended, then right to access Broadway which went up to danforth/sr66. It marked the spot where the highways merged for a few miles. I'm only going off memory as well for the section north of turner turnpike. I only go that far north of I'm driving to Kansas. But my memory of the section between I-44 and turnpike expansion dates somewhere in the early-mid 2000's

If we were building a freeway from scratch today there is no rational reason we would build it to resemble anything we are stuck with today.

First, thru traffic should never have to change lanes. You should be able to stay in the same lane from south of Norman to north of Edmond if you are on I-35.

Second, all entrance and exit ramps should be on the left - so expansion would always be on the right side and only a single traffic light is needed on the overpass.

Third, the on ramp lane should become the next off ramp lane. For the love of pete I can't figure out why ODOT didn't continue the Robinson on-ramp lane southbound to Main St. They only need about 200 more feet of paint.

Along I-40 west of Amarillo.

Here is one I found pretty quickly on street view. I don't know how many of them there are that are paved vs. the ones that are not, I could have missed some as I was going through at night when I actually pulled over my car on the shoulder to verify I saw what I thought I saw, and realized Texas actually has at grade intersections on a supposed interstate. I am not sure if they only do this on this section of I-40 or not, but it is a bad practice none the less because it sets a bad precedent, imo.

I'm going to eventually send a letter via email to the FHWA and TxDOT about this and see what their take on this is and I'm interested in hearing TxDOT's defense of building these. I have never seen this anywhere but West Texas on I-40.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1918508,-102.967866,3a,75y,220.86h,84.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHkI_DDCDsq8WXwUaHiAE3g!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DHkI_DDCDsq8WX wUaHiAE3g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D271.0965%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656


There is an interesting thread over on AA Roads (for those interested in a complete explanation):
At-grade intersections on Interstates in Texas (http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15847.0)

The short explanation is that these are ranch access roads. They have such little cross traffic that it is financially foolish to build interchanges. There are a number of them on I-10 in west Texas too.

If we were building a freeway from scratch today there is no rational reason we would build it to resemble anything we are stuck with today.

First, thru traffic should never have to change lanes. You should be able to stay in the same lane from south of Norman to north of Edmond if you are on I-35.

That is why you see interchanges such as the Fort Smith junction designed so that exact thing happens. It's unfortunate that the Dallas junction was designed before that became a generally accepted standard.


Second, all entrance and exit ramps should be on the left - so expansion would always be on the right side and only a single traffic light is needed on the overpass.

That is a TERRIBLE idea. In general, the traffic closest to the inside should be the "fast" lanes. When you have all your exits in the fast lanes, traffic really snarls and the number of accidents increases. That is the chief reason Houston has rebuilt many of their 5-level stack interchanges to eliminate all left-hand exits.


Third, the on ramp lane should become the next off ramp lane. For the love of pete I can't figure out why ODOT didn't continue the Robinson on-ramp lane southbound to Main St. They only need about 200 more feet of paint.

I totally agree. It is also the reason that (bringing this topic back to the subject of this thread) the OP sees an exit only lane northbound between Wilshire and Britton.

There is an interesting thread over on AA Roads (for those interested in a complete explanation):
At-grade intersections on Interstates in Texas (http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15847.0)

The short explanation is that these are ranch access roads. They have such little cross traffic that it is financially foolish to build interchanges. There are a number of them on I-10 in west Texas too.Awesome! I just joined yesterday. Thanks a million for that link. I'll probably chime in on that thread.

Third, the on ramp lane should become the next off ramp lane. For the love of pete I can't figure out why ODOT didn't continue the Robinson on-ramp lane southbound to Main St. They only need about 200 more feet of paint.

Have you written them and suggested such a change? I made a similar suggestion via letter for the NB lanes of I235 there at the I44 clover leaf: make the entrance ramp from 44 have it's own dedicated lane on up to 63rd, because the end of the entrance lane to merge onto NBI235 ends and about 50 feet later a new third lane appears.

I totally agree. It is also the reason that (bringing this topic back to the subject of this thread) the OP sees an exit only lane northbound between Wilshire and Britton.

That's not what I was talking about.

On I-35 northbound, the lane that is the far right lane on I-35 south of I-40 becomes the middle lane north of 4th St. and then becomes the far right lane (slow lane) again after 23rd St. That lane becomes an exit only lane and exits onto Wilshire. The lane that had been the fast lane from the I-40 interchange becomes the slow lane north of Wilshire.

So if someone has been traveling in that lane since they were south of I-40 and then it suddenly becomes an exit only at Wilshire, that can be a shock.

That's not what I was talking about.

On I-35 northbound, the lane that is the far right lane on I-35 south of I-40 becomes the middle lane north of 4th St. and then becomes the far right lane (slow lane) again after 23rd St. That lane becomes an exit only lane and exits onto Wilshire. The lane that had been the fast lane from the I-40 interchange becomes the slow lane north of Wilshire.

So if someone has been traveling in that lane since they were south of I-40 and then it suddenly becomes an exit only at Wilshire, that can be a shock.

Since you are talking about a road that was built over 5 DECADES, your expectation isn't reasonable. I35 south of I40 was designed/built in the late 70's (the part over the Oklahoma River), the Fort Smith junction was finished less than 10 years ago, the part north of 10th up to 63rd was built in the early 60's, and the part from there to Wilshire and beyond was again built in the 80's. The minimization of I35 from 63rd to Wilshire is one of the reasons the I44/35 interchange will be rebuilt.

I'm pretty sure Memorial Rd. was never a Route 66 road. Also, I think I-35 between 122nd in OKC and 2nd in Edmond has been three lanes since before 2005. I don't have any documentation to back that up, I'm just going on memory here.

You are correct. Memorial was never a part of US66. It had been moved to the NE Expy when the Turner Turnpike was opened in 1953. Before the Broadway Extension was built, 66 went north on Lincoln, made a short jog east to Kelley, then went straight north to Broadway. From there up to 2nd, then east.

There are exit only lanes up here in Seattle too, just about every exit is its own lane - often combine that with so-called SLIP lanes; all are meant to keep the main flow of traffic moving while allowing flexibility for those departing (and in the case of SLIP lanes, merging).

Since you are talking about a road that was built over 5 DECADES, your expectation isn't reasonable. I35 south of I40 was designed/built in the late 70's (the part over the Oklahoma River), the Fort Smith junction was finished less than 10 years ago, the part north of 10th up to 63rd was built in the early 60's, and the part from there to Wilshire and beyond was again built in the 80's. The minimization of I35 from 63rd to Wilshire is one of the reasons the I44/35 interchange will be rebuilt.
So just because the sections were built in different decades then it's unreasonable to expect the lanes and the flow to make sense? I believe that good planning to alleviate this issue. Or instead of having the entire lane be an exit, just have an exit ramp and have the lane continue on.

Look at the same piece of I-35 northbound where Sooner comes onto it. Sooner comes in and makes a fourth lane but then that same lane serves as an exit lane for Memorial. That's how an exit only lane should be done.

That is a TERRIBLE idea. In general, the traffic closest to the inside should be the "fast" lanes. When you have all your exits in the fast lanes, traffic really snarls and the number of accidents increases. That is the chief reason Houston has rebuilt many of their 5-level stack interchanges to eliminate all left-hand exits.

The outside lane would become the fast lane.

Another good idea would be lane-specific speed limits.

You are correct. Memorial was never a part of US66. It had been moved to the NE Expy when the Turner Turnpike was opened in 1953. Before the Broadway Extension was built, 66 went north on Lincoln, made a short jog east to Kelley, then went straight north to Broadway. From there up to 2nd, then east.

It's bordering on semantics but my statement about memorial being part of rt 66 was the few hundred foot transition from where kelly dead ends. And memorial connected to us77/Broadway for a few miles until it breaks off east again. It was the crossroads junction of two original 1926 routes. 77 by 1930 extended from Mexico via Brownsville to Milpark, SD.

I don't mean to nerd out on it so badly. But a dear friend of mine from England is an amateur Route 66 historian. He comes and stays with us twice a year on his semi-annual pilgrimage and talks our ears off about everything rt 66.

It's bordering on semantics but my statement about memorial being part of rt 66 was the few hundred foot transition from where kelly dead ends. And memorial connected to us77/Broadway for a few miles until it breaks off east again. It was the crossroads junction of two original 1926 routes. 77 by 1930 extended from Mexico via Brownsville to Milpark, SD.

I don't mean to nerd out on it so badly. But a dear friend of mine from England is an amateur Route 66 historian. He comes and stays with us twice a year on his semi-annual pilgrimage and talks our ears off about everything rt 66.

I will get some scans of my 30's era maps but here is an aerial from 1954 that clearly shows that Kelley curves just north of Memorial to become Broadway. For those who've always wondered, that is why it is the Broadway Extension south of Memorial. Your friend is misinformed.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1712/24619393269_60f2b6e056.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DvwPTK)Memorial at Kelley - 1954 (https://flic.kr/p/DvwPTK) by rte66man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rte66man/), on Flickr

The outside lane would become the fast lane.

So you would have OKC go against the normal traffic laws of every country on this planet (except the Brits and certain of their Commonwealth brethren)?


Another good idea would be lane-specific speed limits.

How on earth would you enforce that? We can't even get people to stop being LLBs (left lane blockers).

I will get some scans of my 30's era maps but here is an aerial from 1954 that clearly shows that Kelley curves just north of Memorial to become Broadway. For those who've always wondered, that is why it is the Broadway Extension south of Memorial. Your friend is misinformed.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1712/24619393269_60f2b6e056.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DvwPTK)Memorial at Kelley - 1954 (https://flic.kr/p/DvwPTK) by rte66man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rte66man/), on Flickr

Here is the same intersection in 1969. US66 had long been moved off of Kelley and 77 now went straight south on Broadway.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1634/24987239275_1c6e4c54d7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/E538Gg)Memorial at Kelley - 1969 (https://flic.kr/p/E538Gg) by rte66man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rte66man/), on Flickr

One problem that needs to be addressed are that some of these exit lanes need more lanes, particularly where I-35 (at 235 and 40) and I-44 (at 74, 3, and 39th) shift off of the mainline. Interstate standards say there should be at least two lanes in each direction, in which these two interchanges fall below. Minneapolis addresses this problem well with I-35W, the interstate shifts off of the mainline numerous times but always maintains at least two lanes in each direction. Attached is an image of 35W in downtown Minneapolis. I really like the design of this interchange and I think it could be very suitable for both 35 and 44 in OKC.

I-35W is blue.
I-94 is red.
SH-65 is yellow.
http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/transportation/12232d1455504122-exit-only-lanes-35-minneapolis.jpg

One problem that needs to be addressed are that some of these exit lanes need more lanes, particularly where I-35 (at 235 and 40) and I-44 (at 74, 3, and 39th) shift off of the mainline. Interstate standards say there should be at least two lanes in each direction, in which these two interchanges fall below. Minneapolis addresses this problem well with I-35W, the interstate shifts off of the mainline numerous times but always maintains at least two lanes in each direction. Attached is an image of 35W in downtown Minneapolis. I really like the design of this interchange and I think it could be very suitable for both 35 and 44 in OKC.

I-35W is blue.
I-94 is red.
SH-65 is yellow.
http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/transportation/12232d1455504122-exit-only-lanes-35-minneapolis.jpg

I've sat in northbound traffic on 35W south of downtown too many times to agree with this. Unless you drive it every day, you don't know which lane to be in until it's too late to move over. I think the Crosstown Commons rebuild is a much better example:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1497/24447668884_e3b0aabb65.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DfmGdu)2016-02-16_20-47-45 (https://flic.kr/p/DfmGdu) by rte66man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rte66man/), on Flickr