OKC Boulevard

[Buffalo Bill]

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.

[Urban Pioneer]

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.

[Plutonic Panda]

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?

[David]

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.

[Urban Pioneer]

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.

[Spartan]

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?

[shawnw]

From Steve's article:

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.

[Pete]

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.

[shawnw]

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.

[BoulderSooner]

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?

[baralheia]

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.

[Patchy Proot]

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.

[Patchy Proot]

I found the right thread and posted there. Sorry

[ChrisHayes]

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

[Pete]

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.

[Anonymous.]

Work on Oklahoma Ave connection to the Boulevard.

[Pete]

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.

[Anonymous.]

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

[Ross MacLochness]

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..

[jn1780]

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.

[Ross MacLochness]

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.

I think they, and bricktown owners, just want that intersection open asap. They are tired of waiting around on Uhaul.

[jn1780]

I think they, and bricktown owners, just want that intersection open asap. They are tired of waiting around on Uhaul.

Its better than nothing I guess. It will be interesting to see how they merged these one way roads back onto Oklahoma while also dealing with the the parking lot entrances.

[Pete]

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..

That's exactly what I thought and why I went to go take photos.

The reason for the new alignment is there are existing street easements they can use.

[Sooner.Arch]

It would be amazing to see Uhaul go and have the building be restored to its former glory! I could definitely see it become some cool apartments but I'm just dreaming. Will Uhaul ever leave?

[Pete]

Roads being built around U-Haul in Bricktown after failing to obtain right-of-way

The eastern section of the new OKC Boulevard opened earlier this year, with direct entrances to and from the neighboring freeways.

The segment dead-ends at Shields Boulevard until the remainder of the roadway ultimately follows the entire footprint of the old I-40 corridor, and the only existing exit isn't an exit at all.

The traffic light and full intersection at Oklahoma Avenue is currently barricaded and motorists are blocked from using what would be direct access to Bricktown.

After failing to obtain the required property to connect the intersection in a direct line to Oklahoma Ave., work has now started to circumnavigate a property currently owned by U-Haul.

As seen from above, U-Haul currently uses the area directly west of Harkins Theater for vehicles and parking.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is building the boulevard but it was the responsibility of the City of Oklahoma City to obtain the right-of-way to connect to Oklahoma Avenue.

After months of failed negotiations, work has now started to build access that would take motorists west then up Compress Avenue on the west side of U-Haul, then back east to Oklahoma, or to the east and directly into a parking area behind Harkins.

A spokesperson for the City said they still hope to acquire the U-Haul right-of-way. The work-around -- which may be temporary or permanent -- should be complete in the fall.

Before the boulevard construction, access roads under the old I-40 followed the Compress alignment but a decision was made to move the intersection to Oklahoma Avenue under the assumption a deal could be reached with the U-Haul owners.

Preliminary work has already started on the center section of the boulevard which will run directly north of the under-construction MAPS 3 Scissortail Park and the proposed convention center and Omni hotel. Contracts for full construction are set to let this November with the entire remainder of the project taking about 1.5 years.

For full plans for the boulevard, see our summary here.

Tune in to KFOR-TV tonight at 5PM for more information and footage on this story from our news partners at Channel 4. KFOR reporter Lacey Lett contributed to this story.