I-235 / I-44 Interchange

[ChaseDweller]

There will be 3 all-new bridges when they are done; one NB, one SB, and one collector/distribution for the cloverleaf loop ramps. This will eliminate the terrible weaving at the SB bridge. I do not believe they will do what Pete has suggested as that will make the weaving worse as there won't be any merge lane.

I think they will do what Pete suggested with a dedicated lane for the cloverleaf traffic. I imagine that's why the NB lanes are crammed over so far to the east rather than taking up half the new bridge.

[Snowman]

There will be 3 all-new bridges when they are done; one NB, one SB, and one collector/distribution for the cloverleaf loop ramps. This will eliminate the terrible weaving at the SB bridge. I do not believe they will do what Pete has suggested as that will make the weaving worse as there won't be any merge lane.

The area they have partitioned on the new bridge for temporary SB traffic is a full lane wider than the old SB bridge, so there is plenty of room to have two through lanes and another lane running between the two leaves for merging like the current setup (granted now they could make the the temporary lanes modern standard width, verses the current one being like a foot narrower than modern standard). If they were not shifting the merge area there, it would make more sense to do a more even split so there was room for breakdown lane on both sides during construction, plus having the cars nearer final lanes design has some advantages in the turns and during heavy rain.

Even if they are technically different bridges, the renderings still make the SB and distributor bridge(s) look like one bridge with a permanent jersey barrier in the middle. Plus it seems questionable the old SB bridge would be the one of the old bridges they would keep for a phased approach, since the old SB bridge ends up an obstruction to both the new SB main lanes and the distributor lanes, where keeping the old NB bridge would allow building the distributor bridge first without obstruction, then construct the bridge for the main lanes.

[Pete]

I'll get out there again this weekend, as they are moving fast and hopefully there will be more clues about how they will be doing this.

The SB 235 bridge is really the last big piece so you can now see how they should be completely finished this fall as ODOT has previously state.

[ditm4567]

Ever since the new NB 235 to 63rd Street exit opened, it has been a cluster. I don't know if the light is broken at 63rd, but I have sat there for 10+ minutes multiple times. It'll get to the point where the exit ramp traffic nearly backs up onto NB 235, and then the workers will get out there with hand held stop/slow signs and direct traffic on 63rd.

[Pete]

^

All the 63rd exit traffic is now funneled into one lane.

Once they properly finish the new off-ramp, there will be at least three lanes which will make a huge difference. Also, they probably haven't recalibrated the light to accommodate all the additional traffic.

[jn1780]

There will be 3 all-new bridges when they are done; one NB, one SB, and one collector/distribution for the cloverleaf loop ramps. This will eliminate the terrible weaving at the SB bridge. I do not believe they will do what Pete has suggested as that will make the weaving worse as there won't be any merge lane.

Its temporary anyway. They have had worse temp setups in the past. They can complete the project much faster this way and won't have resources waiting for the next phase(They can construct all the piers in one shot).

[Pete]

Not sure how they are going to demolish the rest of the southbound bridge as a good part of it spans active traffic on I-44.

Perhaps they'll temporarily shift traffic to the northern lanes to get that done and to build that part of the new bridge.

[jn1780]

Not sure how they are going to demolish the rest of the southbound bridge as a good part of it spans active traffic on I-44.

Perhaps they'll temporarily shift traffic to the northern lanes to get that done and to build that part of the new bridge.

Another reason why they will probably do what you suggested. I'm sure they only want to shift I-44 over once or twice. The second time being for beam installation for new bridge.

[LakeEffect]

Not sure how they are going to demolish the rest of the southbound bridge as a good part of it spans active traffic on I-44.

Perhaps they'll temporarily shift traffic to the northern lanes to get that done and to build that part of the new bridge.

I think they'll close I-44 for a weekend to do the full removal instead of shifting lanes a few times. "There are up to five full weekend closures of I-235/US-77and I-44 in the schedule to allow for bridge removals and hanging new bridge beams."

https://oklahoma.gov/odot/citizen/ma...terchange.html

[Pete]

^

That makes sense.

May have to close 44 again as part of the rebuilding process.


To date, have they completely closed 44? It would be far more problematic than 235 because there is so much through traffic, not just local commuters.

Also, how would you even reroute the 44 traffic?

[BoulderSooner]

^

That makes sense.

May have to close 44 again as part of the rebuilding process.


To date, have they completely closed 44? It would be far more problematic than 235 because there is so much through traffic, not just local commuters.

Also, how would you even reroute the 44 traffic?

I35 and I40 ..

[jn1780]

They went out of there way to prevent closing I-44 completely for NB bridge construction. I-44 has been narrowed throughout most of construction even though they have haven't really needed to for the past several months.

That may have just been because they didn't want to burn one of allocated closing weekends though.

[LakeEffect]

I35 and I40 ..

Yep. On a weekend, routing people via JKT/Hefner Parkway or I-35/I-40 would be fine.

[Pete]

Yep. On a weekend, routing people via JKT/Hefner Parkway or I-35/I-40 would be fine.

You'd have to divert them many miles away, though.

And if you allow traffic through up until the closure, tons and tons of trucks and cars will end up with nowhere to go.


This is infinitely harder than closing 235 which has virtually no through interstate traffic.

[Pete]

From today:

[Lafferty Daniel]

When traveling EB on 44 and taking the exit to 235, it goes from a two lane exit, merges to one lane for about 100 yards, then splits back into two lanes for the 235 NB exit left and the 235 SB exit right. Does anyone know why they merge it down to one lane for such a short distance? The exit ramp is obviously wide enough for two lanes the whole way, why the unnecessary merge?

[David]

When traveling EB on 44 and taking the exit to 235, it goes from a two lane exit, merges to one lane for about 100 yards, then splits back into two lanes for the 235 NB exit left and the 235 SB exit right. Does anyone know why they merge it down to one lane for such a short distance? The exit ramp is obviously wide enough for two lanes the whole way, why the unnecessary merge?

That is what I would like to know. The construction in that part of the intersection is long since finished so I would be surprised if it changed at this point, but it is such a disappointing miss for the overall project.

[OKCDrummer77]

When traveling EB on 44 and taking the exit to 235, it goes from a two lane exit, merges to one lane for about 100 yards, then splits back into two lanes for the 235 NB exit left and the 235 SB exit right. Does anyone know why they merge it down to one lane for such a short distance? The exit ramp is obviously wide enough for two lanes the whole way, why the unnecessary merge?

I've been wondering the same thing. It seems like it could be re-striped easily enough.

[Dob Hooligan]

I can't place it in my mind, but is it possible it is an early choke point to slow down traffic is a safer manner in preparation for traveling over a portion of the road that isn't finished yet? Like maybe slowing up on a straightaway instead of a curve?

[jn1780]

Final striping will be done at the end of the project. The one lane configuration made sense when it used to end in one sb lane.

Or I'm wrong and they stupidly planned for a 1 lane bottle neck instead of having one lane go south and one lane north.

[I235+I44]

When traveling EB on 44 and taking the exit to 235, it goes from a two lane exit, merges to one lane for about 100 yards, then splits back into two lanes for the 235 NB exit left and the 235 SB exit right. Does anyone know why they merge it down to one lane for such a short distance? The exit ramp is obviously wide enough for two lanes the whole way, why the unnecessary merge?

I think it would be re-striped after the I-44 is back to 3 lanes close to the project's completion. That would enable an exit only lane and another straight or exit lane on I-44 E. As all the I-44 lanes could continue to switch between north and south during the project, it might make more sense to wait. My 2 ¢

[Pete]

Took these today (Wed):

[JDSooners]

Channel 25 is saying there's several closures and a traffic shift this weekend

[Pete]

They are closing the two remaining cloverleafs and transferring I-235 traffic to the new northbound bridge so they can demolish the old southbound bridge.

We'll see what they do with the cloverleafs as they work on the new southbound bridge. I'll get out there with my drone this weekend.

[WheelerD Guy]

Is the 45 mph limit in effect only when the workers are present? Every time I drive through there it feels like a free-for-all.