New I-35 bridge for Oklahoma City?

[BG918]

As OKC continues to redevelop the Oklahoma River I think a new bridge on our busiest highway would be an awesome icon. Of course it would have to wait until the I-40 relocation is complete and I realize it may not be all that practical but it has the potential to really be a source of pride and something a lot of visitors would see. Imagine a landmark bridge over the river with amazing skyline views coming from the south.

I think it should be done in conjunction with another relocation of I-40, this time the stretch from the I-235 junction over to I-35 where the highway would be moved to the north along the RR tracks just south of NE 4th so that development could take place along the river east of I-235. Right now the presence of the highway limits any potential riverfront development in this area, right across the river from the Native American Cultural Center. That's a huge area next to downtown that is WAY under-utilized, and better connection to the river on the south end and OUHSC to the north could make it a great neighborhood one of these days.

Center City East Master Plan
City of Oklahoma City | Center City East

Something like this in Rochester, NY:


Or this proposal in Dallas:

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I think we should steal the Old London Bridge from that place in Lake Havasu, Arizona and put it up. I'm sure they wouldn't notice.

Or build one like it...One with large sidewalks for foot traffic as well as vehicles. We don't need a huge suspension bridge or mile-high jobber due to the fact that we have no real shipping along there, no need for clearance above the waterline....We don't need a towering architectural marvel, we need an eye-catching brick and mortar bridge with a lot of character.

That's just what I think anyway.

[metro]

You should send your idea and pics to the city BG.

[bombermwc]

The fact that we don't really have a river pretty much gurantees that we won't be having an iconic bridge, ever. They are so insanely expensive to build and there's no reason to build it. If we had a real river that actually had traffic on it, that would be one thing, but when you can build a bridge 20 feet above really just a creek, i don't think it's worth it.

Not to mention the fact that the I35 bridge isn't going to move...and is in great shape. I40 will slide back in just before the junction, so nothing there at the interchange is going to be any different than it is now.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Uh...the Oklahoma River is planned to be the showpiece of the city. I think that is a pretty good reason.

If anything...wrap the existing bridge in a new, visually-exciting skin and light it with LEDs.

[BG918]

Well I wouldn't quite say the Trinity River in Dallas is that much larger than the Oklahoma River (although the flood plain is quite wide). They don't even have navigation along their river, at least we have that. They are building their bridges purely for iconic reasons, and I think OKC should consider doing something as well. The Oklahoma River is becoming the centerpiece of the city.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Uh...the Oklahoma River is planned to be the showpiece of the city. I think that is a pretty good reason.

If anything...wrap the existing bridge in a new, visually-exciting skin and light it with LEDs.

Me too...And the best part is...It only has to be a showpiece. Like I said earlier (except I probably should have said "engineering" and not "architectural" marvel), we don't even have to make it a massive suspension bridge or anything. There's no large ships that need to go under it, nor is there excessive traffic that needs to go over it.

So we can build a really COOL bridge instead. Like one made entirely out of Copenhagen can lids!




Or yeah...LED's would be okay too.

[jbrown84]

Uh...the Oklahoma River is planned to be the showpiece of the city. I think that is a pretty good reason.

If anything...wrap the existing bridge in a new, visually-exciting skin and light it with LEDs.

Absolutely. We need to do something to beautify the I-44 and I-35 bridges as they are the main entrances into the city (from the Airport and the south, respectively). Although it would be nice if they were iconic, just being nicer than beige concrete is a huge step. A couple nice brick bridges would go a long way.

[bombermwc]

Well good luck convincing the state/feds to pay for it. Maybe the next time that bridge comes up to be replaced, they would let the city do something to pay the extra costs, but there's no way it's going to get approved just because we something that looks cool. If it were a city street, fine, but an interstate....good luck there.

[hipsterdoofus]

I can't imagine anything like this ever happening since its somewhat of a luxury and they can't even get I-40 put up in the terrible state that the old road is in now.

[Nixon7]

I can't imagine anything like this ever happening since its somewhat of a luxury and they can't even get I-40 put up in the terrible state that the old road is in now.

Agreed. Dream on.

[hipsterdoofus]

Plus think about how much of a stink was made about the capitol dome...can you imagine what people would say about a bridge?

[metro]

I imagine if a showpiece like this were to be done, it'd be a skin over the existing bridge (which is fine by need since we don't need it to costs hundreds of millions and be structural for large ships to pass under) and cost a fraction of what other showpiece bridges cost. Additionally, it would be a large public works type project, perhaps a MAPS3 or MAPS4 type project.

[BG918]

I imagine if a showpiece like this were to be done, it'd be a skin over the existing bridge (which is fine by need since we don't need it to costs hundreds of millions and be structural for large ships to pass under) and cost a fraction of what other showpiece bridges cost. Additionally, it would be a large public works type project, perhaps a MAPS3 or MAPS4 type project.

That's what I was thinking, something aesthetic that could be applied to the current bridge. Our best bet for a signature bridge might be the proposed pedestrian bridge across the river in the C2S plan.

[jbrown84]

Check this out. A bridge in China doubles as a fountain. It would be cool to do something similar.



Rainbow Bridge on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[metro]

That's tight jbrown, and it looks like the current I-35 bridge, I imagine we could do that for little cost with just a little retrofitting and some LED's.

[bombermwc]

That's sweet!!!! Who do we need to send that picture to?

[Luke]

Installing fountains off a bridge with lights is a great way to make an old ugly bridge a new modern one that makes a statement. Awesome idea.