EK Gaylord Blvd

[Plutonic Panda]

Are there any plans for this stretch of road? It isn’t in the best shape, there is only a sidewalk in one side, the signals are horribly timed, and there is little to no landscaping.

My wishlist would be this:

* Reduce the lanes from 3 each way to two
*add a two way protected bike path
*add a sidewalk on the east side
*completely reconstruct the road to P180 specs
*redo the landscaping
*retime the lights to be part of ITS
*midway raised pedestrian crossing where needed

If I were to really make a vision I’d also remove and place the Santa Fe parking garage underground and add pedestrian portals under the railroad viaduct between each road. I know this probably isn’t important to most people but is a pet peeve of mine, just call the road one name. Either name it Shields, EK Gaylord, or Broadway. I honestly don’t care but one interrupted road doesn’t need 3 different names.

Are there any proposed improvements at all here?

[shawnw]

I think it was originally on the P180 plan but was removed during budget constraints

[Pete]

Yes, completely removed from Project 180.

Then, the city received some federal grant money and did a mild rework of EKG between Main and Sheridan.

Absolutely nothing else is in the pipeline as far as I know.

[Plutonic Panda]

That’s a shame. At the very least I wish they’d retime the lights. They are just awful. Sitting for several minutes for absolutely no reason at multiple lights. The light where the road turns into Broadway is frustrating as well. I get the streetcar is prioritized but the light will go through a full cycle including left turns even when no one is present there.

[TheTravellers]

That’s a shame. At the very least I wish they’d retime the lights. They are just awful. Sitting for several minutes for absolutely no reason at multiple lights. The light where the road turns into Broadway is frustrating as well. I get the streetcar is prioritized but the light will go through a full cycle including left turns even when no one is present there.

Create a ticket in the Action Center, give them full details on when it happens, how long it takes, etc. Or email Stuart Chai (stuart.chai@okc.gov).

[shawnw]

For something like that you probably need to send a "Letter of Request" to Stuart, which will then be brought up at the traffic commission.

https://www.okc.gov/departments/publ...ion-commission

[Plutonic Panda]

Create a ticket in the Action Center, give them full details on when it happens, how long it takes, etc. Or email Stuart Chai (stuart.chai@okc.gov).

Thank you I will do that tonight.

[TheTravellers]

Thank you I will do that tonight.

Good luck, I used the Action Center once for that on May and 12th - light at 10th and May changes to green northbound during evening rush hour, the light at 12th *will* change to red no matter what (cars don't have to be on 12th waiting, I've seen it happen, and none had just turned right onto May from 12th and triggered the sensors on 12th). I usually punch it and end up going 50 MPH just to get through it if I'm the first at the light on 10th. City came out and said all was working properly. When I go back to working at the office on a regular basis, I'll end up getting video or some other kind of proof that things are *not* working properly, hopefully you can get proof like that and attach it to the Action Center request or email.

[Plutonic Panda]

It looks like they are planning a cycleway on this road but it’s been deferred.

Bike Infrastructure

A project agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation was pulled out of Tuesday’s Consent Agenda for a separate vote by Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher.

The project agreement was to secure funding for five bicycle infrastructure installations in and around downtown in Wards 6 and 7.

Stonecipher’s concerns were with one of those projects, a bike facility to be installed on EK Gaylord from West Sheridan to NW 13th St.

Stonecipher explained that he parks in a parking garage there and sometimes traffic in the garage gets backed up to the 5th floor. He explained that he was concerned about traffic disruption during construction, but also that he was unsure bicycle facilities in the area wouldn’t disrupt traffic after construction as well.

“I’d like to defer this for two weeks so I can speak to Heather Scott at Continental and David Harlow at BancFirst and possibly Mr. Rainbolt and Mr. Hamm,” the suburban councilor said.

Gene Rainbolt and Harold Hamm, two of the wealthiest businessmen in Oklahoma, own the businesses to which Stonecipher referred.

Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper expressed his own concerns that Stonecipher’s hesitance to move forward on bike infrastructure was to solely focus on automobile use in the downtown area.

Eric Wenger of Public Works explained to the Council that the specific bike facility for that stretch would be a Bike Track, which would be separated from the street, causing no traffic disruption.

The Council voted 6-2 to defer.

https://freepressokc.com/council-app...ilm-incentive/

They really need to reconstruct the road and add sidewalks while they’re at it. Anyone know how much they’re going to spend on this project?

[Pete]

This was a memo regarding that project:

Project Agreement with Oklahoma Department of Transportation, State Project STP155E(920)EH, State Job No. 28818(04), installation of bicycle facilities, Projects BR-0001, North
Walker Avenue between NW 6th Street and NW 13th Street; BR-0002, NW 4th Street between
North Western Avenue and North Broadway Avenue; BR-0003, Shartel Avenue between West
Sheridan Avenue and NW 13th Street; BR-0004, E.K. Gaylord Boulevard between West Sheridan
Avenue and NW 4th Street; and BR-0005, West Sheridan Avenue between Shartel Avenue and
E.K. Gaylord Avenue, for Project PC-0616, Crosstown Bike Lanes, $1,453,964.38. Wards 6 and
7.
Location:
BR-0001 - North Walker Avenue between NW 6th Street and NW 13th Street
BR-0002 - NW 4th Street between North Western Avenue and North Broadway Avenue
BR-0003 - Shartel Avenue between West Sheridan Avenue and NW 13th Street
BR-0004 - EK Gaylord Boulevard between West Sheridan Avenue and NW 4th Street
BR-0005 - West Sheridan Avenue between Shartel Avenue and EK Gaylord Avenue

[Pete]

BTW, Stonecipher works for Fellers Snider in BancFirst Tower and no doubt parks in the Santa Fe Parking Garage which BancFirst and Continental bought from the city.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thanks for the information. I guess by that number it won't include any road improvements which it needs. Good for cyclists though it isn't the smoothest patch of road here.

[Plutonic Panda]

BTW, Stonecipher works for Fellers Snider in BancFirst Tower and no doubt parks in the Santa Fe Parking Garage which BancFirst and Continental bought from the city.

If the parking is that bad why not demolish part of the garage, extend Park Ave. to EK Gaylord, and then use a skybridge to the future Parkfirst Bricktown garage. You could then reconfigure the Santa Fe garage with better ingress/egress.

[mugofbeer]

It looks like they are planning a cycleway on this road but it’s been deferred.



https://freepressokc.com/council-app...ilm-incentive/

They really need to reconstruct the road and add sidewalks while they’re at it. Anyone know how much they’re going to spend on this project?

OKC is a good example of a city with good grid streets that clould be used strictly (local car traffic only) for bikes and other forms of alternative lower-speed transportation. I think it would be a great move and have little effect on existing traffic.

[shawnw]

I missed all this as work was too busy to pay attention to anything else, but it's probably good because my head might have exploded listening to people defend parking garages over bike infra...

[Plutonic Panda]

I missed all this as work was too busy to pay attention to anything else, but it's probably good because my head might have exploded listening to people defend parking garages over bike infra...

Haha I’m surprised you didn’t mention my love affair for sky-bridges though

[shawnw]

Good point was too distraught over this garage fiasco

[DowntownMan]

The garage back ups could be solved with better traffic light timing at main and also Sheridan.

The garage backs up when those two lights have issues. Something he does have say in fixing easily.

Also the two times that garage was really bad was because 235 was shut down with wreck so people then take Broadway south giving Gaylord more traffic than it’s ever designed to handle but that’s one off scenarios that you just deal with.

[Plutonic Panda]

The traffic lights are horrible. OKC could fix a lot of traffic hotspots like memorial and Penn with better lights.

[HOT ROD]

If the parking is that bad why not demolish part of the garage, extend Park Ave. to EK Gaylord, and then use a skybridge to the future Parkfirst Bricktown garage. You could then reconfigure the Santa Fe garage with better ingress/egress.

Praying for this!!!!!