The New I-40 (Construction Updates)

[Larry OKC]

I will miss the elevated aspect as I like looking out over the City

[Just the facts]

You obviously forget where you live. Oklahoma City is one of the most fossil fuel dependent cities in the country. Without gasoline we'd be f***ed. Just saying.Public transit is non-existent here and you need to have good freeways to get around. We cant remove freeways/interstates since the infrastructure/economy here depends on it. Have fun with the commute from 122nd and Council to downtown with your bicycle. For now we need good interstates and OKC has them for the most part until gas is $10/gal. Once I-40 is done I should be able to get from my house from my house in Edgemere Park area (NW 35th and I-235 area) to Portland/I40 area in roughly 10 minutes during rush hour....Hopefully. No complaints here.

As far as increasing property values. I think the new replacement boulevard will increase property values. You will probably see some chains/big box stores replacing the abandoned warehouses, hopefully some higher density developments. Hopefully it turns into a more Urban-style Mixed use multi-floor Development vs the NW Expressway-suburban-style developments which have been popular in the last 20+ years. Eventually Higher Density development will be more favorable once oil prices reach crazy prices. Higher density developments are the wave of the future.

Care to guess how much the State of Oklahoma has spent on freeway construction around OKC in the last 20 years? Any idea how extensive of a mass transit system they could have built with the same amount of money and how many billions of dollars OKC residence would have saved in gasoline alone?

[metro405]

Good Video Thanks

[Questor]

Good video SSEiYah. I drove the new I-40 recently, and here are my thoughts.

The Pros:

• Seems to be room to grow.
• The scissor-tailed bridge thing is pretty cool.
• The surrounding construction looks modern/quality.
• The lower elevation does not greatly reduce visibility to downtown until you are right upon the center of town.

The Cons:

• Absolutely horrible signage. Hopefully this will get better quickly.
• It is amazing to me that there are so few exits into downtown. Once you're in the core there's Western and Shields and that's it. I checked out the Shields exit and I have to say it feels like it is dumping you out in no mans land. I don't know how popular that is going to be.
• I think the exit arrangement is actually quite poor for Midtown and some of the newer (and at least until now) growing portions of west downtown.
• I was a little surprised at how rough the road felt considering it is brand new. Like the previous poster said it is not as nice/smooth as the new I-235.
• It's not really five lanes. It is mostly three lanes, and occasionally four. For whatever reason they have the fifth lane barricaded throughout.
• The I-40 east-bound exit onto I-35 is a joke. Blink and you will miss it. Actually make it and you'll be sad.
• It will be a disaster during Thunder games. Everyone is going to take Western.

So basically pretty standard OKC fare... two steps forward and one back. It'll probably become more usable in 2-3 years after some corrections.

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

[swilki]

I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

It's a fantastic thing for downtown, moving the crosstown will allow it to grow. Why do so many people on here assume that everyone traveling down I-40 is automatically going to go into downtown OKC? Most people traveling down an interstate aren't going to stop, they are heading from point A to point B and are only looking to stop at places that are an easy off and on from the interstate. Also, not everyone going into downtown uses I-40, so I don't think it is going to be a ghost town now that I-40 has moved and has limited access.

Personally, I prefer highways with limited access - it makes for much faster and safer travel.

[Questor]

I can only speak for myself, but if I am going downtown I am now going to always use I-35 and cut across from there. Maybe that is what the city wanted, I don't know. But I-40 is too ineffective for me as an entry point into downtown now. Sadly that makes west downtown seem farther away.

I can tell you that as someone who does not live downtown, if roads are continued to be built that as a direct result add another 10 or 20 minutes to my commute to McNellie's or a place like that, then I will stop going downtown. Since I have no desire to live downtown, that ends me as a customer. Since I go to restaurants and bar hop and occasionally talk to people, I know that the vast majority of folks down there don't live anywhere near downtown OKC, so again I just don't know how good a thing this is for the city if others are in a similar situation. Hopefully we can get more housing and apartments built down there before this horrid highway kills everything off.

[jungmuny]

You did a good job of mentioning the negatives so here are some positives:

Odot claims over half of the i-40 crosstown traffic is throughput, meaning not planning to stop in the city. Much of this is semitrucks that are very loud and unpleasant. Moving this traffic into a less desirable area (southside) will quiet downtown and make it more pleasant.

Since the previous crosstown lasted 50 years, that may be a reasonable guess as to the life span of this crosstown. So when we look at that broad of a time horizion, we have to account for gas prices. They have nearly tripled in the last 12 years. If they triple to nearly $10 in the next 12 years (which is entirely possible given the forces that increased demand and decreased supply should not change), many less people will be taking highways to work. Highways will become much more of a commercial form of transportation than they already are.

My prediction and hope is that these 5 blocks south of downtown will become dense residential development so that when gas prices rise further the effect will be minimalized.

[jn1780]

Good video SSEiYah. I drove the new I-40 recently, and here are my thoughts.

The Pros:

• Seems to be room to grow.
• The scissor-tailed bridge thing is pretty cool.
• The surrounding construction looks modern/quality.
• The lower elevation does not greatly reduce visibility to downtown until you are right upon the center of town.

The Cons:

• Absolutely horrible signage. Hopefully this will get better quickly.
• It is amazing to me that there are so few exits into downtown. Once you're in the core there's Western and Shields and that's it. I checked out the Shields exit and I have to say it feels like it is dumping you out in no mans land. I don't know how popular that is going to be.
• I think the exit arrangement is actually quite poor for Midtown and some of the newer (and at least until now) growing portions of west downtown.
• I was a little surprised at how rough the road felt considering it is brand new. Like the previous poster said it is not as nice/smooth as the new I-235.
• It's not really five lanes. It is mostly three lanes, and occasionally four. For whatever reason they have the fifth lane barricaded throughout.
• The I-40 east-bound exit onto I-35 is a joke. Blink and you will miss it. Actually make it and you'll be sad.
• It will be a disaster during Thunder games. Everyone is going to take Western.

So basically pretty standard OKC fare... two steps forward and one back. It'll probably become more usable in 2-3 years after some corrections.

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

Actually, if they applied Just the Facts ideas there wouldn't be a boulevard going though the old route. So we will never know how well his ideas would work like relying on Reno. I don't have a problems with the theory of his ideas. I just don't think we can jump right to them cold turkey.

I agree about the signage, but I think that will improve. For one thing, the Shields and I-35 southbound/ northbound standards are completely missing and their using temporary signs. Don't know why the Shields sign is missing, but I think the crossover lane is in the way for where the foundation for the standard for the I-35 ramp signs are suppose to go. Also, some of the standards on the west end are having to hold signs for both eastbound and westbound lanes under this temporary configuration so sign space is limited.

I-35 exit will improve once they build the retaining walls on the left hand side and remove the the temporary southbound ramp they had set up. They have the left hand lane after the crossover closed right now for them to do that work.

They have the fifth lane in the middle closed because its hard enough merging four lanes into three, much less five lanes into three. Again, this will change once the crossovers are removed in about 6-8 months.

The western side of downtown will see all of its connections restored once that section of the boulevard is complete. Should be the first section to open up.
The eastern side of downtown has Shields/EK Gaylord which will eventually connect to the boulevard which will provided easier access to the central parts of downtown.

Your current assessment is fair. Just promised to reevaluate once everything is completed.

[Just the facts]

Also it's ironic, I got the feeling that the developers applied some of the concepts Just the Facts has been talking about here. The whole thing is a great deal south of downtown now, never crossing through it, and seems to make every attempt possible to keep people out of downtown what with its limited or no exists and all. I cannot fathom this is a good thing for the city.

That is because you are looking at it from the surban driver's point of view. Over the next few years that will continue to become the minority point of view. Now that I-40 has moved south the area along the old I-40 route will improve. In 10 years most people won't able to comprehend that an interstate even ran through the area.

[rcjunkie]

Care to guess how much the State of Oklahoma has spent on freeway construction around OKC in the last 20 years? Any idea how extensive of a mass transit system they could have built with the same amount of money and how many billions of dollars OKC residence would have saved in gasoline alone?

And care to guess how many empty mass transit cars there would be daily, and what a waste of money this would have been. IMO

[rcjunkie]

I can only speak for myself, but if I am going downtown I am now going to always use I-35 and cut across from there. Maybe that is what the city wanted, I don't know. But I-40 is too ineffective for me as an entry point into downtown now. Sadly that makes west downtown seem farther away.

I can tell you that as someone who does not live downtown, if roads are continued to be built that as a direct result add another 10 or 20 minutes to my commute to McNellie's or a place like that, then I will stop going downtown. Since I have no desire to live downtown, that ends me as a customer. Since I go to restaurants and bar hop and occasionally talk to people, I know that the vast majority of folks down there don't live anywhere near downtown OKC, so again I just don't know how good a thing this is for the city if others are in a similar situation. Hopefully we can get more housing and apartments built down there before this horrid highway kills everything off.

Patience Patience Patience, once the new boulevard is built, getting to any location in Downtown will be a breeze.

[jn1780]

Explored more of the route today and I agree that the Shields route could be intimidating if you never came from that way before. The first thing that greats you coming off of I-40 is an unattractive stoplight that they literally grabbed from a stoplight salvage yard. Their not the nice black ones that they have at the other I-40 intersections. Its obvious that the contractor and subcontractors for the central section didn't have time to finish all of the signs and stoplights because of the earlier than expected opening and they had to slap something together.

Also, they were working today on the east end demolishing the old eastbound lanes and building the crossover lanes. Pretty good progress for it only being switched over for four days now.

[adaniel]

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

[Dustin]

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

It's just this forum. People love to complain.

[MDot]

I can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. Are people in this city really that lazy?

The freeway isn't even done, people.

I second diggyba. If you were to go out and ask a normal person they wouldn't even bat an eye to some of the biggest "problems" that people go back and forth on here over. Certain people on here give OKC a bad rep.

[corpsman]

Saw Bellaboo's reaction to the Skydancer and decided to drive the new highway at a relatively light traffic time. I'd have to say the Skydancer has more of an OMG factor. Daggon thing has a for sure distraction potential. As to fewer exits, I'm in favor. I-240 and those exits every 1/4 mile is a nightmare. I don't know which is worse, trying to get onto or off of 240.

[Beastboii]

When is the new boulevard bieng built?

[Snowman]

That is because you are looking at it from the surban driver's point of view. Over the next few years that will continue to become the minority point of view. Now that I-40 has moved south the area along the old I-40 route will improve. In 10 years most people won't able to comprehend that an interstate even ran through the area.

You seem to have a distorted sense of how development happens, you do not go from something like above 98% of the population being suburbanish to a majority being urban in a few years. It will take around ten years before we have all of the seeds for public transportation downtown, then there is no getting around the long lead times in building mid rises, high rises and mass transit expansion. At earliest we are looking at a few decades not a few years for the possibility of it becoming a minority point of view. Several of the plans that you have brought up have absolutely zero support for a transition period.

[rcjunkie]

i can't believe that driving 3 or 4 extra blocks has become such an issue for people. are people in this city really that lazy?

the freeway isn't even done, people.

yes

[Double Edge]

Drove it today to the art museum. Nice but yup, was appalled to see only the two exits downtown. It's going to be fun for commuters when weather or other issues clogs those arteries. But, yeah, the throughput is going to be much better and it will be less dicey in that area than with some of the old short ramps.

[mburlison]

as for "fewer" exits, it's something I had to get 'used to' here in North Dallas, but have come to appreciate. The key, though, is to have the frontage/service roads that can handle a high-volume of traffic as well.

[catch22]

I noticed in Austin and in other areas the highway exits and on ramps are between the major cross streets. So it avoids the bottleneck 150 yards from the stoplight. Traffic flows off the highway and still gives drivers time to get in the proper lane while at speed instead of getting off and then trying to jump across a few lanes of traffic while slowing down and merging at the same time.

[mcca7596]

For those that have driven on the new I-40 now, can one see the land run monuments very well, or does it look like one will be able to when the westbound lanes open up?

[Just the facts]

Saw Bellaboo's reaction to the Skydancer and decided to drive the new highway at a relatively light traffic time.

This is called induced demand.

[Just the facts]

Patience Patience Patience, once the new boulevard is built, getting to any location in Downtown will be a breeze.

Move the urban freeway out of the way and traffic will improve. I don't know why that is so controversial when everyone agrees.