Paycom Center (formerly Chesapeake Arena)

[UnFrSaKn]

March 2 2012

[okcphotoguy76]

On Feb. 29, 2012 ODOT allowed the public one last chance to go up on the old I-40 Crosstown and walk or drive and take photos. I took this photo of the Chesapeake Energy Arena new SW Grand Entry construction while I was up there.

Chesapeake Energy Arena New SW Entry 2012 by AlonzoAdamsOKC, on Flickr

[UnFrSaKn]

[SoonerBoy18]

I wonder how ESPN, and TNT is going to do a live ariel coverage of the arena when the playoffs come since the old i-40 will be in the process of demolition. I assume thats going to be a messy site when playoffs arrive

[ljbab728]

I wonder how ESPN, and TNT is going to do a live ariel coverage of the arena when the playoffs come since the old i-40 will be in the process of demolition. I assume thats going to be a messy site when playoffs arrive

All of the streets downtown have been in that situation for months and months. It won't have any affect. Most of their shots are nightime and you can't really see the streets anyway.

[kevinpate]

I wonder how ESPN, and TNT is going to do a live ariel coverage of the arena when the playoffs come since the old i-40 will be in the process of demolition. I assume thats going to be a messy site when playoffs arrive

That's easy. They'll just say something like 'some people say there is nothing to do in Oklahoma. Now, I'm not saying that's true but I did notice today they are tearing down the interstate highway here.'

[OklahomaNick]

Gosh, having that big entrance will help with mass traffic flow OUT of the arena after Thunder games.
It's awful leaving game now..

[MDot]

Gosh, having that big entrance will help with mass traffic flow OUT of the arena after Thunder games.
It's awful leaving game now..

The truth.

[metro]

Hopefully they can get it glasses in by playoffs. Would look great on cam.

[Thundercitizen]

Lit up would be even better. Usually night shots.

[iMAX386]

ESPN and TNT have been using old aerial footage with an unfinished Devon all season so I'm not sure that'd change for the playoffs, but I wouldn't worry either way b/c none of the angles they use feature the highway that prominently anyway.

[Jchaser405]

I really miss driving by the stadium everyday on the way home and seeing the progress. By next year TNT & ESPN will have plenty of shots to choose from.

[MDot]

ESPN and TNT have been using old aerial footage with an unfinished Devon all season so I'm not sure that'd change for the playoffs, but I wouldn't worry either way b/c none of the angles they use feature the highway that prominently anyway.

They used old footage last year as well but during the playoffs they used a lot of new shots and some of them were even live.

[swilki]

I thought a lot of those new and live shots last year were due to both the Chamber and Fox Sports telling ESPN/TNT that they would gladly get them new shots if they would use them. They were horrified at the material TNT was using if I recall.

[HOT ROD]

remember when one of them was using Tulsa's skyline as one of the banners for the Thunder?

[OKCisOK4me]

remember when one of them was using Tulsa's skyline as one of the banners for the Thunder?

That's ABC. They put the OKC skyline on one side and the Tulsa skyline on the other--right before showing starting line ups.

[bombermwc]

I'm hoping something can be done for Western Ave access to I-40. If you've been there at any time of the day, it's crazy now. It's to the point where Shields is really the only exit for downtown unless you go way over to Western. But Shields has far better access. Western is squeezed in there....i'd say it's time for the city to buy up some property and expand to 6 lanes and get rid of some of those lights. It's terrible. And for those early start games where tipoff is at 6...you've got Thunder traffic coming in, worker traffic trying to leave.....man.

[SoonerBoy18]

But when a regular season game is played in Miami, Boston, New York, and of course Los Angelas on ABC or TNT, its always live aerial footage in High Defition, wish they could do that to us more often.

[Snowman]

I'm hoping something can be done for Western Ave access to I-40. If you've been there at any time of the day, it's crazy now. It's to the point where Shields is really the only exit for downtown unless you go way over to Western. But Shields has far better access. Western is squeezed in there....i'd say it's time for the city to buy up some property and expand to 6 lanes and get rid of some of those lights. It's terrible. And for those early start games where tipoff is at 6...you've got Thunder traffic coming in, worker traffic trying to leave.....man.

That is the complete opposite way the city is going, even the new boulevard that is replacing the old i40 is only going to be four lanes. The boulevard is what is intended for a lot of the access to downtown more than the exits they have open now, it is just hard to build that while people are still using the structure on the land it will be built on.

[OKCRT]

They have created a terrible bottleneck at 1-40/1-44 exchange,even going west on 1-40 it's way worst now than before they opened the new crosstown. I wonder if that will ever get fixed? But,that is a good area to take a shot of downtown from. Lets hope that if they do take a new shot they will have the buildings lit up all over downtown.

[Bellaboo]

They have created a terrible bottleneck at 1-40/1-44 exchange,even going west on 1-40 it's way worst now than before they opened the new crosstown. I wonder if that will ever get fixed? But,that is a good area to take a shot of downtown from. Lets hope that if they do take a new shot they will have the buildings lit up all over downtown.

This road went from 4 lanes I-40 west bound down to three. It'll get fixed when they finish the new bridge over Agnew and the new connection to I-44.

[ljbab728]

I'm hoping something can be done for Western Ave access to I-40. If you've been there at any time of the day, it's crazy now. It's to the point where Shields is really the only exit for downtown unless you go way over to Western. But Shields has far better access. Western is squeezed in there....i'd say it's time for the city to buy up some property and expand to 6 lanes and get rid of some of those lights. It's terrible. And for those early start games where tipoff is at 6...you've got Thunder traffic coming in, worker traffic trying to leave.....man.

I went through that interchange twice today around lunch hour. Once I went east on I40 to south on Western. The other time I went north on Western to west on I40. I zipped right though both times while barely slowing down. The traffic was minimal.

[bombermwc]

That's the key, you went at lunch. Try at rush hour.

The boulevard is going to be a crap access point for downtown. It's going to have stoplights on it as well. And you would have to exit I-40 3 miles west of downtown rather than only 1 like you do today.

Access to downtown is definitely not the new I-40's strong point. But i'll take it over the crosstown any day.

[Rover]

Any new pics?

[Richard at Remax]

slightly off topic from the construction, but does anyone know why backyard bbq isn't open inside the arena? Im craving some bbq nachos