Kilpatrick Turnpike to be widened

[bluedogok]

$54.8 million for this!? Wow!!!

Who pays? It goes from OTA's Kilpatrick to ODOT's LHP.

ota.

Yep, the original interchange cost was moved from the ODOT Parkway project to the OTA Kilpatrick project when the turnpike was given the go ahead.

[Plutonic Panda]

Construction To Close Major Bridge On Kilpatrick Turnpike - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

http://newsok.com/busy-oklahoma-city...rticle/3721987

[HangryHippo]

Maybe I'm just so impressed with the interchanges that other states are able to build, but who designs most of our interchanges here in the city? Is it a single person for all or is it regional? Is Ridley the one that has ultimate approval of these clusters?

[OKCisOK4me]

Might as well add in those north to west and east to south flyovers while they're at it!

[soonerliberal]

So... why aren't they adding exits to the other highways as part of the Turnpike expansion? It seems really silly for you to have to get off at Memorial Road if you are going north on the Parkway and want to head west on the turnpike.

[OKCisOK4me]

Yep...just said that dude 4 minutes before you :-)

[cjohnson.405]

Maybe I'm just so impressed with the interchanges that other states are able to build, but who designs most of our interchanges here in the city? Is it a single person for all or is it regional? Is Ridley the one that has ultimate approval of these clusters?

I also think their designs are terrible. What really kills me is that you can't go from southboundbound 235 to eastbound Kilpatrick. You have to go past, exit at 122nd, go under 235 and get back on 235 going north and then exit from the northbound direction onto eastbound Kilpatrick.

Worst of all, there is plenty of physical space to have done this right the first time.

Whose half-baked idea was this...and what committee accepted it? This kind of thinking screams small-time.

[Plutonic Panda]

Maybe I'm just so impressed with the interchanges that other states are able to build, but who designs most of our interchanges here in the city? Is it a single person for all or is it regional? Is Ridley the one that has ultimate approval of these clusters?

I KNOW!!!!! I mean how hard is it to just adopt the Texas interchange designs and just it get it done with. I'm not saying just go tear up every interchange in the city immediately, but if your gonna do it, DO IT RIGHT!!! haha..

[jn1780]

I also think their designs are terrible. What really kills me is that you can't go from southboundbound 235 to eastbound Kilpatrick. You have to go past, exit at 122nd, go under 235 and get back on 235 going north and then exit from the northbound direction onto eastbound Kilpatrick.

Worst of all, there is plenty of physical space to have done this right the first time.

Whose half-baked idea was this...and what committee accepted it? This kind of thinking screams small-time.

Its more about not being needed the first time around. Especially ramps to and from the the Kirkpatrick turnpike west of the Lake Hefner Parkway. It didn't go that far out ten years ago.

If the OTA deemed it necessary, they could easily acquire the financing available to build these ramps unlike ODOT.

[HangryHippo]

I KNOW!!!!! I mean how hard is it to just adopt the Texas interchange designs and just it get it done with. I'm not saying just go tear up every interchange in the city immediately, but if your gonna do it, DO IT RIGHT!!! haha..

This is what I'm thinking. I know the cost has got to be substantially higher, but for the love of all that is holy, do the interchange right and we won't have to keep screwing with it every 10 years when they inevitably become outdated again. Just build the flyover ramps and do the interchanges right when we're redoing them anyway! It's not that hard. I really wish we could get some new leadership at ODOT. I think that would help. Someone that hopefully will push for better design..?

[Buffalo Bill]

This is what I'm thinking. I know the cost has got to be substantially higher, but for the love of all that is holy, do the interchange right and we won't have to keep screwing with it every 10 years when they inevitably become outdated again. Just build the flyover ramps and do the interchanges right when we're redoing them anyway! It's not that hard. I really wish we could get some new leadership at ODOT. I think that would help. Someone that hopefully will push for better design..?

See above, #151. This is OTA's project.

[HangryHippo]

See above, #151. This is OTA's project.

Isn't OTA now headed by Ridley as well?

[Buffalo Bill]

Yep. Though ODOT has no money in the LHP - KT project.

My guess as to why OTA doesn't build a 5 level interchange is cost. The High five in Dallas cost around a quarter billion dollars. Everything OTA does is predicated on cost, return on investment, number of users, etc.

If you don't like what they're building, don't drive on it, don't pay for it.

[HangryHippo]

Yep. Though ODOT has no money in the LHP - KT project.

My guess as to why OTA doesn't build a 5 level interchange is cost. The High five in Dallas cost around a quarter billion dollars. Everything OTA does is predicated on cost, return on investment, number of users, etc.

If you don't like what they're building, don't drive on it, don't pay for it.

Here's the thing Bill. Since there are not adequate ramps (or ramps at all in certain directions) the cars exiting to change highways clog up the roads that I use in lieu of the turnpike. They should design something better.

[Buffalo Bill]

Here's the thing Bill. Since there are not adequate ramps (or ramps at all in certain directions) the cars exiting to change highways clog up the roads that I use in lieu of the turnpike. They should design something better.

Who is "they"? OTA? ODOT? City of OKC?

[cjohnson.405]

Its more about not being needed the first time around. Especially ramps to and from the the Kirkpatrick turnpike west of the Lake Hefner Parkway. It didn't go that far out ten years ago.

If the OTA deemed it necessary, they could easily acquire the financing available to build these ramps unlike ODOT.

I'm talking Broadway Extension and Kilpatrick. You can't leave Edmond on Broadway Extension and go East on Kilpatrick. It was definitely needed when it was built. If planners at the time decided it wasn't...that is small time thinking. If you can't think 5 years ahead on a 2 year building cycle, you don't need to be near a construction project.

[OKCTalker]

cjohnson - Your inference is that large numbers of people in Edmond have been pleading their case to OTA for 20 years (for a SB Broadway to EB Kilpatrick) ramp, and the OTA is simply ignoring them. I suspect that OTA runs a cost-benefit analysis on everything they do, but they haven't determined that there's adequate revenue to justify the cost of that exchange. Demand has certainly gone up since the KT was built, but so too has the cost of installing a ramp which would serve this purpose.

[zookeeper]

It's like two families and one makes $200,000 a year and the other $30,000 a year, but a gallon of milk still costs $3.50 to both.

The construction of these Texas interchanges would cost Oklahoma the same as it costs Texas. But we're the family that makes $30,000 a year. Texas can afford it and we can't.

[OKCTalker]

It's like two families and one makes $200,000 a year and the other $30,000 a year, but a gallon of milk still costs $3.50 to both.

The construction of these Texas interchanges would cost Oklahoma the same as it costs Texas. But we're the family that makes $30,000 a year. Texas can afford it and we can't.

zoo - I think it's simply a matter of volume, not the per-capita income of Oklahomans versus Texans.

[cjohnson.405]

Yep. Though ODOT has no money in the LHP - KT project.

My guess as to why OTA doesn't build a 5 level interchange is cost. The High five in Dallas cost around a quarter billion dollars. Everything OTA does is predicated on cost, return on investment, number of users, etc.

If you don't like what they're building, don't drive on it, don't pay for it.

This is a ridiculous statement.

1) The High-5 in Dallas is a bad comparison. It handles 10x traffic on two of the most congested freeways in Texas.
2) Outside of street level traffic, the state does not give drivers another option for east-westbound traffic on the northside.
3) There has always been plenty of space for an eastbound ramp.



I get that not doing it right the first time is driven by cost. But, in this case, it is ridiculous. Just wait a year or two until you can do something right that is so obvious.

[zookeeper]

zoo - I think it's simply a matter of volume, not the per-capita income of Oklahomans versus Texans.

I didn't mean that at all. I mean that Texas state coffers due to a population of 26 million is going to be able to afford the cost. The Texas style interchanges would cost us the same but we only have 4 million people. Texas is equivalent to 6 1/2 Oklahomas.

[OKCisOK4me]

C.Johnson... Im not a part of OTA but I can pretty much assume their reason for not doing it is access to the turnpike from Eastern and access to I-35 via all those E-W routes. Whatdya think?

[Snowman]

Here's the thing Bill. Since there are not adequate ramps (or ramps at all in certain directions) the cars exiting to change highways clog up the roads that I use in lieu of the turnpike. They should design something better.

As long as their is a charge to the turnpike their is going to be some percentage that just take memorial

[Plutonic Panda]

When is this supposed to be finished? Sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere.

[Bellaboo]

When is this supposed to be finished? Sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere.

I think in early summer....? It was to be a one year project IIRC.