I40/I44 Interchange

[jonny d]

I could post this in several threads, but haven't. I wonder if the awful hi-way system has any effect on business people looking at OKC for a home for their business? What I mean by that is if you fly into OKC, get a rental car, then drive on I-44 north, that road has been awful for years as far as bumpiness. Then, heaven forbid, they are looking out west on I-40... 40 gets better after Council, but that section that they just "repaired" between Portland and Meridian (both ways), is an absolute joke. It is worse than it was before they "repaired" it. I have to think that the car ride around this city has to have some indirect effect when people evaluate OKC.

No. I am in Sacramento on business, but flew into SFO. The highways around here are just as bad, if not worse. So it is not a factor.

[bchris02]

nm

[Bellaboo]

I could post this in several threads, but haven't. I wonder if the awful hi-way system has any effect on business people looking at OKC for a home for their business? What I mean by that is if you fly into OKC, get a rental car, then drive on I-44 north, that road has been awful for years as far as bumpiness. Then, heaven forbid, they are looking out west on I-40... 40 gets better after Council, but that section that they just "repaired" between Portland and Meridian (both ways), is an absolute joke. It is worse than it was before they "repaired" it. I have to think that the car ride around this city has to have some indirect effect when people evaluate OKC.

We were in Seattle last year...... some of the most god awful roads in the states. Also, as reported in another thread, the section of I-40 just west of the Amarillo junction is not finished. The contractor pulled off until the potential of better weather arrives.

[Plutonic Panda]

I could post this in several threads, but haven't. I wonder if the awful hi-way system has any effect on business people looking at OKC for a home for their business? What I mean by that is if you fly into OKC, get a rental car, then drive on I-44 north, that road has been awful for years as far as bumpiness. Then, heaven forbid, they are looking out west on I-40... 40 gets better after Council, but that section that they just "repaired" between Portland and Meridian (both ways), is an absolute joke. It is worse than it was before they "repaired" it. I have to think that the car ride around this city has to have some indirect effect when people evaluate OKC.

OKC actually has an incredible freeway system for its size. It might be a bit old and outdated, but that is slowly being fixed. If anything, its freeways make us more attractive for companies looking to relocate there.

As for roads, OKC hardly has roads that are much worse pavement quality wise than other cities. LA and NYC take that prize. It's streets are just ugly as f@ck due to the lack of landscaping.

[Scott5114]

OKC actually has an incredible freeway system for its size. It might be a bit old and outdated, but that is slowly being fixed. If anything, its freeways make us more attractive for companies looking to relocate there.

As for roads, OKC hardly has roads that are much worse pavement quality wise than other cities. LA and NYC take that prize. It's streets are just ugly as f@ck due to the lack of landscaping.

Indeed, the OKC freeway system was well-designed as far as placing the actual corridors. We also had the benefit that the system works as intended because none of its components were cancelled from local opposition. That's one reason why traffic isn't as bad here as it gets in other cities our size.

The problem is that we simply didn't know enough about geometric design in the 1960s and 1970s as we do now. That is, we knew where we wanted freeways but we didn't know how to build a good freeway. Now that they're wearing out, it's time to upgrade them with what we've learned in the past 50 years. Unfortunately, that's pretty expensive.

[Plutonic Panda]

Indeed, the OKC freeway system was well-designed as far as placing the actual corridors. We also had the benefit that the system works as intended because none of its components were cancelled from local opposition. That's one reason why traffic isn't as bad here as it gets in other cities our size.

The problem is that we simply didn't know enough about geometric design in the 1960s and 1970s as we do now. That is, we knew where we wanted freeways but we didn't know how to build a good freeway. Now that they're wearing out, it's time to upgrade them with what we've learned in the past 50 years. Unfortunately, that's pretty expensive.

Correct. On top of the expense, it also doesn’t help that the state government is extremely conservative and is against tax increases and prohibits bond issues for OkDOT to fund road projects. I’m hoping that changes somewhat with the next governor of Oklahoma.

[Scott5114]

You do have to be careful with issuing bonds for transportation, though. OTA can issue bonds because they have revenue that can pay them back. Some states have dug themselves in a deep hole by issuing bonds the state didn't have the budget to repay, and getting crushed by the interest. I want to say that Missouri and Pennsylvania are two that have had that problem, but I may be remembering wrong.

[Laramie]

Don't know if the economy has more to do with this coupled with fewer Federal Highway funds available; last time I drove through Texas (Tyler & Abilene) they have topped asphalt over previous concrete foundation roads.

[Rover]

You do have to be careful with issuing bonds for transportation, though. OTA can issue bonds because they have revenue that can pay them back. Some states have dug themselves in a deep hole by issuing bonds the state didn't have the budget to repay, and getting crushed by the interest. I want to say that Missouri and Pennsylvania are two that have had that problem, but I may be remembering wrong.

Wait until the federal tax cuts reduce federal revenue support and at the same time drive up inflation as a result of corporate financial activity. States will be paying much much more and getting less support. The federal govt is touting infrastructure, but can only do it by going into the markets and driving up demand for money and more interest rate increases. Get ready for it. States and anyone on fixed income, or low wages better get ready to bend over and take it.

[Plutonic Panda]

Wait until the federal tax cuts reduce federal revenue support and at the same time drive up inflation as a result of corporate financial activity. States will be paying much much more and getting less support. The federal govt is touting infrastructure, but can only do it by going into the markets and driving up demand for money and more interest rate increases. Get ready for it. States and anyone on fixed income, or low wages better get ready to bend over and take it.

You don't think that the infrastructure plan will work well?

[Plutonic Panda]

You do have to be careful with issuing bonds for transportation, though. OTA can issue bonds because they have revenue that can pay them back. Some states have dug themselves in a deep hole by issuing bonds the state didn't have the budget to repay, and getting crushed by the interest. I want to say that Missouri and Pennsylvania are two that have had that problem, but I may be remembering wrong.

Yeah, but I do think they should issue bonds for major projects like interchange replacements that could save lives.

[Scott5114]

You don't think that the infrastructure plan will work well?

I've yet to see any indication that there is an infrastructure plan, or that Congress has any real interest in passing one. I know the President has laid out the broad outlines of one, but that's very different than having an actual bill written.

Don't forget, we're approaching midterm season, so a lot of functional work is going to slow to a trickle while everyone leaves to go campaigning.

[Plutonic Panda]

Bad wreck here that will shut down the freeway down for at least 8-10 hours as repairs are needed. Not sure what the cause here is but this interchange really needs to be rebuilt sooner rather than later and I hope it doesn’t take as long as the other interchanges are taking.

https://kfor.com/news/local/i-40-ram...csfaK7AzB92xRM

[Brett]

Bad wreck here that will shut down the freeway down for at least 8-10 hours as repairs are needed. Not sure what the cause here is but this interchange really needs to be rebuilt sooner rather than later and I hope it doesn’t take as long as the other interchanges are taking.

https://kfor.com/news/local/i-40-ram...csfaK7AzB92xRM

I got stuck in this quagmire just after 5:00pm. From I-235 on ramp to Pennsylvania exit took about 1hour and 15 minutes. Gave me flashbacks of when I used to live in DFW.

[foodiefan]

^^^. . .was planning on going downtown from South bound I-44. . ramp closed so I had to continue South to SW 15. . got off and headed East. . .
only to get in the middle of about 10 police cars, sirens and lights going full blast, heading towards the River. . .hadn't watched the news so didn't know what happened in either area until I got home

[Snowman]

Bad wreck here that will shut down the freeway down for at least 8-10 hours as repairs are needed. Not sure what the cause here is but this interchange really needs to be rebuilt sooner rather than later and I hope it doesn’t take as long as the other interchanges are taking.

https://kfor.com/news/local/i-40-ram...csfaK7AzB92xRM

Things like this was why I was glad for the Kilpatrick turnpike extension to Airport road, precovid it seemed like at least once a month some accident would grind somewhere on i40 between council and this juncture to a complete halt for hours during one of the rush hours. Granted the segment of 44 between 40 and 240 may have the most justification for widening in the metro today, at least there now is an alternate route to/from the west side of the city that does not include nearly a dozen stoplights on city streets or taking a long detour via Edmond.

[Pete]

I headed west on I-40 early one weekday morning and was shocked by the amount of traffic heading east into OKC at that time.

I suppose it makes sense due to the rapid growth in far west OKC/Mustang/Yukon and that there is really no other way to commute unless you work in North OKC and take the Turnpike loop.

[catch22]

I headed west on I-40 early one weekday morning and was shocked by the amount of traffic heading east into OKC at that time.

I suppose it makes sense due to the rapid growth in far west OKC/Mustang/Yukon and that there is really no other way to commute unless you work in North OKC and take the Turnpike loop.

I am not for widening highways just for the sake of it, and ODOT gets a TON of flak on this board. But the foresight for them to rebuild and expand I-40 to Yukon recently was spot on. Was that about a decade ago now?

[Pete]

I am not for widening highways just for the sake of it, and ODOT gets a TON of flak on this board. But the foresight for them to rebuild and expand I-40 to Yukon recently was spot on. Was that about a decade ago now?

True about the widening but the I-40/I-44 interchange is still a nightmare and a big bottleneck.

Traffic was backed up for miles on that one morning; just the weight of all the cars, not due to any sort of accident or construction.

[Plutonic Panda]

ODOT loves to widen highways and neglect the interchanges. What is the point?

[HangryHippo]

ODOT loves to widen highways and neglect the interchanges. What is the point?

I ask this all the time. What is the point of the widened I-40 when it feeds into two lanes and this interchange is terrible?

[Pete]

I ask this all the time. What is the point of the widened I-40 when it feeds into two lanes and this interchange is terrible?

That interchange was really bad the day it opened.

Just like the one at I-240/I-35.

[Snowman]

I ask this all the time. What is the point of the widened I-40 when it feeds into two lanes and this interchange is terrible?

While many junctions do not have symmetric traffic shifts, this one they seem in the same ballpark to/from i40 and going through, plus two of the directions lose capacity from merging to three lanes directly after passing here. Which the areas where the lanes merge down to three past the juncture often seem to be the source of the most accidents or general backing ups, which then clogs the juncture, though after clogged it does take more time for the juncture to clear than the road past it.

So there is some logic to get 40 west of here and 44 south of here to four lanes before expanding this junctions capacity. If you mean the expansion that was already done east of the juncture, that seemed like they already needed four at the time of the rebuild, but since was already doing a major rebuild of the crosstown, there was benefits to just adding some extra capacity at the same time.

[Snowman]

Looks like another accident, this morning it is eastbound about a mile before the junction, traffic looks bad all the way to Morgan

[Snowman]

Apparently two vehicles collided near Portland, blocking the middle lane for a while, it is already starting to improve.