The New I-40 (Construction Updates)

[jn1780]

They can't just open the Agnew bridge, They'll have to open the whole eastbound of the new highway.. That won't happen until they completely finish paving.

Traffic wouldn't be driving over the bridge. I was thinking along the lines of moving the off-ramp further west and having a temporary configuration where exiting traffic drives on the right hand side of the new stretch of pavement until they reach the new permanent off-ramp that is between May and Agnew. This would just be the off-ramp though.

[MDot]

SkyWest, by "water-pipe" design do you mean like the picture in post 277? Sorry, not familiar with highway pole designs.

[dmoor82]

SkyWest, by "water-pipe" design do you mean like the picture in post 277? Sorry, not familiar with highway pole designs.

I think it's like I-35 in Norman!

[MDot]

Gotcha! I like the way those look personally, plus it would be harder for the people who like to graffiti things to get up there and tag the signs up I'd think.

[jn1780]

Traffic wouldn't be driving over the bridge. I was thinking along the lines of moving the off-ramp further west and having a temporary configuration where exiting traffic drives on the right hand side of the new stretch of pavement until they reach the new permanent off-ramp that is between May and Agnew. This would just be the off-ramp though.

Saw them placing concrete barriers today. They may be shifting eastbound I-40 southward(it's original path) and shifting it back northward before the new I-40 diverges and the elevation changes. Rebuilding that stretch of I-40 westbound between I-44 and Agnew can then begin along with that other bridge. That would only leave one small segment of westbound that would have to wait until eastbound is completely moved over next year.

[SkyWestOKC]

The I-44 NB to I-40 EB ramp has been moved over onto the new pavement. It merges on to the existing I-40 just before the bridge. Was very very smooth.

[dmoor82]

The I-44 NB to I-40 EB ramp has been moved over onto the new pavement. It merges on to the existing I-40 just before the bridge. Was very very smooth.

I saw this today when I got off of work,I was expecting the usual merge and when I saw cars coming out of the chute further down,then I realized what moved.

[Larry OKC]

Urban posted some background info about the reason behind the relocated I-40 only being partially below grade instead of completely as originally intended over in a thread he started about a tunnel for the MAPS 3 park. I didn't want to derail that thread, so am posting over here...

Urban: besides the water table issue, wasn't there something about environmental "sludge" that was encountered (over a former oil well/refinery/storage facility or something like that? Rather than clean it up, they just didn't go down that far? Doing this strictly from memory but it doesn't seem too far out of the realm of possibility since there were 2 EPA superfund sites in the Fort Smith Junction area. Steve?

ON EDIT: Don't know if this was discovered before the decision was made to not go completely below grade or not, or if it got cleaned up or just paved over instead???

http://www.news9.com/story/8825129/i...type=printable
Channel 9 (8/11/08)

OKLAHOMA CITY - Environmental concerns are slowing down construction of the Interstate 40 relocation project.

Work halted Monday on the Interstate 40 relocation project after workers discovered a sludge pit. The pit from an old oil refinery was discovered near Shields Boulevard and the site of the new Interstate 40.
...
The area was repeatedly surveyed at least three times over a seven-year period. The Department of Environmental Quality reported Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas was the company that conducted the initial site assessments in 1998, an updated report in 2002, and a detailed study of the areas in 2005.

None of the reports submitted by the company mentioned oil or sludge in the surveyed area.

In January 2007, another company hired by ODOT found excess levels of chemicals near the site, and another independent study confirmed the discovery in March 2007.

"That's when we discovered it had been an oil field refinery site," said John Bowman, ODOT project development engineer. "This was located in the area of their sludge pond."

Investigators think the sludge was present as far back as the 1920s. The state now has to clean up what was left behind, which will delay the construction project. ...

Am sure the Oklahoman reported on it back then, but no results for them were in the first 3 pages of the Google search. Just this one and a nearly identical report from Tulsa's Channel 6. Steve?

[Bellaboo]

It seems to me that a westbound bridge over Agnew needs to be started pretty soon, does anyone know of a start time for this ?

[OKCisOK4me]

It seems to me that a westbound bridge over Agnew needs to be started pretty soon, does anyone know of a start time for this ?

It won't be until they transfer current eastbound traffic elsewhere cause its totally in the way right now.

[Watson410]

All of the paving contracts are assigned and underway. I'd guess maybe 3-4 months, that's just a prediction though.

[Bellaboo]

It looks if they could close the Agnew exit then there would be enough room. I thought maybe once the Penn bridge opened then that would happen and we'd see the bridge start.

[jn1780]

Work is progressing fast. They diverted the eastbound lanes at the Dallas junction last night and today they were already putting up steel for the Lincoln bridge and were breaking up the old pavement.

[OKCisOK4me]

Work is progressing fast. They diverted the eastbound lanes at the Dallas junction last night and today they were already putting up steel for the Lincoln bridge and were breaking up the old pavement.

Huh?? The old pavement, where? Pics?

[Bellaboo]

They are tying in the new I-40 with the old I-40 at the East connection (Dallas junction). They should have all of the large beams over the East bound lanes installed today. I drove through there at 4:30 yesterday and they were setting the 3rd beam.

[OKCisOK4me]

Right, but they haven't diverged all eastbound traffic to the new highway yet. That's the only way they'll ever be able to do the westbound bridge over Agnew.

[Bellaboo]

This will be interesting to see how they pull it off. They built a new westbound bridge over May, I've been to the Foward I-40 site and it shows in pretty good detail all of the connections. I 'd like for them to move us on over to the new road ASAP......

[jn1780]

Right, but they haven't diverged all eastbound traffic to the new highway yet. That's the only way they'll ever be able to do the westbound bridge over Agnew.

I was talking about the area by the new Lincoln bridge where the new I-40 ties into the old I-40. Traffic now shifts to the left and their now in the process of demolishing and rebuilding that stretch of road from I-235 to where they left off on the new I-40 pavement.

[MDot]

I was talking about the area by the new Lincoln bridge where the new I-40 ties into the old I-40. Traffic now shifts to the left and their now in the process of demolishing and rebuilding that stretch of road from I-235 to where they left off on the new I-40 pavement.

I drove on it tonight so I get what you're saying.

[ctchandler]

I just heard about a "sink hole"? on the new part of I-40, anybody else hear that? It was a comment on KTOK but not a joke.
C. T.

[jn1780]

I just heard about a "sink hole"? on the new part of I-40, anybody else hear that? It was a comment on KTOK but not a joke.
C. T.

This maybe?

http://newsok.com/article/3610255#disqus_thread

It doesn't look like it happen on the new part of I-40. Looks like it was the temporary asphalt lanes that had the sinkhole. They don't spend that much time grading and compacting for a road that is only used for a year or two.


Photo by Chris Landsberger

[Bellaboo]

It was the merge lanes where South bound I-44 meets East bound I-40, but was actually one of the I-40 lanes.

[ctchandler]

Thanks, that makes more sense.
C. T.

[SSEiYah]

Does anyone know if the speed limit is going to be 70MPH going thru the city as talked about on the Wikipedia Article?

The new Crosstown will have ten lanes for traffic traveling at 70 miles per hour (110 km/h)

[Snowman]

Does anyone know if the speed limit is going to be 70MPH going thru the city as talked about on the Wikipedia Article?

The new Crosstown will have ten lanes for traffic traveling at 70 miles per hour (110 km/h)

One article I read it sounded like it was designed so driving 70 mph would be safe but would likely not be the posted limit. Given most people drive 5 to 10 over the posted limit it makes sense to plan for what people do anyway.