I-235 / I-44 Interchange

[jn1780]

I know on this map they have a flyover bridge for Santa Fe. Ave, but is this still on the plans?
That sure would be nice for traffic flow.

I also noticed that they tore down the "star" style building/housing next to the Paradigm Building in the lower right part off this pic.

I would say its a critical element of the plans. There are no direct ramps leading to Santa Fe with the current plans which I think is what Worthy Cook was refering to. Not sure how many ramps they will have coming directly off 50th st or if they will keep that one cloverleaf around 50th st.

[OklahomaNick]

Small blurb in the Oklahoman yesterday:

"This week the first sections of the bridge abutments on the new southbound Interstate 235 ramp to the west bound interstate I-44 are being put in place. The sections of the new ramp, and the wall running along the wall of the new ramp between NW 63rd and the interchange, will include decorative panels featuring Oklahoma-themed impressions of buffaloes, rolling hills, and the scissor-tailed flycatcher. The I-44/I-234 project began in June and is scheduled to be completed this summer."

Can't find the photo online, but I saw it in newsprint. What exactly is supposed to be done by this summer?
Surely not the entire interchange right??

[OKCisOK4me]

What exactly is supposed to be done by this summer?
Surely not the entire interchange right??

The southbound to westbound ramp...

[OklahomaNick]

The southbound to westbound ramp...

Has anyone seen an updated time table for construction of the additional projects?
Construction going in all 4 corners of the junction now..

Really wish I could avoid this on my daily commute, but I am not always able too.

[OKCisOK4me]

From what I've read, nothing has changed since the time they said it should all be done by 2018.

[mcca7596]

Small blurb in the Oklahoman yesterday:

"This week the first sections of the bridge abutments on the new southbound Interstate 235 ramp to the west bound interstate I-44 are being put in place. The sections of the new ramp, and the wall running along the wall of the new ramp between NW 63rd and the interchange, will include decorative panels featuring Oklahoma-themed impressions of buffaloes, rolling hills, and the scissor-tailed flycatcher. The I-44/I-234 project began in June and is scheduled to be completed this summer."

Sounds nice, between the buffaloes that are already on the Broadway extension between I-44 and downtown and the nice details on the new crosstown, some good public art scenes are being developed in spite of the moratorium on the art in public places ordinance.

[SSEiYah]

From what I've read, nothing has changed since the time they said it should all be done by 2018.

Other cities could do this type of project in 2 years, not 7 years...I assume its taking so long because of funding, aka one ramp at a time.

[adaniel]

Other cities could do this type of project in 2 years, not 7 years...I assume its taking so long because of funding, aka one ramp at a time.

Yep. FWIW the funding is actually lined up, its just stretched out over so long.

I knnow we have a lot of conservatives running the state capitol who think debt is the devil. All fine and dandy. But given the real impacts to transportation and commerce that comes with stretching out something like this for 7 years, it seems the state should just bust out its credit card and get this over with. The funding streams are as close to guranteed as you can come. No need to piecemeal this.

I know in Dallas, the "High Five" interchange took four years to build and the interchange at the Tollway and 121 took 2. Both were way more complicated than this.

[OklahomaNick]

This really is a travesty that this entire interchange is going to take 7 years to build.
We DESPERATELY need 6 to 8 lanes flowing through there TODAY!
With as fast as downtown is growing in company stature and the northside growing in number of residents this is just a flat out embarrassment to our strategic highway planning..

[OKCisOK4me]

That's ODOT for ya (sorry John, if you're reading this)!

[jn1780]

That's ODOT for ya (sorry John, if you're reading this)!

State of Oklahoma in general.

[Richard at Remax]

I understand wanting money in hand to complete a project. and I am usually against taking about loans and such. But this needs to be taken care of asap. I drive through this every day and shake my head

[okcpulse]

Guys, guys, guys. You can't slam the state of Oklahoma for following constitutional guidelines. It is against the constitution for the state legislature to incur debt for general operations, and that includes transportation. Thus, this forces ODOT into a pay-as-you-go system. ODOT has to spread its appropriations in order to maintain the highway system as a whole. If ODOT concentrates funding on certain projects, othe projects get backlogged. I agree there should be more flexibility for ODOT to obtain funding, and perhaps that is an issue that deserves attention during the legislative session, but there are caveats.

For instance, TxDOT can bond out road construction, but the agency is overspending and there is controversy right now over how the agency handles finances on road projects. Just imagine the interest charges on all of those mega interchanges that have been built over the last 15 years.

On the same token, a debt-free system also has its caveats. One being 7 years to complete a new interchange that is becoming critically dangerous. No one should die before lawmakers get their butts in gear. It took someone dying for lawmakers to wake up and realize ODOT was being underfunded. Now that ODOT has better appropriations, improvements are being made, but the same limitations are in place where project timelines are concerned.

Some Oklahoma road projects are the exception to the rule. It took only two years to build Lake Hefner Parkway, however the freeway was built using money from a land sale to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority for the Kilpatrick Turnpike right-of-way. Broadway Extension from NE 63rd to NE 122nd was completed almost as quickly because of GARVEE funding, which was ruled unconstitutional in 2003. Thus, no more GARVEE projects.

I do have an objection. The interchange concerns two highways under federal jurisdiction... U.S. 77 and I-44. Additional federal funding can be and should be obtained. If ODOT cannot bond out road projects, someone needs to make a presentation to the national transportation board and push them to be proactive about this interchange before a fatal wreck happens.

[metro]

Pulse, maybe you can help get those discussions moving? Also, if I'm not mistaken, I believe there already has been a fatal wreck in this construction mess.

[okcpulse]

I'm curious to see who all is on the transportation board in D.C. We've had state representatives on that board before but hopefully there is someone serving that has the strong will to listen and the tenacity to keep this from getting worse. We had some pull with the Crosstown Bridge. If I remember correctly, some of Washington D.C.'s brass was in OKC on a couple of occasions to see the decaying Crosstown bridge in person.

[soonerliberal]

I'm curious to see who all is on the transportation board in D.C. We've had state representatives on that board before but hopefully there is someone serving that has the strong will to listen and the tenacity to keep this from getting worse. We had some pull with the Crosstown Bridge. If I remember correctly, some of Washington D.C.'s brass was in OKC on a couple of occasions to see the decaying Crosstown bridge in person.

Lankford is on the House Transportation Committee. Tom Cole is on Appropriations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Infrastructure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Appropriations

[okcpulse]

Lankford is on the House Transportation Committee. Tom Cole is on Appropriations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Infrastructure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Appropriations

Thanks, soonerliberal. I'm wrapping up my software for a major project so I've been working in a glass jar for the last several months. Though I got a one week vacation to be in OKC for Christmas. Man, it was nice to be home.

[warreng88]

Most of this won't be new info to you all, but I thought I would share. I have a good friend of the family who is the head concrete guy for the 235/44/77 interchange who I saw this Christmas. I started talking to him about the interchange and he said they were working in quarters (which we can see.) He said the NW corner will be done first, then the SW corner, SE corner then the NE corner. The biggest thing will be doing the drainage for these four corners. Then the repositioning/ rebuilding of the train tracks and the rebuilding of the 50th Street bridge for the widening of that area (which he said will be the most time consuming since you have to go through BNSF to reposition.) Then the flyover ramps. Again, not too much new info, but thought I would share will the board.

[Spartan]

Guys, guys, guys. You can't slam the state of Oklahoma for following constitutional guidelines. It is against the constitution for the state legislature to incur debt for general operations, and that includes transportation. Thus, this forces ODOT into a pay-as-you-go system. ODOT has to spread its appropriations in order to maintain the highway system as a whole. If ODOT concentrates funding on certain projects, othe projects get backlogged. I agree there should be more flexibility for ODOT to obtain funding, and perhaps that is an issue that deserves attention during the legislative session, but there are caveats.

For instance, TxDOT can bond out road construction, but the agency is overspending and there is controversy right now over how the agency handles finances on road projects. Just imagine the interest charges on all of those mega interchanges that have been built over the last 15 years.

On the same token, a debt-free system also has its caveats. One being 7 years to complete a new interchange that is becoming critically dangerous. No one should die before lawmakers get their butts in gear. It took someone dying for lawmakers to wake up and realize ODOT was being underfunded. Now that ODOT has better appropriations, improvements are being made, but the same limitations are in place where project timelines are concerned.

Some Oklahoma road projects are the exception to the rule. It took only two years to build Lake Hefner Parkway, however the freeway was built using money from a land sale to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority for the Kilpatrick Turnpike right-of-way. Broadway Extension from NE 63rd to NE 122nd was completed almost as quickly because of GARVEE funding, which was ruled unconstitutional in 2003. Thus, no more GARVEE projects.

I do have an objection. The interchange concerns two highways under federal jurisdiction... U.S. 77 and I-44. Additional federal funding can be and should be obtained. If ODOT cannot bond out road projects, someone needs to make a presentation to the national transportation board and push them to be proactive about this interchange before a fatal wreck happens.

Since when are infrastructure expenses the same as general operational expenses?

[Platemaker]

At first, I wondered why the cloverleafs for the southboud I-235 lanes would remain, but now I notice that there are two lanes for the cloverleaf segregated from the 4 new southbound lanes by a barrier. Never noticed the barrier before, and am amazed that the segregated section alone is the size of what we drive on today.

[TheTravellers]

I understand wanting money in hand to complete a project. and I am usually against taking about loans and such. But this needs to be taken care of asap. I drive through this every day and shake my head

Yep, I drove through it quite often 20-30 years ago and shook my head every time because it was bad and dangerous back then, and when we moved back here in 2009, I was absolutely amazed that nothing had been done to it in the 13 years we had been away. Then I drove around some more and my amazement morphed into sadness. :-(

[UncleCyrus]

Sounds nice, between the buffaloes that are already on the Broadway extension between I-44 and downtown and the nice details on the new crosstown, some good public art scenes are being developed in spite of the moratorium on the art in public places ordinance.

From what I understand, a lot of those contracts were already in place before the moratorium, so the state is still obligated to them.

[gurantula35]

How is the progress going on the phase that is under construction now? I drive by it almost every day to work and it seems to be moving along fairly well. when should this phase be done? and how do we get updates on the construction?

[Lafferty Daniel]

How is the progress going on the phase that is under construction now? I drive by it almost every day to work and it seems to be moving along fairly well. when should this phase be done? and how do we get updates on the construction?

What he said.

I figured this thread would be more active considering how bad that interchange is and how happy people are that it is finally being fixed.

Any updates?

[BrettM2]

What he said.

I figured this thread would be more active considering how bad that interchange is and how happy people are that it is finally being fixed.

Any updates?

I drive by every morning, but obviously can't focus on what's going on (that road is dangerous enough as it is). They've put up the new on-ramp to I-44 West. I don't think it is paved at all, but all the foundations and retaining walls are up. I think the good weather we've had all winter/spring has let them really get a good jump on construction.