OKC Roads and Highways

[riflesforwatie]

Interesting article on the street light problems Tulsa's been having: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local...ign=user-share

[Plutonic Panda]

Okay, I hate to constantly complain about this, but seriously what is up with the streetlights not working/being on around here? Every time I drive home there are entire lengths of I-35, I-40, I-44... even 39th St. Expressway... where the lights aren't on. In other areas it's just a bunch of random lights that are out, but it's the dark stretches that really get me. It makes it nearly impossible to see when it's raining, too.

I read an article that said they are going to start using “new” techniques to make it harder if thieves to steal the copper.

[Jersey Boss]

I read an article that said they are going to start using “new” techniques to make it harder if thieves to steal the copper.

I think the bigger problem is the thieves on Lincoln who refuse to pay for infrastructure while giving revenue breaks to the corporations who do not need it to operate a successful business.

[TheTravellers]

I read an article that said they are going to start using “new” techniques to make it harder if thieves to steal the copper.

Shouldn't be that hard to do that - use aluminum like Tulsa (and probably many other) cities have done, and don't put access plates anywhere on the pole or make it impossible for anybody to access them without super-specialized expensive tools (yeah, I know, they'd have to figure out ways to maintain them, but surely someone somewhere has pulled this off).

[baralheia]

Okay, I hate to constantly complain about this, but seriously what is up with the streetlights not working/being on around here? Every time I drive home there are entire lengths of I-35, I-40, I-44... even 39th St. Expressway... where the lights aren't on. In other areas it's just a bunch of random lights that are out, but it's the dark stretches that really get me. It makes it nearly impossible to see when it's raining, too.

OG&E actually maintains street and highway lighting, but they only send a crew out for repairs if they are notified there is a problem - they don't monitor the lighting at all. According to their website: To report a street light outage, please contact Customer Service from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 405-272-9741 (Oklahoma City) or 800-272-9741 (all other areas). We’ll do our best to get it working as quickly as possible.

[Bill Robertson]

Changing to aluminum in a system originally designed for copper could be very difficult. Let’s say a run of lights required #4 copper. That same run would require #2 or #1 aluminum. It’s probable that the conduits are not oversized originally and the larger aluminum conductors simply won’t fit. Definitely not by code and possibly not at all.

[HangryHippo]

What was the reasoning behind letting OG&E handle this instead of ODOT?

[stile99]

What was the reasoning behind letting OG&E handle this instead of ODOT?

Unions.

[HangryHippo]

Unions.

Truly?

[Bill Robertson]

What was the reasoning behind letting OG&E handle this instead of ODOT?

What I was told a long time ago was that at one time ODOT had to either buy a bunch of vehicles and equipment plus hire manpower to basically go into the electrical distribution business or contract it out. They decided to contract it out and OG&E was really the only local business qualified.

[stile99]

Truly?

I don't have inside information, but as I understand it, yes, truly. It's a matter of Bob can't tell me what to do, and Joe can't tell me what to do, but Henry is allowed to tell me what to do. So Bob and Joe have to submit requests to me via Henry. If Bob and/or Joe try to tell me what to do (or even worse, take it upon themselves to do it for me), there will be hell to pay. So if ODOT were to fulfill the dream of having people drive around to check lights, then they would be reporting them the same way, via the form/email/phone/highly trained carrier pigeon/smoke signals/whatever to OG&E.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

It's really sad in the morning when the news shows a chopper shot of traffic & the roadway is not visible, just darkness. I report to OG&E both unlit light & poles that have knocked down all the time, they normally do fix them, but yes, it's an endless battle

[HOT ROD]

maybe store the copper wiring in secure areas, with real security perhaps? would be much cheaper in the long run and the lights would stay on.

I wonder if we're having this problem here in the Seattle area (with many more meth/drug heads); I personally have not seen any lights off here. I wonder why it is so prevalent in OKC (and apparently Tulsa) when it's not here with our much larger population (and druggie) base.

Maybe OKC can benchmark on what Seattle/WSDOT does.

[HOT ROD]

Changing to aluminum in a system originally designed for copper could be very difficult. Let’s say a run of lights required #4 copper. That same run would require #2 or #1 aluminum. It’s probable that the conduits are not oversized originally and the larger aluminum conductors simply won’t fit. Definitely not by code and possibly not at all.

I think you're making good point, since I assume Cu is a better conductor than Al so the wiring can be smaller. But one has to wonder why the long range transmissions wiring is Al and not Cu. Perhaps because Cu can't handle the voltage (would melt)?

Anyway, maybe time to invest in Al replacement - esp when they are doing reconstruction anyway and perhaps LED lighting for lower operation costs. Must be cheaper than having all of your Cu stolen then having to spend the same (or more) to replace it.

[HOT ROD]

this is another idea OKC could get behind:

The Tulsa Police Department is also pushing to change state law to make it more difficult to sell stolen metals to scrap metal dealers.

[zefferoni]

I think you're making good point, since I assume Cu is a better conductor than Al so the wiring can be smaller. But one has to wonder why the long range transmissions wiring is Al and not Cu. Perhaps because Cu can't handle the voltage (would melt)?

Anyway, maybe time to invest in Al replacement - esp when they are doing reconstruction anyway and perhaps LED lighting for lower operation costs. Must be cheaper than having all of your Cu stolen then having to spend the same (or more) to replace it.

Aluminum weighs much less than copper, even when it's steel reinforced aluminum. If copper was used for transmission, I assume the distance between poles would have to be much shorter due to the extra weight (not only for the sake of the pole, but to keep the wire from breaking or stretching esp. when there's an ice storm). Copper wire is also more expensive than aluminum wire.

[WitWhy]

i cant believe this isn't getting more fanfare.
http://kfor.com/2017/12/04/odot-appr...ic-nightmares/
"The Dallas junction will also be getting another lane to ease construction along there.

That more than $5 million project will start no later than April 2."

NB and SB I-35 ramps will be widened for an additional lane. They're finally going to do something to this abominable interchange

[HangryHippo]

i cant believe this isn't getting more fanfare.
http://kfor.com/2017/12/04/odot-appr...ic-nightmares/
"The Dallas junction will also be getting another lane to ease construction along there.

That more than $5 million project will start no later than April 2."

NB and SB I-35 ramps will be widened for an additional lane. They're finally going to do something to this abominable interchange

I hate what ODOT has done with this interchange, but this will help.

[u50254082]

Is it called the "Dallas Junction" for historical reasons? The name never made sense to me, but I didn't grow up in OKC.

[David]

I'm not even sure what "Dallas Junction" might be referring to. I-35/240? I-35/235/40?

[HangryHippo]

I-35/235/40

This one.

[Pete]

I'm not even sure what "Dallas Junction" might be referring to. I-35/240? I-35/235/40?

The latter.

I believe the name originated well before I-44 / I-240; When traveling along I-40 you'd see the I-35 south exits that with the Dallas name on them.

[catch22]

Glad to see the improvements here. Too bad this doesn't address I-235 to I-35, as 1 land is an exit only as SE 23rd (I think) so it is a bottleneck with only 1 true thru lane.

[jompster]

Glad to see the improvements here. Too bad this doesn't address I-235 to I-35, as 1 land is an exit only as SE 23rd (I think) so it is a bottleneck with only 1 true thru lane.

SE 15th. It wouldn't be a bottleneck if people knew how to use that lane UNTIL it becomes an exit lane.

[David]

The latter.

I believe the name originated well before I-44 / I-240; When traveling along I-40 you'd see the I-35 south exits that with the Dallas name on them.

I kind of figured that was the junction it had to be, but unless I totally missed it this project seems completely out of the blue. I've long been aware of the I-35/240 and I-235/44 and even I-35/44 projects, but this is the first I've heard of any planned changes to this one.