Lindsey Street

[okcfollower]

Is there any plans for widening Lindsey Street? I know there are plans from classen to jenkins? When will that start? And are they doing an underpass like at robinson there? But what about from jenkins to 35. That is always backed up!

[ou48A]

I don’t know of any plans but for as many people that this over crowed street delays it’s long past due for widening.
The amount time and gasoline wasted sitting in traffic alone justifies a widening project, not to mention the delays in police & fire responses.

More so in recent years the city of Norman priorities are not always where they should be.

[JimTrabersColostomyBag]

No underpass or overpass on widening.....

[ou48A]

They are building an underpass at the RR tracks and the I-35 bridge is scheduled to be rebuilt in the next 2 or 3 years.

[okcfollower]

As much as this all needs done, I'm glad I will be graduated by the time they start. Its bad right now, but I cant imagine the area when under construction

[rcjunkie]

They are building an underpass at the RR tracks and the I-35 bridge is scheduled to be rebuilt in the next 2 or 3 years.

On Robinson, not Lindsey.

[kevinpate]

On Robinson, not Lindsey.

True. They did once consider an underpass for Lindsey, but decided against it. Would probably still be a good idea but the cost suggests it's not likely to ever get back on a front burner, well, not anyitime in the near future anyway.

[ou48A]

Apparently what I remembered was only a study that determined that an underpass on Lindsey street was the best option. I thought I had remembered a city of Norman vote to build an Lindsey St underpass.

http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/content/lindsey-street
Underpass and overpass options were evaluated for a grade separated crossing and it was determined that an underpass was the only feasible alternative for this location. The vertical profile was set such that a two-span structural steel plate girder bridge would provide the necessary horizontal and vertical clearances to the roadway. The estimated project cost at the Lindsey Street location is about $6,914,000

[rcjunkie]

Lindsey definately needs an underpass/overpass at the tracks, but I don't see it for at least another 10--15 years. ODOT will soon begin the rest of the I-35 widening project, from just S. of Robinson to Hwy. 9. this includes new bridges at Main, Lindsey and Hwy 9. I think, hope and pray the next major road construction considered for Norman is to widen either Flood and Berry, Norman despertately needs another major N. and S. street.

[mcca7596]

If either one is widened, it should be Berry; Flood has too much character that would be detrimentally affected by widening it, in my opinion.

[BG918]

If either one is widened, it should be Berry; Flood has too much character that would be detrimentally affected by widening it, in my opinion.

Agree. A streetscape along Flood south of Robinson would be nice to see; it's a major gateway into Norman from the north and that stretch looks pretty shabby between Main and Robinson.

I have heard Lindsey will have an underpass at the RR tracks and construction will start once the Robinson underpass is complete, which is next year.

[rcjunkie]

Agree. A streetscape along Flood south of Robinson would be nice to see; it's a major gateway into Norman from the north and that stretch looks pretty shabby between Main and Robinson.

I have heard Lindsey will have an underpass at the RR tracks and construction will start once the Robinson underpass is complete, which is next year.

Lindsey will eventually have an underpass, but I've been told from by reliable soucres that it will be at least 10 years, closer to 15 before that happens.

[ljbab728]

If either one is widened, it should be Berry; Flood has too much character that would be detrimentally affected by widening it, in my opinion.

I don't care about widening Flood. I just wish some kind of improvements were made that meant it wouldn't live up to it's name every time it rains. LOL

[venture]

I don't care about widening Flood. I just wish some kind of improvements were made that meant it wouldn't live up to it's name every time it rains. LOL

Hey now. One of the perks living in Norman is that after any sprinkle, you get water front property for a couple hours...well on most streets.

[OUman]

^Not true for most streets, but for some yes. Especially the Lindsey/McGee area. And some of the lower-lying University streets. Then again for those of us living just east of 12th, heavy rain is not a problem. All water just runs off the slope of Alameda LOL.

[venture]

^Not true for most streets, but for some yes. Especially the Lindsey/McGee area. And some of the lower-lying University streets. Then again for those of us living just east of 12th, heavy rain is not a problem. All water just runs off the slope of Alameda LOL.

Learn to read sarcasm. :-P lol

[Dulahey]

A few years ago when I was a Civil Engineering student, our Senior Capstone was to analyze the traffic on Lindsey through campus. During our research, we found out that Lindsey will pretty much never be widened. Too many right-of-way issues.

After lots of simulations and traffic counts, we actually found the best way, BY FAR, to improve traffic was to actually close Lindsey in the middle of campus. Most people laugh when they hear this, but it's true. There's a lot of factors involved. Pres. Boren even came to our presentation and agreed with it. (It's something that many other campuses around the country have done in very similar situations) But said the businesses on Lindsey, to the west of campus, would raise hell.

[kevinpate]

Dulahey, curious as to where the diverted traffic would flow for E/W if you recall. Boyd seems more than fairly congested already, even off peak. Timberdell in its present configuration would be a nightmare with much of any increased traffic flow. As to businesses to the west being upset, if OU wanted it done, the elephant would stomp and the pygmies would either scatter, sit quietly in the jungle and pray they were enough out of the way, or become the squishy stuff between the elephant's toes.

[JimTrabersColostomyBag]

Isn't the only businesses west of campus a pizza shop and liquor store until you get to Berry Road?

[venture]

I wonder how feasible of an option it would be to essentially create a loop around the school using Chautauqua, Boyd, Jenkins, and Imhoff. Granted they are probably already pretty taxed on capacity - but some of those might be more feasible for widening. Might be able to go further out and upgrade Berry and route it all the way down to Hwy 9. Then improve Main street by some additional widening and removal of the street parking in downtown.

[Dulahey]

The "loop" that you mention, Venture79, was part of the plan.

Kevin, most of the traffic would simply go to SH-9. The vast majority of people going to campus come from I-35, and the two exits (Lindsey/SH-9) are very close to each other. And if any of you are students or drive near campus, you already know that you can actually get there faster by using SH-9 instead of Lindsey. But yes, a lesser amount of traffic would use Main St. and Boyd.

The main points we had were that safety for students crossing Lindsey street would drastically improve. (I believe this was the original reason for doing the project. OU wanted to protect the crossings. Pedestrian bridges were also examined, but was just a poor idea all around.) Our other main point was what we discovered with our traffic study. We found that over 99% of the traffic (seriously 99%) was NOT driving through campus. If someone is wanting to get to the east side of Norman, they do not take Lindsey. The only cars driving on Lindsey, near campus, are basically just going to/from campus. So closing it, would actually have a much lower effect on traffic patterns than what most people would imagine when they hear this idea. But safety would skyrocket because you would likely get rid of ALL accidents.

[BG918]

Widening Lindsey to 4 lanes with no turn lanes is only widening the street by 1 lane through campus and by 2 lanes from Elm to Berry. It's not like we're putting in a freeway. Lindsey in its current state is not a proper gateway for campus. It doesn't even have sidewalks in a college town!! 4 lanes with new sidewalks and lighting on both sides would not cause that much of a disruption and absolutely must happen.

[ou48A]

Widening Lindsey to 4 lanes with no turn lanes is only widening the street by 1 lane through campus and by 2 lanes from Elm to Berry. It's not like we're putting in a freeway. Lindsey in its current state is not a proper gateway for campus. It doesn't even have sidewalks in a college town!! 4 lanes with new sidewalks and lighting on both sides would not cause that much of a disruption and absolutely must happen.

I agree with this^

But ,,,,,,,,,,,I know it would be way too expensive to be considered feasible but what about double decking Lindsey from campus to just west of Berry St then build a 4 lane to the interstate ???????

[venture]

With the information provided above...it almost seems foolish to not shut Lindsey down at Chautauqua to Jenkins. You could get creative at either side with the round abouts and remove the traffic lights/stop signs. Then definitely make Lindsey 4 lanes from 24th SW to Berry and from Jenkins to Classen.

[soonerliberal]

Widening Lindsey to 4 lanes with no turn lanes is only widening the street by 1 lane through campus and by 2 lanes from Elm to Berry. It's not like we're putting in a freeway. Lindsey in its current state is not a proper gateway for campus. It doesn't even have sidewalks in a college town!! 4 lanes with new sidewalks and lighting on both sides would not cause that much of a disruption and absolutely must happen.

Here's the inherent problem. The campus currently does not have a gateway. While the state and city try to encourage people to take Main St. and Hwy 9 through signs on I-35, plenty of people still attempt to reach campus on Lindsey. A lot of this is a general issue with the campus being a fairly transient area. With a significant number of people attending OU from out of state or out of the metro area, Lindsey looks like the most direct way to get there. Use a GPS or Google Maps from Dallas to the dorms or the stadium, and it will tell you to take Lindsey.

I don't believe that Lindsey should be used as the campus gateway. Sure, it should be widened to four lanes west of Berry. There is plenty of local traffic that frequent those businesses. There are also a decent number of people from on campus who use Lindsey to access West Norman. However, I do not believe Lindsey should be widened from Berry to Jenkins. First, just like Flood and Chatauqua west of campus, Lindsey has a beautiful park-like canopy that we do not have enough of in Oklahoma. Second, many of those homes are fairly close to the street. Putting a four-lane street through a neighborhood is going to severely disrupt things and automatically make it less safe. Third, there are plenty of other alternatives. Fourth, there is a definite difference in crossing a two lane street versus a four lane street. Crossing a Boyd or Classen is 10 times more of a headache than crossing Lindsey. There are thousands more who cross Lindsey on a daily basis than cross Boyd on a daily basis. Plus Lindsey cuts through the middle of the campus. Boyd is at the north end with no real campus buildings north of it, just an entertainment district. OU has worked to make campus much more of a park-like setting with parking on the exterior and then walking/biking on the interior. This is something that truly differentiates OU from many other schools.

Alternatives:
Campus gateway from the north - This seems like the most feasible option. Traffic is already encouraged to use Main Street. Widening Main St. from 4 to 6 lanes from I-35 to downtown is possible. It is already 6 lanes throughout downtown. I'm sure some in Downtown would not appreciate added traffic, but overall, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Then create a northern gateway along one of the other streets (preferably Jenkins). Updating, widening, and improving the aesthetics of Jenkins would have the least impact on the neighborhoods.

Even greater emphasis on using Hwy 9. There are plenty of options to access Campus from the south. Jenkins and Chatauqua are great alternatives and already have the built in capacity to reach Lloyd Noble or the main campus.

Encourage west Normanites traveling to east Norman to take Robinson, Main, Imhoff, Hwy 9. There are plenty of alternatives outside of Lindsey. People can handle the extra mile driving.