Some time ago, there was a thread about the I-240/I-35 interchange rebuild, and as I had some new/recent info and experience there, thought I'd start something a bit fresher.
I travel to and from work every day along I-240 from roughly Air Depot to May, and these days its truly an exception to go a week (to be generous) without seeing a multiple car accident near Shields, most typically during rush hour on the eastbound side. And the accidents are rarely just bumper tappers; they're usually really nasty.
Knowing that a rebuild has been in the offing, and getting increasingly frustrated with the steady occurrence of accidents, I fired an email to ODOT, and found out that while the broader rebuild of this interchange is still over a decade away and not completely funded, there is at least the hope of some rebuilding of the eastbound I-240->Southbound I-35 ramp, in the next year or two, which is at least a start.
I offered the suggestion that at least part of the problem in that area could be mitigated if they would immediately close the eastbound on-ramp from Shields, which creates what I call this ghastly "scissor" of entering traffic conflicting with exiting traffic trying to get to the I-35 southbound ramp. Close that ramp, and that traffic must either go a mile west to Walker and enter there, or go south to SE 89th, and take the service road to enter eastbound I-240 from there. Yeah, that's a hassle, and it by no means a cure-all for the interchange, but it eliminates at least part of the problem. At this point, I don't see much alternative. Think something, stop-gap though it may be, needs to be done. As it stands now, I simply won't go near eastbound I-240 near Shields in the afternoon.
Fortunately, the reply from ODOT was that closing that very ramp is on the agenda, but it wasn't quite clear to me if that was going to happen with this rebuild activity in the next year or two.
Anyone else have some ideas for whom we might write, call, email to see if there's anything to be done to get the priority for this interchange rebuild enhanced? I can't begin to fathom the $$$ in property damage and physical injury being incurred on a weekly basis because of this area. This isn't just a matter of a congested/annoying intersection; its one where people are getting hurt, and with seemingly increasing frequency.
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