I-240 / I-35 Interchange

[oudirtypop]

As most people have noticed, houses are being condemned and business' moved to make way for the new 240/35 interchange....Any information we might helpful?

If you drove through Moore anytime in the last two years, this huge construction project makes you scared to see what traffic is going to be like during the construction of this interchange! It scares me thats for sure!

[bombermwc]

But it will be much better when it's done. It's going to suck majorly and I really feel bad for folks that live in Moore because they have had to deal with project after project after project causing more and more delays.

The good part is that if they plan it right, they can cause only a minimal impact on I-35 traffic. Since they managed to squeeze the 3 lanes in under the current bridge, they can construct the 240 bridge in a full crossing without any support columns and not even have to disturb traffic. Do it one side at a time and your good. Just route traffic to one side of the bridge at a time. the 240 east to 35 North traffic will have to be altered some to make it happen, to make it happen, but I think it's do able....and I guess the same story for 240 west to 35 south.

[OUman]

I'm pretty sure by now that ODOT has the experience necessary to hire only the best contractor for a job of this magnitude and to make sure that traffic goes flowing smoothly through as much as possible. Then again, it's I-35 we're talking about, so congestion and delays are a good possibility, but if it goes like the re-construction of Shields did, there shouldn't be any problems.

[Pete]

I'm not sure how that intersection got built in it's present state to begin with.

It's incredibly dangerous in some areas and nowhere near interstate standards.

Very similar to the I-235 / I-44 intersection but neither of those roads were initially interstates.

[bombermwc]

They were built to the standards of their day, which are just a joke compared to what we have now. Traffic patterns on their construction day fit what they were, and they just never projected the traffic patterns of today on those roads. I'm sure they expected them to be replaced at some point before now anyway.

[mranderson]

They were built to the standards of their day, which are just a joke compared to what we have now. Traffic patterns on their construction day fit what they were, and they just never projected the traffic patterns of today on those roads. I'm sure they expected them to be replaced at some point before now anyway.

Not really. During that era, and even as late as the mid eighties, Oklahoma City, for the most part, was populated by a majority of nay sayers who failed to understand you need to plan way ahead. So, they built the interchange to meet what THEY thought would be the future of the city. Obviously, as usual, they (the nay sayers) were way off.

[Pete]

Traffic patterns on their construction day fit what they were

It was very dangerous from the day it opened in the 70's.

It's a relatively new highway intersection when compared to most.

[Flatlander]

Does anyone know if this project was on the plan that ODoT just released.I have not heard anything about this project since Crossroads mall objected to the Pole road closing.Any info?

[oudirtypop]

i cant find anything on ODOT's website about this project.

[AFCM]

Well, this isn't much information but I read it could take up to eight years to complete the project. I'll keep looking for past publications and updates.

[Flatlander]

Today I spoke with David Meuser at Odot,he said the project has been pushed back because I-35 through Moore and Norman is now the focus.He said the public will notice work on this stretch of highway very soon.As for the I-35 & I-240 rebuild.Most if not all of the NW corner of the interchange has been bought by the state.Odot is no longer buying land for the interchange.Odot will not begin buying land again in this area until 2012 It should take 2 years for Odot to finish buying land and building the frontage roads then another 3 years to finish the interchange. 2017 is what they are aiming for.

[AFCM]

Thanks for the update, Flatso.

[bombermwc]

Are you freaking kidding me? 2017, really? That's assinine. I just don't understand why they have had this propetual construction project on 35 for the last 2 decades, but won't work on the part that gets people ON the damn road. That junction causes 240 traffic to back up to Shields at rush hour because people can't logically get on and off with the Shields onramp and the way that the 35 southbound merge works...it's just crap. OK, it would be nice to have 35 3 laned between Nighway 77? and Norman, but that's such a small piece of road (that was recently updated anyway), I just can't figure out why the crap they would pick something down there over the junction.

Someone needs to pull the ODOT head out of it's butt and start getting them on projects that actually help...like the forgotten 44-235 junction that is even WORSE!

[Flatlander]

^ I agree with you about the interchange,very dangerous.The I-44 235 interchange has not been forgotten,work will start soon to rebuild the 36th street on and off ramps that are a part of this much larger project.The pridicted date of completion for the whole project is 2017

[JOHNINSOKC]

Why can't ODOT work on two projects on the same freeway at the same time? It is ridiculous that it will take EIGHT years to reconstruct that interchange. Why is it that cities like Dallas, that have a much worse traffic problem, get the hi-five interchange(LBJ & 75) done within THREE years and we can't get ours done until 2017?? This metro is growing far faster than ODOT or anyone in this state that has pull on transportation issues, realizes. If you look at population projections, OKC is outpacing those. In fact, the 2000 census put us at 1.085 million and the projections were for 1.030 million. That is 50,000 people underestimated!!! Maybe they anticipate that OKC will have commuter rail prior to 2017 between downtown and Norman. I live in Norman, near Sooner Mall, and it takes me 40-55 minutes to drive to downtown OKC during the morning rush hour, depending on how bad it is. I take Shields once I'm in Moore because it shaves 10-15 minutes off my drive. Obviously, the reconstruction of the Shields interchange didn't help northbound traffic in the morning, even with the addition of a third lane. It is appalling that ODOT has NO foresight to see that we will have a serious gridlock problem between OKC and Norman within five years if they don't have a sense of urgency on this stretch. I believe it is the second busiest stretch of highway in the state behind the stretch of I-44 between I-40 and N.W. 39th Expressway. I've heard that the interchange of I-35 and 77 near the York plant in north Norman is going to be reconstructed. Hopefully, they will have a flyover where you go onto 77 from the right side of the highway headed southbound. They certainly have enough room to do that, unlike the Shields interchange. The whole I-35 widening project was proposed and had plans drawn up in the 1980's. I think every freeway in this city should be a minimum of 8 lanes wide, not six lanes. OKC has gotten to the point of needing more than the usual six lanes. I think ODOT needs to learn from Texas and Tennessee on this one. I've lived in both states and construction is done twice as fast as here. There is absolutely NO valid excuse for the snails pace.

[bombermwc]

Well Dallas doesnt get ice like we do either. They can built those insane bridge interchanges because they don't have to worry about but maybe 1 time a year when it might get slippery. Can you imagine our interchanges this year if we had those??? In fact, OK seems to be moving away from bridges as much as possible moving once elevated road to ground based. Ground is cheaper, more reliable, easier to maintain, etc.

[soonerliberal]

I buy the argument that ground based freeways make sense, due to the incredible cost of bridges along with the less need for maintenance.

However, I do not buy the idea that just because we have many more icy days than Dallas, we should be careful about building up for interchanges. With modern day technology, the problem of bridge icing can be a non-issue, with really little relative cost. It isn't just Texas that has high volume, high-rise intersections. Cities such as Denver, Kansas City, and Minneapolis have stack after stack interchanges and handle the situation quite well.

Also, I really think there is a need for complete restructuring of O-DOT. There is no reason the entire I-35 southside project should be taking a total of 15 - 20 years. Any other state would have had this entire project including reconstructed interchanges at Shields and I-240 by this time, if not earlier. Secondly, why in God's name did O-DOT decide it would be sufficient to add just one lane the entire length of the city. It isn't like there wasn't/isn't the space. I just don't understand the logic of the department. They could have spent very little extra and increased capacity two-fold, just like any other state would have, but no, we are now faced with gridlock yet again in the inner southside every single day. The costs will now be incredible compared to what they could have done. I just don't get it.