Streets/traffic/roads

[traxx]

For a town that's perceived as having wealth, the roads could certainly be improved. Where's all the tax money going? They aren't the worst streets in the state but for as much money that runs around town, you'd think they'd be better.

I'm assuming all the tax money goes to put in more traffic lights. I don't think I've ever seen a town so in love with traffic lights. To an extent, I get what they're going for. They want to slow down traffic. But traffic speed is better dictated by street design rather than speed limits and stop lights.

Going east from 15th and Boulevard to 2nd and Bryant one travels through about 10 stop lights. In two miles. That's ridiculous. You might think im picking the most extreme example, but I'm not. Traveling west from I-35 and Covell yesterday, I went through 6 (iirc) stop lights by the time I got to Coltrane. 6 in a little over 1 mile.

I got stopped by a light at Covell and Fairfax during that travel. The east/west traffic on Covell (which there was plenty) was stopped for a minute or two but there was no cross traffic on Fairfax. I'm guessing it's just on a timer.

Also, what is with bridges in Edmond? The transition between road and bridge should be smooth to the point that the driver doesn't notice it. Edmond missed the memo about that.

The bridge on Coltrane between 15th and 2nd is so harsh (especially southbound) that I have to slow down for it. The bridge on 15th between I-35 and Coltrane will rattle your axle. The bridge on the I-35 frontage road by Fox Lake isn't as bad but is certainly noticeable.

Those are just 3 bridges off the top of my head. Given time I could come up with more. I don't understand why they can't be built on the same level as the rest of the road. That used to be standard practice.

[Tyson]

There's at least lots of good news in regards to the quality of the roads: https://www.edmondok.gov/802/Future-...ction-Projects

I agree about that bridge on Coltrane, always been my least favorite.

I think overall the lights are needed on those busy streets since it's nearly impossible to turn out of those neighborhoods and businesses during busy hours. It may be the best way to accommodate for the traffic of such a rapidly growing city. Thankfully they've done an incredible job redoing intersections like 33rd & Broadway and 2nd & Bryant.

[traxx]

Yeah, ultimately this town was never meant to have this many people and the roads were never intended to carry this much traffic.

[Bill Robertson]

My BIL got me into Geocaching about 12 years ago. We've been to Wichita, Wichita Falls, DFW, Little Rock, Ft Smith, Austin, Amarillo and ?. The hobby takes you everywhere. Main streets, side streets, rural area streets, etc. Everywhere we've been the streets suck. Cracks, potholes, you name it. And there's endless construction. I really think the complaints about OKC streets is a perfect case of "The grass is always greener."

[The]

The bridge to road transition is a bane of my existence all over the metro. And this has never been this bad in other cities I’ve lived.

[Tyson]

My BIL got me into Geocaching about 12 years ago. We've been to Wichita, Wichita Falls, DFW, Little Rock, Ft Smith, Austin, Amarillo and ?. The hobby takes you everywhere. Main streets, side streets, rural area streets, etc. Everywhere we've been the streets suck. Cracks, potholes, you name it. And there's endless construction. I really think the complaints about OKC streets is a perfect case of "The grass is always greener."

^ this.

[mugofbeer]

I totally agree. Try driving around much of the Denver metro, especially after a big snowstorm has melted and is running off.

[Chris Gordon]

I agree the bridge transitions are far from smooth, but I don't know that it's totally the blame of the engineers or construction teams. All of the bridges I can think of are blacktop leading up to the transition, then concrete, then back to blacktop. Also many of the bridges I can think of are at or near the bottom of a hill, think 15st just east of Coltrane. The concrete seems to hold up much better to Oklahoma Weather, so you end up with a situation where the to materials don't degrade at the same rate and end up causing problems at the transitions. The city budgets are generally tight, they are having to build and maintain sprawling road with only sales tax. So they are basically being forced to use an inferior product just to get work done.

Before we moved to Edmond seven years ago, I would drive through Yukon on my way to work. They had a huge road project on Cornwell from Vandament to 10th and replaced it with all concrete. I remember thinking wow, this must be a super expensive project, that's also SH 3, so I would guess the state paid a good portion, but that entire road is still seems as smooth as it was when they did the work about 10 years ago.

When I think about places that I would consider having generally good roads, the North Texas cities of Plano, Frisco, McKinney, etc. and most of their major throughfares are concrete (and even many neighborhoods). Now I realize that comparing Oklahoma to Texas is an unfair comparison in most regards. The Texas attitude toward roads seems to be build it once and build it right, perhaps we could try that... Now they also take FOREVER to complete a project...

To be fair to Edmond, Covell is all concrete from near Coltrane to I-35 and the new 2nd and Bryant intersection. We have good leaders, and I bet we see more of that over the coming years. Also... a general obligation bond vote would be great for Edmond.

[mugofbeer]

Texas took some roadbuilding to the extreme during oil boom times when cities were awash in cash. Some N Dallas arteries have pavement a foot to 16 inches thick. News articles years ago remarked how those streets could handle 747 jet traffic.

[rte66man]

My beef is that most of the major intersections in Edmond do not line up; thereby causing traffic to "jog" to pass through. It would be nice to see this corrected at Danforth/Kelly

[_Cramer_]

For a town that's perceived as having wealth, the roads could certainly be improved. Where's all the tax money going? They aren't the worst streets in the state but for as much money that runs around town, you'd think they'd be better.

I'm assuming all the tax money goes to put in more traffic lights. I don't think I've ever seen a town so in love with traffic lights. To an extent, I get what they're going for. They want to slow down traffic. But traffic speed is better dictated by street design rather than speed limits and stop lights.

Going east from 15th and Boulevard to 2nd and Bryant one travels through about 10 stop lights. In two miles. That's ridiculous. You might think im picking the most extreme example, but I'm not. Traveling west from I-35 and Covell yesterday, I went through 6 (iirc) stop lights by the time I got to Coltrane. 6 in a little over 1 mile.

I got stopped by a light at Covell and Fairfax during that travel. The east/west traffic on Covell (which there was plenty) was stopped for a minute or two but there was no cross traffic on Fairfax. I'm guessing it's just on a timer.

Also, what is with bridges in Edmond? The transition between road and bridge should be smooth to the point that the driver doesn't notice it. Edmond missed the memo about that.

The bridge on Coltrane between 15th and 2nd is so harsh (especially southbound) that I have to slow down for it. The bridge on 15th between I-35 and Coltrane will rattle your axle. The bridge on the I-35 frontage road by Fox Lake isn't as bad but is certainly noticeable.

Those are just 3 bridges off the top of my head. Given time I could come up with more. I don't understand why they can't be built on the same level as the rest of the road. That used to be standard practice.

I agree with all of this! The bridge by Edmond Golf Club/entrance to Steeplechase on Coltrane is always a huge bump!

I know the city has spent a lot of money on light/intersection traffic systems. They've been adding the cameras/smart traffic systems all across town.

My biggest beef with this is the timing! Logically, this is smart and should work way better than it does in Edmond.
For example, you should be able to catch a green light exiting I-35 on 2nd street heading west and make every light green all the way across town to Western if you go the speed limit. Same for coming up north on Broadway. Should hit 33rd, 15th, 2nd etc. as long as you are roughly going the speed limit.

I think they need a major system reset to sync the traffic light systems. It's very annoying!

[traxx]

I agree the bridge transitions are far from smooth, but I don't know that it's totally the blame of the engineers or construction teams. All of the bridges I can think of are blacktop leading up to the transition, then concrete, then back to blacktop. Also many of the bridges I can think of are at or near the bottom of a hill, think 15st just east of Coltrane. The concrete seems to hold up much better to Oklahoma Weather, so you end up with a situation where the to materials don't degrade at the same rate and end up causing problems at the transitions. The city budgets are generally tight, they are having to build and maintain sprawling road with only sales tax. So they are basically being forced to use an inferior product just to get work done.

Before we moved to Edmond seven years ago, I would drive through Yukon on my way to work. They had a huge road project on Cornwell from Vandament to 10th and replaced it with all concrete. I remember thinking wow, this must be a super expensive project, that's also SH 3, so I would guess the state paid a good portion, but that entire road is still seems as smooth as it was when they did the work about 10 years ago.

When I think about places that I would consider having generally good roads, the North Texas cities of Plano, Frisco, McKinney, etc. and most of their major throughfares are concrete (and even many neighborhoods). Now I realize that comparing Oklahoma to Texas is an unfair comparison in most regards. The Texas attitude toward roads seems to be build it once and build it right, perhaps we could try that... Now they also take FOREVER to complete a project...

To be fair to Edmond, Covell is all concrete from near Coltrane to I-35 and the new 2nd and Bryant intersection. We have good leaders, and I bet we see more of that over the coming years. Also... a general obligation bond vote would be great for Edmond.

It's not so much the materials used, it's that the bridge is a good 6 inches or so higher than the rest of the road. Traffic, weather, expansion and contraction, and wear and tear causes that transition to worsen over time. It'd be nice if the road and the bridge were on the same plane.

Add to that the transition from the street to many parking lots and businesses in Edmond. I get that Edmond is a hilly town but there has to be a way to make the transition more gradual. The entrance for the Little Ceasars drive thru west of Santa Fe on 2nd is a prime example. You can see the scrapes on the cement where cars have hit pulling into the parking lot. But the cars can't take it slow and easy, otherwise they get run over by oncoming traffic.

There has to be a better way than going from a relatively flat road to an 80° incline pulling into a parking lot.

[traxx]

The bridge to road transition is a bane of my existence all over the metro. And this has never been this bad in other cities I’ve lived.

Are you the same The that used to post on LT?

[josefromtulsa]

I think most people do not understand just how expensive road infrastructure is. It can be millions of dollars per mile just for rehabilitations let alone entire rebuilds or widenings.

This is the downside of car dependent development. There simply is not enough tax dollars coming in to the city to make the changes needed and there certainly will never be enough to replace all the roads within subdivisions in the coming decades when their lifecycle ends.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/...-scheme-md2020

[traxx]

I think most people do not understand just how expensive road infrastructure is. It can be millions of dollars per mile just for rehabilitations let alone entire rebuilds or widenings.

This is the downside of car dependent development. There simply is not enough tax dollars coming in to the city to make the changes needed and there certainly will never be enough to replace all the roads within subdivisions in the coming decades when their lifecycle ends.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/...-scheme-md2020

I think we understand. But does it cost extra to have it done correctly the first time? Again, putting a bridge on the same plane as the road doesn't seem like asking too much.

I do find it difficult to believe that there's not enough $ to have our roads built correctly but there's plenty to have a stoplight put up every 12 feet.

[EdOkCounty]

The traffic signal timing in Edmond is crazy. I sat at Kelly and Covell from 8:52 to 8:57 this morning waiting for the light to change for north/south traffic. East/west traffic just kept moving , so frustrating. Edmond has spent the last 20 years bragging about installation of ITS technology (intelligent traffic system) yet traffic only gets worse. The city spent the last year installing fiber optic cable to link traffic signals among the major corridors; hopefully this will eventually help. Also, the city spends excessively on traffic signal aesthetics. The decorative black poles, cameras, and sensors can easily push the cost of signalization at one intersection to $1 million or more.

[BoulderSooner]

The traffic signal timing in Edmond is crazy. I sat at Kelly and Covell from 8:52 to 8:57 this morning waiting for the light to change for north/south traffic. East/west traffic just kept moving , so frustrating. Edmond has spent the last 20 years bragging about installation of ITS technology (intelligent traffic system) yet traffic only gets worse. The city spent the last year installing fiber optic cable to link traffic signals among the major corridors; hopefully this will eventually help. Also, the city spends excessively on traffic signal aesthetics. The decorative black poles, cameras, and sensors can easily push the cost of signalization at one intersection to $1 million or more.

i wonder if that was just a glitch .. I use that intersection every day ..

[MagzOK]

i wonder if that was just a glitch .. I use that intersection every day ..

I drive through Kelly and Covell multiple times daily and it does happen, not every time, but it is often enough that I b!tch about it under my breath often.

Also when turning WB on Covell from Broadway with an arrow, no matter what you just about always get a red light there at Thomas. I's crazy.

And these intersections with interstates -- If you're exiting Covell off of NB I35 and you sit at a red light up there, once it's green you should be able to proceed left and completely out of the intersection. However you always get stopped at the SB offramp to Covell while that traffic gets a green. This is the same at Waterloo and 35, and the same and many many of the interstate/local street intersections and it creates unnecessary congestion.

[BoulderSooner]

And these intersections with interstates -- If you're exiting Covell off of NB I35 and you sit at a red light up there, once it's green you should be able to proceed left and completely out of the intersection. However you always get stopped at the SB offramp to Covell while that traffic gets a green.

yep this always happens ..

[traxx]

I drive through Kelly and Covell multiple times daily and it does happen, not every time, but it is often enough that I b!tch about it under my breath often.

Also when turning WB on Covell from Broadway with an arrow, no matter what you just about always get a red light there at Thomas. I's crazy.

And these intersections with interstates -- If you're exiting Covell off of NB I35 and you sit at a red light up there, once it's green you should be able to proceed left and completely out of the intersection. However you always get stopped at the SB offramp to Covell while that traffic gets a green. This is the same at Waterloo and 35, and the same and many many of the interstate/local street intersections and it creates unnecessary congestion.

Whether I'm turning off of Broadway onto Covell or I'm traveling west down Covell, I always hit the red at Thomas. Doesn't matter what I do, how fast/slow I'm going etc. etc., I always hit the red there.

I've heard that Edmond is supposed to have a computer operated, logistical genius traffic control system but I've never seen any evidence of that over the past 15 or so years. Actual user experience says otherwise. If they do have an Intelligent Traffic System, then it's gotta be the dumbest Intelligent system. There's been several times where I'm at the front of the line at a stoplight, light turns green, I go, it turns yellow while I'm only half way through the intersection. What's Intelligent about that?

[Bill Robertson]

I don't get lights. My wife goes to work on NW Exp at 5AM. All the lights must default to red on the Exp because they're always red with no one on the cross street. Drives her crazy.
A new light was just installed between NW Exp and Wilshire on Council. It defaults to red on Council. I hit it at 6AM and have to sit waiting on nobody.

[mugofbeer]

NW Hiway should always get the default green except maybe at Hefner Parkway. This just seems like common sense.

[traxx]

I don't get lights. My wife goes to work on NW Exp at 5AM. All the lights must default to red on the Exp because they're always red with no one on the cross street. Drives her crazy.
A new light was just installed between NW Exp and Wilshire on Council. It defaults to red on Council. I hit it at 6AM and have to sit waiting on nobody.

Had something similar happen on Broadway in Edmond several months back.

I was traveling Broadway at 5:45AM and was stopped by the light at 9th street. The one other car on the road was stopped going the opposite direction. I looked at the cross light and it was red too. So who had the green? It was the light for those coming out if the Autozone parking lot. Only problem is, Autozone isn't open at 5:45AM. So the parking lot was empty. Nobody was there. So this other car and I waited for our lights to turn green when there was no one else on the road.

[baralheia]

Had something similar happen on Broadway in Edmond several months back.

I was traveling Broadway at 5:45AM and was stopped by the light at 9th street. The one other car on the road was stopped going the opposite direction. I looked at the cross light and it was red too. So who had the green? It was the light for those coming out if the Autozone parking lot. Only problem is, Autozone isn't open at 5:45AM. So the parking lot was empty. Nobody was there. So this other car and I waited for our lights to turn green when there was no one else on the road.

That light in front of Autozone has been like that for as long as I can remember. It was like that 15 years ago when I still lived with my parents up in Edmond. I don't know why they have it set like that, honestly, but the city of Edmond apparently likes it that way!

[traxx]

I think Edmond could function just fine with about half as many traffic lights.