SH 74 Widening

[Plutonic Panda]

I am very glad to see this!!! They are actually continuing the highway and including and full interchange at NW164th St.!

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation plans a $34 million project in 2017 to widen State Highway 74 to four lanes on a segment from Memorial Road to north of Northwest 164th Street, said Terri Angier, ODOT spokeswoman.

Traffic volume on the 1.5-mile portion of highway has been as high as 25,000 cars a day near Memorial and 150th Street, and 20,000 when approaching 164th Street, according to ODOT.

Currently, there is a small portion of four lanes before drivers must merge in traffic before reaching 150th Street.

“This will open it up and allow for some ramp movement,” Angier said.

A full interchange will be constructed at Northwest 150th Street as part of the project, she added. Drivers on 150th Street wanting to access S.H. 74 will reach it by a ramp.

“This whole corridor has been extremely important to ODOT because of the growth in the area and because it was a two-lane (road) for a long time,” Angier said.

About 10 years ago, ODOT began reconstruction work on the north end of S.H. 74 due to hazardous bridges between Covell and Coffee Creek, Angier said. Close to $35 million already has been spent on improvements in the northern parts of the corridor, Angier said.

- ODOT awards $34M contract for State Highway 74 widening - The Edmond Sun: News

[Plutonic Panda]

Now they need to make a plan to loop it around Edmond.

[Plutonic Panda]

I also wonder, when they widen to Covell, are they going to add a median or just keep it like the rest of the four lane streets in NW OKC that don't have any left turn lanes? I do hope they also have a very large setback and buy large ROW when they widen it to convert it into a highway one day. Although, the curve makes me think they are going to continue a new highway branched off of Portland and keep Portland a road while adding a highway in between Portland and Meridian. Does that sound right?

[hfry]

The curve in the highway has a funny rumor to it actually. Originally, and if you can go back and find the old maps the widening was going to look like whats already been done up north and should have been finished a few years ago. But, as they were starting some digs around the old Kerr-plant they found a leak from one of the pipes of waste and the soil was contaminated so not wanting to clean it up themselves they bought all the right of ways to the west and reworked everything and with the surge of houses in Deer creek and the larger capacity of cars they decided to do an overpass for 150th. Might have been a blessing in disguise because the old plan, while better than whats there currently would already be a nightmare and this new plan will really help the traffic problems. Interesting Tronox or whoever owns and operates the plant now is in the big legal battle and I wouldnt be surprised to seem them have to clean up the soil contamination in the future. But LIke i said it was a rumor told to me by neighbor who works at ODot a few months back but she did highlight the overpass plans then so it will be interesting to see it all once its finished.

[Plutonic Panda]

Nice. I have heard somewhere about some soil contamination, but I don't remember where.

[Plutonic Panda]

I went back and reread this, are they going to start construction on this this January or January 2017? I originally read it as they were going to widen this road to NW150th and build the interchange in two months, then widen the road to four lanes from NW150th to NW164th in 2017, but now when I reread it, it sounds like they are going not do anything until January 2017 and the rest of the project is up in the air.

[Snowman]

I went back and reread this, are they going to start construction on this this January or January 2017? I originally read it as they were going to widen this road to NW150th and build the interchange in two months, then widen the road to four lanes from NW150th to NW164th in 2017, but now when I reread it, it sounds like they are going not do anything until January 2017 and the rest of the project is up in the air.

At least at one point they had it broken into two phases, with (this) the first 2.5 miles north of the Turnpike happening at least a year or two before the next 2.5 miles but who knows what the plan is now.

Edit: I checked ODOT's site and it looks like the second 2.5 mile phase is planned to be funded in 2017.

[Bill Robertson]

The curve in the highway has a funny rumor to it actually. Originally, and if you can go back and find the old maps the widening was going to look like whats already been done up north and should have been finished a few years ago. But, as they were starting some digs around the old Kerr-plant they found a leak from one of the pipes of waste and the soil was contaminated so not wanting to clean it up themselves they bought all the right of ways to the west and reworked everything and with the surge of houses in Deer creek and the larger capacity of cars they decided to do an overpass for 150th. Might have been a blessing in disguise because the old plan, while better than whats there currently would already be a nightmare and this new plan will really help the traffic problems. Interesting Tronox or whoever owns and operates the plant now is in the big legal battle and I wouldnt be surprised to seem them have to clean up the soil contamination in the future. But LIke i said it was a rumor told to me by neighbor who works at ODot a few months back but she did highlight the overpass plans then so it will be interesting to see it all once its finished.

I've always wondered where these rumors come from. I worked for Kerr-McGee at the Technical Center from 1988 to 2001 in the facilities department as Building & Ground Services Manager. "Plant" is not a correct term for the facility, it's just a R&D Lab. There are no large quantities of chemicals there with the possible exception of titanium dioxide pigment which is used in foods, toothpaste etc. so is obviously not toxic. No large quantities of any waste are produced. Waste is collected in an out building in two or three 55 gallon drums with each drum being for a specific type of waste (solvent, caustic, etc.). It took several months to fill up a drum. There's much more waste generated by any quick-lube location. Certainly no waste is or was ever being piped anywhere for a pipe to leak. While I was there a former employee contacted the Oklahoma DEQ and swore there had been an open pit just north of the main building that was used to dump chemical waste. Aerial photos from the 60s did show a pit. The DEQ made us dig up about two semi trailer loads of dirt from the pit area. DEQs testing showed nothing but clean dirt. The DEQ required us at that time to drill numerous ground water monitor wells around the property. None of them ever showed a trace of anything.

There is, or was when I was there, one thing that could be in the right of way of the widened highway. Toward the NW corner of the property there were four or five testing stations used by the geology division. Each was an approx. 10 foot long conduit buried vertically and encased in approx. two feet of concrete on all sides. In the bottom of each conduit was a "puck" of a low level radioactive material. Very low level. These were used to calibrate some type of instrument the geologists used.

I also can't find any information that Tronox is currently in any legal battle concerning the Technical Center. Tronox sued Kerr-McGee (now part of Anadarko Petroleum) in 2009 for expenses to clean up a few areas that were left by Kerr-McGee as chemical waste nightmares but the Technical Center wasn't one of them.

[hfry]

Well I will defer to you that its a rumor then! Thanks for the clarification! The only area I could think it would be in was that NW corner so who knows maybe it was more of issue of not wanting to get near those even though they are pretty harmless.

[bradh]

Interesting that they're putting in feeder roads

[jn1780]

I also wonder, when they widen to Covell, are they going to add a median or just keep it like the rest of the four lane streets in NW OKC that don't have any left turn lanes? I do hope they also have a very large setback and buy large ROW when they widen it to convert it into a highway one day. Although, the curve makes me think they are going to continue a new highway branched off of Portland and keep Portland a road while adding a highway in between Portland and Meridian. Does that sound right?

I think the simplest explanation is that they wanted to keep Portland and 150th open while they build the new highway.

[cagoklahoma]

I've also heard that one of the reasons Oak Tree National has not been able to secure a US Open / PGA Championship is due to lack (just or otherwise) of road infrastructure and that once 74 is widened and Waterloo is significantly reworked we would be a more appealing location to the PGA. That would be pretty cool.

[corwin1968]

I wish they would extend it past NW 178th. If the new highway branches off to the West, then the Sonic and that little shopping center may be doomed when they finally get around to going out that far.

[jn1780]

I wish they would extend it past NW 178th. If the new highway branches off to the West, then the Sonic and that little shopping center may be doomed when they finally get around to going out that far.

It will go all the way to NW 206th St after 2017. Its not really branching off to the west either, the plans show it coming back to the east shortly after passing 164th St. I image they will use right of way to the east of the sonic and shopping center. So the road will curve west and east to get the cheapest ROW.

[Filthy]

Super excited about this, as the majority of my morning commute consists of sitting at the intersection of 150th/HWY 74 waiting on the light to change going Eastbound. They have already started construction, widening 150th. Starting at the north Gaillardia entrance all the way to Portland. that part of the project is supposed to be finished in May 15'

This will definitely help flow North/South, as its such a bottleneck currently.

[rezman]

Super excited about this, as the majority of my morning commute consists of sitting at the intersection of 150th/HWY 74 waiting on the light to change going Eastbound. They have already started construction, widening 150th. Starting at the north Gaillardia entrance all the way to Portland. that part of the project is supposed to be finished in May 15'

This will definitely help flow North/South, as its such a bottleneck currently.

When the work is completed, you'll be sitting at the new interchange waiting for the light to change.

[Filthy]

When the work is completed, you'll be sitting at the new interchange waiting for the light to change.

Yes, Yes..I definitely will. But hopefully, with the new flow...I wont have to sit thru 3 cycles of the light, before getting my chance to cross.

[Plutonic Panda]

When the work is completed, you'll be sitting at the new interchange waiting for the light to change.

Being 4 lanes, a new highway under it, dedicated u turn, left turn, and. Right turn.... It will be much better

[Buffalo Bill]

I've always wondered where these rumors come from.

Channel 9? Looks like the culprit may have been chloroform.

http://www.news9.com/story/24512785/...c-road-project

[rezman]

Being 4 lanes, a new highway under it, dedicated u turn, left turn, and. Right turn.... It will be much better

Oh... No question. We use that corridor often. It will be nice getting on at 192nd or 178th and having smooth sailing south.

[C_M_25]

I'm torn about this. I live out on 192nd, and I would love for the commute to be a little shorter. However, this will just allow more people to move out into this area and beyond which will make the commute just as bad as originally AND making it more difficult for me to buy land someday. Frankly, my commute is bad now. 30-35 minutes from downtown as it stands now is tolerable.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm torn about this. I live out on 192nd, and I would love for the commute to be a little shorter. However, this will just allow more people to move out into this area and beyond which will make the commute just as bad as originally AND making it more difficult for me to buy land someday. Frankly, my commute is bad now. 30-35 minutes from downtown as it stands now is tolerable.

I guarantee you that (a) you're commute was going to get a lot worse if this wasn't put in due all the growth the already occurring in the area (b) that if they were to build a loop around Edmond tomorrow, it would be 5+ years before congestion would even be noticeable.

That area is exploding and even further north where there is no highway nearby. So with that road being widened to four lanes, and that highway being continued underneath 192nd and a full modern interchange being constructed, tell me that won't shorten it, fairly significantly probably. I bet you it will be years and years before development fill up in the area.

[jn1780]

Saw them unloading bull dozers yesterday. Looks like construction is about to begin.

[Plutonic Panda]

So is Portland going to become a service road like Memorial or will it break off into its own road north of the rendering? I haven't seen whether they released that info or not.

[jn1780]

Its still Portland(SH74), but the service roads are being extended past 150th street with the service roads ending at 164th street. The old stretch of Portland between 150th and 164th will be permanently closed and the new stretch of road will merge back into the original road just north of 164th street.