Weird Highway 75 Construction - What IS that?

[dsjeffries]

For a while now, I've been watching as road construction crews cut out three slivers of pavement at a time, subsequently filling them back in with concrete (sometimes overfilling and sometimes underfilling).

What on earth are they doing? Is this in preparation for repavement?  I wish ODOT's website wasn't stuck in the 1960s--there is absolutely no worthwhile, current information on there--and you can forget about finding proposals, maps, renderings or anything else you're looking for.

All I know is that 75 North is an absolute mess to drive now, and it doesn't help that construction crews removed some of the barricades too early and now there's a giant streak/pothole where someone had driven through the wet cement at the Apache exit.

Here are some photos I took today of what I'm talking about:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/782766552


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/782763904


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/781886997


Anybody have a clue as to what they are?

[Wilbur]

It is the same thing they did to the Creek Turnpike.  After they get all of those little sections put in at each crease, they will come along and take a very small layer off the top, which strengthens the seams, plus makes the road smoother.

[sgrizzle]

Yeah, like wilbur said.

[cannon_fodder]

Man, I wondered that too.  Along most of the sections of 75 that's like putting a band aid on an amputated limb!

Also, it appears they are recapping 75.  So what good does that do when recapping?  Just strengthens it so the new cap wont buckle?

/not a road engineer

[Conan71]

Not true.

These are markings so alien spacecraft can find their way to Million Dollar Elm Casino.

[Townsend]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Not true.

These are markings so alien spacecraft can find their way to Million Dollar Elm Casino.

Nah, we use the online map.

[Vision 2025]

Each bump is actually the patch over a steel reinforcing rod that was grouted into cuts made across the contraction joints (that part that goes thump-thump-thump when you drive on it) in the pavement. These are quick high strength patches left high (worse before it gets better, I suppose) to accommodate shrinkage of the grout while it quick cures and to prevent low spots that would trap water later.  When all is patched in the work area they come back and "diamond grind" the entire driving lane to produce a quite smooth and typically long lasting good drive at a much reduced price to the other methods.

It worked wonders for the Creek Turnpike's ride last year.

[Conan71]

Wonderful.  When is the state planning on coming in and properly fixing all the expansion joints on the BA coming off 75N?  Either they are chunked out, or they were chunked out and the solution was to throw asphalt over the holes and let cars pack it down.  

I noticed they replaced guardrail with concrete walls over 15th st. east-bound.  Nice job.  Now let's work on the part we actually drive on.

It's a freakin' minefield.

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Wonderful.  When is the state planning on coming in and properly fixing all the expansion joints on the BA coming off 75N?  Either they are chunked out, or they were chunked out and the solution was to throw asphalt over the holes and let cars pack it down.  

I noticed they replaced guardrail with concrete walls over 15th st. east-bound.  Nice job.  Now let's work on the part we actually drive on.

It's a freakin' minefield.

Don't forget the off/on ramps to and from 244/412 to 75 N... sheesh!  They put up some tube lighting 1000 years ago that never worked and is now hanging from the side, instead of fixing the Gorrilla-sized potholes on that sharp curve!

My small car gets thrown around on those, even at 30 mph...

[Who Cares]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Wonderful.  When is the state planning on coming in and properly fixing all the expansion joints on the BA coming off 75N?  Either they are chunked out, or they were chunked out and the solution was to throw asphalt over the holes and let cars pack it down.  

I noticed they replaced guardrail with concrete walls over 15th st. east-bound.  Nice job.  Now let's work on the part we actually drive on.

It's a freakin' minefield.

Well I guess we may fall through the bride, but at least we won't fall off the side. ODOT is probabably being bribed by the big guardrail companies.

[Who Cares]

By the way, that last post was complete sarcasm. ODOT sucks!

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Wonderful.  When is the state planning on coming in and properly fixing all the expansion joints on the BA coming off 75N?  Either they are chunked out, or they were chunked out and the solution was to throw asphalt over the holes and let cars pack it down.  

I noticed they replaced guardrail with concrete walls over 15th st. east-bound.  Nice job.  Now let's work on the part we actually drive on.

It's a freakin' minefield.

Don't forget the off/on ramps to and from 244/412 to 75 N... sheesh!  They put up some tube lighting 1000 years ago that never worked and is now hanging from the side, instead of fixing the Gorrilla-sized potholes on that sharp curve!

My small car gets thrown around on those, even at 30 mph...

My truck got partially sideways due to bumps on the transition going northbound from 75 to 244 rounding the curve just past the Tisdale.  That's some scary pavement.  I've raced on rutted dirt race tracks that are smoother than the highways in Tulsa.