ODOT Tulsa Highway Meetings

[dsjeffries]

quote: Oklahoma's Department of Transportation is holding public meetings this week to get your input on major construction plans for some of Tulsa's busiest interchanges. They're talking about expanding I-44 and the Broken Arrow expressway. Along with Highway 169 at I-44 and Highway 169 at the Broken Arrow Exspressway. The Department of Transporation is looking at adding more lanes and fly-over ramps to keep the traffic moving. Traffic is a a daily battle for many like Christi Smith who lives in Owasso. "If you wanna get to Owasso within twenty minutes You probably need to leave about ten minutes before five. If you leave at five you're gonna run into some traffic."

Smith says specially along some of tulsa's busiest interchanges , including 169 and the BA. "Its bumper to bumper it is totally bumper to bumper cuz you've got people coming from downtown merging into the midtown traffic."

NewsChannel 8 myTAKE - What's Your Opinion?From workday commuters to those whose office is on the road certain places at certain times are off-limits. Robert Morris works with Mullin Plumbing and is on the road a lot "Four to six we mostly try to avoid 169 going south avoid that interchange 44 and 51 highway."

At least 70,000 cars pass through those interchanges daily. ODOT says the current design is not made for that kind of traffic. The stae proposing new, larger, multi-level connections. Dawn Smith is with the Department of Transportation.

"The traffic doesn't have to merge and kind of vie with each other to get a lane of traffic you get your own dedicated lane and that's what we're envisioning." A vision that still could take years. But the process is beginning this week with public hearings.

There are two meetings left to you can attend, they are tomorrow and Friday at Skelly Elementary School located at 2940 S. 90th E. Avenue. The meetings begin at 6 p.m.

I for one will be going to at least one of them.  Who else is up?

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

quote: Oklahoma's Department of Transportation is holding public meetings this week to get your input on major construction plans for some of Tulsa's busiest interchanges. They're talking about expanding I-44 and the Broken Arrow expressway. Along with Highway 169 at I-44 and Highway 169 at the Broken Arrow Exspressway. The Department of Transporation is looking at adding more lanes and fly-over ramps to keep the traffic moving. Traffic is a a daily battle for many like Christi Smith who lives in Owasso. "If you wanna get to Owasso within twenty minutes You probably need to leave about ten minutes before five. If you leave at five you're gonna run into some traffic."

Smith says specially along some of tulsa's busiest interchanges , including 169 and the BA. "Its bumper to bumper it is totally bumper to bumper cuz you've got people coming from downtown merging into the midtown traffic."

NewsChannel 8 myTAKE - What's Your Opinion?From workday commuters to those whose office is on the road certain places at certain times are off-limits. Robert Morris works with Mullin Plumbing and is on the road a lot "Four to six we mostly try to avoid 169 going south avoid that interchange 44 and 51 highway."

At least 70,000 cars pass through those interchanges daily. ODOT says the current design is not made for that kind of traffic. The stae proposing new, larger, multi-level connections. Dawn Smith is with the Department of Transportation.

"The traffic doesn't have to merge and kind of vie with each other to get a lane of traffic you get your own dedicated lane and that's what we're envisioning." A vision that still could take years. But the process is beginning this week with public hearings.

There are two meetings left to you can attend, they are tomorrow and Friday at Skelly Elementary School located at 2940 S. 90th E. Avenue. The meetings begin at 6 p.m.

I for one will be going to at least one of them.  Who else is up?

I will try and attend the one Fri night.

[Composer]

The new plan calls for several bridges instead of the clover leaf that they currently have.  If this plan goes ahead, the interchange at 169 and Highway 51 might actually look like something from Dallas.

[EricP]

These are exactly what we need... 244 to 169 and the BA to 169 interchanges have too much merging traffic interfering with exiting traffic.

Do you think this will render the cable barriers they just installed totally useless, or would the exit from BA east to 169 south just fly over the merging traffic and reuse that portion I wonder?

[cannon_fodder]

More highways = less density and less incentive for public transit.   They are a self feeding monster.  If you make the route easier to travel, more people will... which means it is busy again and you need to make it larger.  Go ask LA.

Not saying we can't or shouldn't fix any traffic problems, just that they really aren't long term solutions.  You never get caught up - so long as the city continues to grow.

[Renaissance]

^agree.  Don't like sitting in traffic?  Don't move to Owasso.  I don't care if people move to the 'burbs.  But don't make me pay for your roads so you can move further and futher away and never tap the brakes on your ride home.

[FOTD]

ODOT's idiots. I got the evidence. Will prove someday if I live that long.....

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

More highways = less density and less incentive for public transit.   They are a self feeding monster.  If you make the route easier to travel, more people will... which means it is busy again and you need to make it larger.  Go ask LA.

Not saying we can't or shouldn't fix any traffic problems, just that they really aren't long term solutions.  You never get caught up - so long as the city continues to grow.

Exactly. But I'm gonna put the pants on ODOT over one of the interchanges mentioned.

[grahambino]

what is it about ODOT that makes it such a joke?
Why does it take ODOT so long to finish a project?
How long did they work on that Yale - 44 interchange?

Is it the bidding process?
Is it substandard contractors in OK?
Is it a lack of cheap labor?
Is it a lack of labor that wants to labor?
Is it a lack of funding?
Why don't they put up floodlights and work @ night.  I've seen that happening elsewhere.

I know other states will build incentives & penalties into the construction contracts.

Does ODOT do this?

[Townsend]

quote:Originally posted by grahambino

what is it about ODOT that makes it such a joke?
Why does it take ODOT so long to finish a project?
How long did they work on that Yale - 44 interchange?

Is it the bidding process?
Is it substandard contractors in OK?
Is it a lack of cheap labor?
Is it a lack of labor that wants to labor?
Is it a lack of funding?
Why don't they put up floodlights and work @ night.  I've seen that happening elsewhere.

I know other states will build incentives & penalties into the construction contracts.

Does ODOT do this?

Not sure about all the reasons why there are delays but here's a good example of incentive/"disinsentives".

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=061208_Ne_A17_Counc53242

[EricP]

My favorite stupid thing I have seen with the highways lately... 244 east to 169 south.

They rebuild the entire thing, and the exit from 244 to 169 starts off as 1 lane and everybody rear ends each other, then you are squeezed by painted lines through the 1-lane portion onto the luxurious, wide, 2 lane exit ramp.

An hour with a grinder or paint stripper would make the exit multilane. What the hell??

Genius.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by EricP

My favorite stupid thing I have seen with the highways lately... 244 east to 169 south.

They rebuild the entire thing, and the exit from 244 to 169 starts off as 1 lane and everybody rear ends each other, then you are squeezed by painted lines through the 1-lane portion onto the luxurious, wide, 2 lane exit ramp.

An hour with a grinder or paint stripper would make the exit multilane. What the hell??

Genius.

a person with superior acceleration designed that.  there is nothing more satisfying than blowing by in the left lane of that exit once you come up on it....while the idiots stay to the right.

[Renaissance]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by EricP

My favorite stupid thing I have seen with the highways lately... 244 east to 169 south.

They rebuild the entire thing, and the exit from 244 to 169 starts off as 1 lane and everybody rear ends each other, then you are squeezed by painted lines through the 1-lane portion onto the luxurious, wide, 2 lane exit ramp.

An hour with a grinder or paint stripper would make the exit multilane. What the hell??

Genius.

a person with superior acceleration designed that.  there is nothing more satisfying than blowing by in the left lane of that exit once you come up on it....while the idiots stay to the right.

I know exactly what you're talking about.  The last time I was in town I pulled off that exact maneuver in my whip.  So much fun.