Creek Turnpike roller coaster

[bugo]

The eastbound Creek Turnpike east of the US 169 interchange is awful.  I'm talking about the long bridge that crosses the floodplain.  It appears that the piers have settled, creating a very rough road.  This road was built, what, 10 years ago, and it's already falling apart.  Who needs Bell's when you have the Creek Turnpike?

[dbacks fan]

This has been a common question about the roads in Tulsa since the mid 60's. It took forever to build 169 from 21st to the BA. The BA and the IDL took 20 years to complete. Highway 11 from Sheridan to Gilcrease has taken 30 years. Molasses runs faster in January than any one working on the roads in Oklahoma. 169 from 21st to 51st/BA took at least 12 years to build, and this was only three miles. It took about the same time to finish the BA from Utica to what is now the IDL. And bridges in Oklahoma have been falling apart since the early 80's. This includes I-44 and 193rd, Lynn Lane, 161st, the 11th over the river, I-44 over the river which took about two years, 21st/23rd over the river which took about two years, the Creek Turnpike thru south Tulsa which was on the maps in the late 60's early 70's.

[dbacks fan]

Forgive me I went on a rant.

[nathanm]

The eastbound Creek Turnpike east of the US 169 interchange is awful.  I'm talking about the long bridge that crosses the floodplain.  It appears that the piers have settled, creating a very rough road.  This road was built, what, 10 years ago, and it's already falling apart.  Who needs Bell's when you have the Creek Turnpike?

Actually, it's been that way since day one. Whether it's objectionable depends entirely on your vehicle's suspension. If your suspension is soft, it seems rather wavy and weird. If you have a stiff suspension, it's not so bad, just mildly bumpy, as most bridges are.

It's been a year or more since I've driven it, though, so it may have gotten worse.

[Gaspar]

Not only has it been there since day one, it's a known hazard to motorcyclists.  There have been literally dozens of FATAL motorcycle crashes on that span and on the curved span that connects it from the southbound 169 direction.  Cycles at high speed literally leap off the pavement with each expansion joint.

On some weekends when I'm working my wife's company, I pull a 10ft trailer and have come very close to loosing the trailer when i'm going too fast on the curve.

You can see black marks on the barrier walls.  Some mark the last moment for bikers.

[Hoss]

Not only has it been there since day one, it's a known hazard to motorcyclists.  There have been literally dozens of FATAL motorcycle crashes on that span and on the curved span that connects it from the southbound 169 direction.  Cycles at high speed literally leap off the pavement with each expansion joint.

On some weekends when I'm working my wife's company, I pull a 10ft trailer and have come very close to loosing the trailer when i'm going too fast on the curve.

You can see black marks on the barrier walls.  Some mark the last moment for bikers.

Since it's on the ramp (not quite sure where this is exactly but have a good idea) it makes me wonder who owns it.  ODOT/Federal (as it is a US Highway)?  OTA?  Likely it needs to be brought to their attention, as that is probably the highest flyover maybe in Oklahoma.  I've never seen one that high except in my 3 years of living in Houston.

[sgrizzle]

That road was that way when it opened.

[Gaspar]

A good reporter looking for a story might research the fatalities on that road and write a little article about it. 

[sauerkraut]

That could have something to do with the settling and all the rain Tulsa has been getting over the years- the bridge supports should be anchored in bedrock, but I dunno, just tossing out a guess -I don't think it could of been that bad when it first opened the engineers have to check out all that stuff before it's signed off on.. IMO there is too much road const. going on a the same time all over the city from Yale N. of I-244 and on Harvard & Sheridan to the I-44 mess, and let's not forget the const. in Catoosa and around the Hard Rock Casino to name a few. I guess they also want to work on that Catoosa highway 66 bridge so that is shut down and/or detoured.

[Townsend]

That could have something to do with the settling and all the rain Tulsa has been getting over the years- the bridge supports should be anchored in bedrock, but I dunno, just tossing out a guess -I don't think it could of been that bad when it first opened the engineers have to check out all that stuff before it's signed off on.. IMO there is too much road const. going on a the same time all over the city from Yale N. of I-244 and on Harvard & Sheridan to the I-44 mess, and let's not forget the const. in Catoosa and around the Hard Rock Casino to name a few. I guess they also want to work on that Catoosa highway 66 bridge so that is shut down and/or detoured.

Yes, that's the stuff

[Conan71]

It has nothing to do with settling.  It's how the bridge decks and suspensions were designed to handle traffic loads.  Yes, it sucks.  I do, however enjoy the trail adjacent to it quite a bit.

[Gaspar]

That could have something to do with the settling and all the rain Tulsa has been getting over the years- the bridge supports should be anchored in bedrock, but I dunno, just tossing out a guess -I don't think it could of been that bad when it first opened the engineers have to check out all that stuff before it's signed off on.. IMO there is too much road const. going on a the same time all over the city from Yale N. of I-244 and on Harvard & Sheridan to the I-44 mess, and let's not forget the const. in Catoosa and around the Hard Rock Casino to name a few. I guess they also want to work on that Catoosa highway 66 bridge so that is shut down and/or detoured.

I rode it the first day it was open, and everyone in the car commented on the bounce.  The contractor came back a few weeks after it opened, on complaint from the turnpike athy I presume, and scraped the surface a bit, but it made no difference.

[Red Arrow]

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel from near Norfolk to the Eastern Shore bounces too.  At least in the early 70s.  They've since added parallel spans and probably redone the original.

A college friend knew someone in the bridge business.  He said they put too much arch in the spans to accomodate traffic loads.  The suspension in my car matched the arches in the bridge at 55mph, the speed limit at the time.  Very annoying.

I believe our roads in OK are built to spec.  Unfortunately, that spec is sub-standard compared to many other places.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Wheeeeeee!!!!  That was fun...let's ride again!!!!

[dsjeffries]

It has nothing to do with settling.  It's how the bridge decks and suspensions were designed to handle traffic loads.  Yes, it sucks.  I do, however enjoy the trail adjacent to it quite a bit.

Actually, I remember reading something on the bridges (maybe on here?) and it does have to do with settling, but not in the way people typically expect.

The skinny: The engineers thought the supports would settle more than they did (none), so they included extra rise in between the spans. Since it never settled, we're left with a dangerous, wavy highway.