Creek Turnpike roller coaster

[Ibanez]

I damn near lost our travel trailer a few weeks ago on that stretch of road. I thought the damn thing was going to break loose from the hitch before I could get slowed down. At 45mph it was still bouncy, but not nearly as frightening.

[Conan71]

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.

This would be the reverse as the arches peak at the center of the spans not at the expansion joints, IIRC.

[Mike 01Hawk]

Hee hee.. I brought this topic up back in 2006

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=5325.0

[Townsend]

Hee hee.. I brought this topic up back in 2006

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=5325.0

Ha, I miss the old Inteller.

I think it ended up he drove a Chrysler.  It used to be owned by Jon Voight.

[Townsend]

Bids going out to add inside lanes to the Creek from Memorial to 75.

Per Tulsa World:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Construction contracts for widening portions of the Creek and Kilpatrick turnpikes are expected to be put out for bids in January or February, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority was told Friday.


During a special meeting, the authority voted to move forward with the sale of bonds to finance the projects.

The OTA plans to add inside lanes to the Creek Turnpike from U.S. 75 to Memorial Drive.

Inside lanes will also be added to the Kilpatrick Turnpike from Eastern Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard in Oklahoma City.

The additional lanes are needed to alleviate congestion, officials have said.

Once the contracts are let, it usually takes 45 to 60 days to award a contract, said Jack Damrill, OTA spokesman.

Construction is expected to take between 18 months and 22 months, said Tim Stewart, OTA deputy director.

Very little right of way will be needed because the lanes fall within the current alignment on property owned by the OTA, Stewart said. Some right of way may need to be acquired to put up sound walls, he said.

Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley, who serves as OTA and Oklahoma Department of Transportation director, said his predecessors at the OTA planned well for the expansion.

Because little right-of-way will be needed, it wills save the state tens of millions.

"The OTA is about economic development," said Albert "Kell" Kelly, chairman.

Kelly said the expansion will increase economic development.

Tolls are not expected to be increased to pay for the widening, Ridley said.

The projected cost of widening the Creek Turnpike is $72 million, said Gene Love, an OTA member.

The cost of widening the Kilpatrick is about $62 million, said Gordon Johnson, OTA chief engineer.

[dbacks fan]

Bids going out to add inside lanes to the Creek from Memorial to 75.

Per Tulsa World:

They should try and get the company that's doing that for HOV lanes out here. They started a new project in January and are planning on completion by the end of the year for a 30 mile stertch.

[Red Arrow]

Bids going out to add inside lanes to the Creek from Memorial to 75.

Per Tulsa World:

So I guess they will have to tear out the wire guard rails they just put up.

[sauerkraut]

They have road work going on all over. They just finished that downtown I-244, 412, & Highway 75 mix master thing and now they are tearing up  the hwy 75 bridge just to build another bridge when there is nothing wrong with the current bridge. I-44 is a mess west of Sheridan. 

[sauerkraut]

So I guess they will have to tear out the wire guard rails they just put up.

Won't surprise me. I see alot of waste and un-needed road work being done.  Why tear up the highway 75 bridge  (with already 3 lanes)  just to build another bridge with 3 lanes? There is nothing wrong with the bridge and I don't think it's that old. They should also limit work to avoid traffic bottlenecks. Don't tear up another road until that last project is finished. Why not wait till I-44  is done before tearing up the hwy 75 brigde?

[dbacks fan]

They have road work going on all over. They just finished that downtown I-244, 412, & Highway 75 mix master thing and now they are tearing up  the hwy 75 bridge just to build another bridge when there is nothing wrong with the current bridge. I-44 is a mess west of Sheridan. 

[Hoss]

Must be that water in Omaha...

[rdj]

That stupid bridge is of the same design as the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed several years ago.  It's rating is lower than that bridge received just before it collapsed.  Those facts helped ODOT, INCOG, City of Tulsa & the Tulsa Chamber to lobby for the federal funds to replace it.

[Conan71]

Awesome! Make the Creek three lanes per side so the stupidity from 169 can carry over to the south side.

[Hoss]

That stupid bridge is of the same design as the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed several years ago.  It's rating is lower than that bridge received just before it collapsed.  Those facts helped ODOT, INCOG, City of Tulsa & the Tulsa Chamber to lobby for the federal funds to replace it.

Guess the time it takes him to look up the bridge rating ran over his alloted time at the library...

[dbacks fan]

Are they going to widen the bridges in the Jenks area (Elm and the River) or are they going to attempt to restripe them at minimun lane width to accomodate 3 lanes? At the $72mil price tag I would tend to think that they are.