Trip to Dallas from Tulsa is about to get shorter

[sooneralum2012]

The awful stoplight situation on highway 75 in durant is finally going to be fixed. Not sure how much time this will save but for those of us who travel there this is a delight to see.

http://m.newsok.com/durant-corridor-to-get-120m-in-improvements/article/5509197?rotator=true

[swake]

The awful stoplight situation on highway 75 in durant is finally going to be fixed. Not sure how much time this will save but for those of us who travel there this is a delight to see.

http://m.newsok.com/durant-corridor-to-get-120m-in-improvements/article/5509197?rotator=true

Next they need to fix Okmulgee and Henryetta.

[Conan71]

It's been so long since I've taken that route to Dallas I guess I was unaware that had become really bad.  Is it near the casino down there where the snarl is?

I was always used to about a four hour commute from my house in south Tulsa to my company's HQ in Irving about a mile from the old Texas Stadium.  I thought that was quite reasonable for a 250'ish mile drive.  That was back in the late '90s though.  It's probably been at least five years since the last time I took that route and I didn't remember it being all that bad.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

The first major improvements were all on the TX side of the drive. When they finished the redo of North Central Expwy. through Dallas, and then the bypass around Sherman Denison saved a good 20 minutes at least off of that portion of the drive once you got south of Calera.

[sooneralum2012]

It's been so long since I've taken that route to Dallas I guess I was unaware that had become really bad.  Is it near the casino down there where the snarl is?

I was always used to about a four hour commute from my house in south Tulsa to my company's HQ in Irving about a mile from the old Texas Stadium.  I thought that was quite reasonable for a 250'ish mile drive.  That was back in the late '90s though.  It's probably been at least five years since the last time I took that route and I didn't remember it being all that bad.

Yep, right around the casino with the worst light being the one right at it.

[Ibanez]

Next they need to fix Okmulgee and Henryetta.

and Glenpool.

[Conan71]

and Glenpool.

Don't forget Atoka then.

This is one heavily traveled route which would have benefitted being in the national interstate system when it was created.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Don't forget Atoka then.

This is one heavily traveled route which would have benefitted being in the national interstate system when it was created.

They should have built the turnpike to Durant instead of Hugo from McAlester, but I'm sure there was a "good ole boy" state representative that got it routed  the way it is, just like the Wellston entrance and exit on the Turner.

[Conan71]

They should have built the turnpike to Durant instead of Hugo from McAlester, but I'm sure there was a "good ole boy" state representative that got it routed  the way it is, just like the Wellston entrance and exit on the Turner.

That was Gene Stipe's neck of the woods.  In addition to being the senator of district 7 which includes Pittsburg County he owned businesses in the district south of there where the turnpike ran.  The turnpike was opened in 1969 and Stipe had been in the Senate for about 12 years at that time.  Pretty easy math.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Why have turnpikes at all ?   Build decent roads - out of concrete - that last, pay for them through straightforward, direct state funding without all the opportunity for graft/corruption/cronyism/favoritism of a turnpike authority...  Oh, wait...almost forgot....it's Okrahoma.  And the people we vote for.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

That was Gene Stipe's neck of the woods.  In addition to being the senator of district 7 which includes Pittsburg County he owned businesses in the district south of there where the turnpike ran.  The turnpike was opened in 1969 and Stipe had been in the Senate for about 12 years at that time.  Pretty easy math.

Ah yes, Gene Stipe, the man that's been indicted more times than I've been married.......

[heironymouspasparagus]

Ah yes, Gene Stipe, the man that's been indicted more times than I've been married.......

Good ole fashioned, good ole boy Dixiecrat.


Just like all the state's county commissioners who were indicted/convicted several decades ago.  And should be again....

[Conan71]

Why have turnpikes at all ?   Build decent roads - out of concrete - that last, pay for them through straightforward, direct state funding without all the opportunity for graft/corruption/cronyism/favoritism of a turnpike authority...  Oh, wait...almost forgot....it's Okrahoma.  And the people we vote for.

It doesn't stop graft or corruption by getting rid of OTA.  Just think how bad our roads would be if we didn't have a pay-as-you-go system here for some of the improved highways!

[heironymouspasparagus]

It doesn't stop graft or corruption by getting rid of OTA.  Just think how bad our roads would be if we didn't have a pay-as-you-go system here for some of the improved highways!

That's true.  Senator Charlie Ford was my first introduction to the "good ole boy" network way of doing the greasing the palms thing back in the 70's.  It has always been around and always will be.  County Commissioners are another ongoing, everlasting gobstopper of graft and corruption that we allow to stay in play decades after indictments and convictions of dozens.

Or, perhaps we would have educated ourselves sooner on what is going on and started to make changes earlier...?   Doubtful.  One thing that is NOT in doubt is that the OTA is a quiet little "backwater" slush fund that keeps billions of dollars of activity more out of the public eye than in.  Off budget, out of sight, out of mind.  Everyone hears about the budget woes - it's in the news a lot.  How often do you hear about all the money slinging around for the last 60 years in the private, smoke-filled, good-ole-boy network, backrooms of the OTA??

[sauerkraut]

I'd like to see a high speed train from Tulsa direct to Fort Worth.