New I-244 Bridge

[Conan71]

FYI - The gates are schedule to be 100% up by early August.

Whoop Whoop!

[dsjeffries]

There's an article in today's Tulsa World about the progress on the construction. Ironically, the article was called "I-244 bridge construction breakdown". Breakdown had me worried. Anyway, there's a new rendering that includes some slightly more decorative, slightly art deco, slightly better than nothing pyres/columns on either side of the upper deck. Looks like that's the best architectural/design element we're gonna get out of this, folks...



Btw, here's the article: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20111128_11_A11_Afewmo914337

[heironymouspasparagus]

Moving tracks into this?  I wonder if the plan is to abandon-in-place the existing tracks?  Perhaps another pedestrian rail walking/biking/fishing bridge?

[carltonplace]

Such a shame we choose mediocrity in our designs.

[Red Arrow]

The $78 million project will incorporate highway lanes on the top side, with two dedicated future rail lines and an area for bicycle and pedestrian traffic underneath.
http://www.newson6.com/story/14423859/construction-on-double-deck-bridge-set-to-begin

The $49.5 million grant will be combined with about $37 million in state funds to replace the westbound side of the I-244 crossing near downtown with a double-decked, multimodal bridge capable of accommodating four lanes of vehicular traffic and both high-speed and light rail as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20100218_16_A1_Amilli142989

The new lines will not affect freight rail traffic, because the bridge will be used for passenger rail only, Mitchell said. Including the rail line on the bridge was a main reason ODOT received federal funding, she said.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110415_11_A1_CUTLIN233072

[custosnox]

I'm still trying to figure out where this commuter rail is going to go, or if they are just going to put the rail on there, with no tracks beyond the bridge, just so they can get the funding for this bridge.

[dbacks fan]

I believe it's stated in the aricle that they included the rail for future use to get $42mil of the funding.

[Weatherdemon]

I'm still trying to figure out where this commuter rail is going to go, or if they are just going to put the rail on there, with no tracks beyond the bridge, just so they can get the funding for this bridge.

I'm still wondering why it is only 3 lanes and I'm curious how many people counted the lanes in the picture and wondered how 4=3.
Glad they left the 6th street onramp/SW Blvd exit lane on there though.

That's a lot of work to not expand it at all.
Not that it is too much of a bottleneck but I would rather have an extra traffic lane for the future than railroad tracks that I don't see being used in the next 15 years.
Hopefully I'm wrong on the tracks.

[Hoss]

I'm still wondering why it is only 3 lanes and I'm curious how many people counted the lanes in the picture and wondered how 4=3.
Glad they left the 6th street onramp/SW Blvd exit lane on there though.

That's a lot of work to not expand it at all.
Not that it is too much of a bottleneck but I would rather have an extra traffic lane for the future than railroad tracks that I don't see being used in the next 15 years.
Hopefully I'm wrong on the tracks.

Current bridge IS 4 lanes.  Rendering also appears to be 4 lanes.

http://g.co/maps/fp9gj

[custosnox]

http://g.co/maps/fp9gj

Always scary seeing what kind of condition that thing was in when looking at the ariels.  I didn't know that it was Red Fork expressway.

[BKDotCom]

Current bridge IS 4 lanes.  Rendering also appears to be 4 lanes.

http://g.co/maps/fp9gj

The new bridge has one more lane of traffic (although it'll initially be striped/configured for the same number of lanes)

The old bridge consisted of 3 through lanes and one auxiliary lane
The new bridge is 4 through lanes and an auxiliary lane.

Src:  http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=kKT00w5Xid

Edit:  And yes, the TW article says the new bridge has 3 lanes.
Edit:  And yes there are correctly 5 lanes or traffic in the rendering (note the yellow line dividing the 4 lanes from the future 5th lane)

[Weatherdemon]

The new bridge has one more lane of traffic (although it'll initially be striped/configured for the same number of lanes)

The old bridge consisted of 3 through lanes and one auxiliary lane
The new bridge is 4 through lanes and an auxiliary lane.

Src:  http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=kKT00w5Xid

Edit:  And yes, the TW article says the new bridge has 3 lanes.
Edit:  And yes there are correctly 5 lanes or traffic in the rendering (note the yellow line dividing the 4 lanes from the future 5th lane)

OK.
Thanks.

I understood the current bridge as 3 through lanes with 1 on/off ramp lane but didn't see the config for the new one actually allowed room for another lane via repainting if needed.

Thanks!

[heironymouspasparagus]

They are gonna build this to what it should have been for 1986 traffic.  Just like the I-44 event going on now.  It will be great for the 1986 world. 

Oh, wait...that was only 25 years ago!!

[BKDotCom]

They are gonna build this to what it should have been for 1986 traffic.  Just like the I-44 event going on now.  It will be great for the 1986 world. 

Oh, wait...that was only 25 years ago!!

For the curious:
Tulsa's population "growth":
   1980: 360,919
   1990: 367,302
   2000: 393,049
   2010: 391,906

[heironymouspasparagus]

For the curious:
Tulsa's population "growth":
   1980: 360,919
   1990: 367,302
   2000: 393,049
   2010: 391,906

Plus all the people from the growth areas of Jenks, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Owasso, Skiatook, Coweta, Catoosa, Claremore, Collinsville who also use those roads and bridges.