Crosstown Expressway

[DHall]

With the successes of the downtown districting plan (downtown, arts district, bricktown, automobile alley, deep deuce) land values have soared in downtown OKC, and lowered around the suburbs. Downtown OKC will probably see all of it's new growth to the north side of the skyline.

A pic of North Downtown.

Because the crosstown expressway, a 3 mile bridge that traverses the older part of OKC blocks off everything between downtown and the Oklahoma River. Land values immediately sour on the other side of this land bridge. This is the oldest bridge in Oklahoma as well, and at a time when all of our bridges seemed to be falling apart (like Webbers Falls) .

Logically, city leaders emerged, and decided to tear it apart. Funding however is said not be found until 2014. By then it will be too late IMO, we'll have another webbers falls on ourhands, only with tens of thousands of people using this bridge, unlike Webbers Falls, where the I 40 bridge over I 40 collapsed while cars were on it, killing 9 or 10 people.

But, here is a news article about what has been done.

Oklahoma City-AP) -- The state Transportation Commission is awarding two contracts to two Oklahoma City engineering firms to design parts of the I-40 Crosstown Expressway.

Benham Companies will get nearly three-and-a-half (m) million dollars to design the east end of the project. The east end includes the I-35/I-235 and I-40 interchanges.

Cobb Engineering will get three-point-two (m) million dollars to design the west end between May and Pennsylvania avenues.

The 350 (m) million dollar project calls for moving about four miles of Interstate 40 about five blocks south. When the new expressway is finished, the existing section of I-40 will be turned into a downtown boulevard.

http://www.fox23.com/news/state/story.aspx...F7-E68E7C92916A

[spectacle21]

Does Oklahoma have palm trees? I've seen pics of Tusla and OKC with.....Califorina-style palm trees! Somebody please give me a logical answer.

[jdsplaypin]

no palm trees

[Spartan]

^ there is a palm tree in that picture.

That is slightly random though.

My question is why is there an elevated interstate in OKC? I can't see the logic there.

[fromdust]

^ there is a palm tree in that picture.

That is slightly random though.

My question is why is there an elevated interstate in OKC? I can't see the logic there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i am familiar with this area. it aint a palm tree. dont know what that is though.

and what are you saying about okc? why cant there be elevated highways? we are just like any other city.

[Spartan]

I am not saying there can't be any, I just said I don't see the point in them.

That does appear to be a palm tree in the back ground in between a couple of those columns to the right. I'm not saying it IS, but it has that look about it.

[Noneck_08]

I thinck what Spartan is saying, is that it looks to be enough room to have built a ground highway instead of that elevated monster. From the look of that picture, I thinck if a lil more land was cleared that would be plenty of room for a freeway.

[Mith242]

That's not a picture of Oklahoma. I copied the image location and when to that location. It's from a website about Florida roads. So it IS a palm tree. Perhaps this one was of the reason's he ended up being banned?

[Mith242]

On the subject of I-40 in Oklahoma City. I can't say I've been happy with what's been done with I-40 in Oklahoma City. When it's really busy it's hard to know if your exit is going to be on the left or on the right. I'm also not a big fan of that big sharp curve they recently added either. I realize they probably just did what was the most convenient. Still a bit frustrating if you're not familiar with the area.

[Spartan]

Oh, well then that makes no sense. You shouldn't use an image of some other place to illustrate your point and not say so.

Noneck has it right. My point is that it seems unnecessary to build an elevated freeway like that. Im not criticizing it, just questioning it.

DHall was banned for other reasons. I assure you it had nothing to do with that post.

[fromdust]

I thinck what Spartan is saying, is that it looks to be enough room to have built a ground highway instead of that elevated monster. From the look of that picture, I thinck if a lil more land was cleared that would be plenty of room for a freeway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thats exactly what they are doing. they are going to move the highway and with that clearing some land. ( all that eminent domain stuff going to work) from 6 to 10 lanes.

on another note that pic looks like it was taken on reno ave. even the buildings seem to be the same. i'll have to go down to the area that i'm thinking about to see what it really looks like.

[jdsplaypin]

lowering that road will be an improvement b/c when you're elevated driving around the city you can easily be distracted by your "aerial" view of the downtown. Also will the turnoff for Dallas be changed? that is the most ridiculous thing about the C-xpressway. It leads to Moore, Norman, and Dallas but yet has one lane to exit on. that lane is horrible at many times during the day.

[fromdust]

lowering that road will be an improvement b/c when you're elevated driving around the city you can easily be distracted by your "aerial" view of the downtown.  Also will the turnoff for Dallas be changed? that is the most ridiculous thing about the C-xpressway.  It leads to Moore, Norman, and Dallas but yet has one lane to exit on.  that lane is horrible at many times during the day.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

man you are so right, that dallas exit is horrible. i havent heard if they are going to fix it.

on anothr note they will be getting rid of the clover leafs on the highways and replacing them with what we so affectionatly call texas flyovers.

[fromdust]

congress has just passed an additional $130 mill. for the relocation of the crosstown. officials never thought that the crosstown would ever carry more that 76,000 vehicles a day. it now carries about 120,000 a day. this rebuilding is long over due. construction starts this summer, too bad it will be ground level. the "areial" view of dt is pretty sweet.

the moving of the interstae 5 blocks will free up dt to move south. i hope city leaders dont screw up all that new space.

[FlaNatv]

I recognize the photo of the elevated expressway. It's called the Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Tampa, FL. I think the picture is old though.

[fromdust]

this is the crap crosstown that they need to hurry and tear down before it falls down.

[jbrown84]

They had the groundbreaking for the new crosstown today. They have secured $300 mil out of $360 and the project is scheduled to be completed in 3 years. Because it is a relocation, it shouldn't affect the traffic much until it is finally diverted I suppose. The current crosstown bridge will be replaced with a treelined boulevard through downtown.