OKC Boulevard

[Pete]

The Reno intersection will be at grade and pretty much as you see in the photo above.

[SEMIweather]

The Reno intersection will be at grade and pretty much as you see in the photo above.

Thanks for the response, Pete.

[Pete]

[ChrisHayes]

How is it going to work at the overpass. Is there going to be that steep incline heading towards Classen/Western, or are they going to taper it back more?

[Urban Pioneer]

There will be a vertical retaining wall at Classen Western. This section's construction will be very similar to the methods used on Broadway Extension.

[Pete]

The last photo is at Hudson looking west. You can see the next section between Hudson and Walker is nearing completion.

[Pete]

[jn1780]

New Classen route/ underpass.

[shawnw]

http://www.news9.com/clip/14719235/o...without-copper

[Pete]

[Anonymous.]

Seeing that massive overpass being built more and more into existence is like watching the Farmers Market's hopes and dreams being slowly pushed down a forever narrowing hallway.

[David]

What a dumb thing to build in the middle of our street grid.

[HangryHippo]

I just will never understand why in the hell the "crosstown" boulevard wasn't just improving Reno...

[Urban Pioneer]

What was planned before the organized FBB protests were even worse.

[dankrutka]

What a collosol failure. This will destroy economic development opportunities and any time of vibrancy in this area for decades to come.

[TheSteveHunt]

What a collosol failure. This will destroy economic development opportunities and any time of vibrancy in this area for decades to come.

Here is a great article on Vibrant...must read by my friend Thomas Frank

[BG918]

I just will never understand why in the hell the "crosstown" boulevard wasn't just improving Reno...

Because ODOT was in charge. They are highway builders, plain and simple. And they are treating an urban OKC route like it's a bypass around [insert small Oklahoma town here].

[Pete]

Because ODOT was in charge. They are highway builders, plain and simple. And they are treating an urban OKC route like it's a bypass around [insert small Oklahoma town here].

Several dowtown "stakeholders" also lobbied hard for this.

Their primary concern is allowing their employees to quickly drive in and out.

[PhiAlpha]

What a collosol failure. This will destroy economic development opportunities and any time of vibrancy in this area for decades to come.

I think that’s a bit dramatic. This certainly could’ve/should’ve been designed better with pedestrian access in mind but it’s far too early to condem it as a complete failure and assume it will be the barrier to development that the crosstown was. There is so much momentum on both sides of this that I have trouble believing that it’s design alone will stifle all of that progress.

[dankrutka]

Maybe you’re right, but can you think of any examples of a highway going up and then a vibrant neighborhood growing around it?

[Plutonic Panda]

Maybe you’re right, but can you think of any examples of a highway going up and then a vibrant neighborhood growing around it?

There are tons of vibrant neighborhoods around freeways. Generally if a new freeway is built it isn’t around dense areas anymore, so that comparison isn’t fair. Plus this isn’t a highway in the sense of a freeway, it’s a limited controlled access facility and only halfway at that.

Most major cities have roads like this. This won’t hurt or kill anything. The farmers market area will still take off.

[TheSteveHunt]

Vibrant is the Penn Square Bank of 2019

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/dead-end-on-shakin-street

[dankrutka]

There are tons of vibrant neighborhoods around freeways.

I appreciate your different perspective, Plupan, but you answer questions like this a lot. I asked for examples and you said, "there are tons" of them... and didn't provide a single one. I'd especially like to see any examples of recently built freeways (or "a limited controlled access facility" if you prefer) and a vibrant neighborhood neighborhood popping up around it shortly after. Thanks in advance. That's obviously the hope with the Farmer's Market so it'd be nice to have an example. Is there one with density similar to OKC?

[Plutonic Panda]

I appreciate your different perspective, Plupan, but you answer questions like this a lot. I asked for examples and you said, "there are tons" of them... and didn't provide a single one. I'd especially like to see any examples of recently built freeways (or "a limited controlled access facility" if you prefer) and a vibrant neighborhood neighborhood popping up around it shortly after. Thanks in advance. That's obviously the hope with the Farmer's Market so it'd be nice to have an example. Is there one with density similar to OKC?

I don’t think that’s a very fair point to make nexus number one this isn’t a freeway(freeway is fully controlled access) and usually new freeways are built far out from existing development or in low density development. But depending on you define vibrant, there are master planned communities around frisco Sam Rayburn Tollway, IIRC, that are somewhat vibrant.

If I do it in time, I’ll edit this post when I get back home and give some specific examples. I know of a few freeways being built and I’m thinking there are some high activity neighborhoods around them.

[stile99]

See, the thing is, some people are never going to change their minds. You can provide the proof they ask for, they will discount it.

You want one example? Easy. Mustang Road and SW 15th. Damn turnpike isn't even built yet and yet there are at least two different threads on this very forum talking about the development there. "That doesn't count, it hasn't been built yet". OK, fine, you want another example? Highway 4 south of 152 has businesses and neighborhoods that didn't exist until that road was built. Or head east on the 'new' 152 and count all the businesses and neighborhoods that weren't there. What, Mustang isn't a good enough example for you? Drive the 'new' Portland east of the airport, and if you don't see the development there, turn in your license, blind people shouldn't be driving.