I-235 / I-44 Interchange

[Snowman]

There needs to be at least 1 flyover between south>east & west>south because the 2 cloverleafs sharing 1 merge lane is gonna cause a bottleneck issue heading south. I think they should have built both as flyovers, especially since we have no idea what the city will look like 20/30 years from now. The demand CURRENTLY would justify, let alone the future.

It was influenced by budget, plus the clover leafs will interact with a pair of diversion lanes, not the main southbound travel lanes. So even without flyovers this should be a bump up in capacity, they will be interacting with a much lower trafficked lane, and if I recall correctly will be a longer merge zone too. The traffic on them is not that severe, the biggest issue for years on the ones that will remain cloverleafs has been how many people stop at the yield sign exiting southbound to eastbound when it was unnecessary, then are hesitant to go, creating a line several cars deep.

[jccouger]

It came down to budget, plus the clover leafs will interact with a pair of diversion lanes, not the main southbound travel lanes. So even without flyovers this should be a bump up in capacity, they will be interacting with a much lower trafficked lane, and if I recall correctly will be a longer merge zone too.

Traffic heading south to east in a main lane will still have to slow down to find space to merge over in to the cloverleaf merge lane from traffic heading west-south. It might be better but will still cause a bottleneck.

Maybe there is some new mechanism I can't imagine, does anybody have the renderings of what it will look like with lane's drawn?

[Snowman]

Traffic heading south to east in a main lane will still have to slow down to find space to merge over in to the cloverleaf merge lane from traffic heading west-south. It might be better but will still cause a bottleneck.

Maybe there is some new mechanism I can't imagine, does anybody have the renderings of what it will look like with lane's drawn?

This is a bit of a zoomed out rendering
I

[jccouger]

This is a bit of a zoomed out rendering
I

Ah, I see. Thank you.

So basically it has the same set up as the old (current) south to east & east to north cloverleaf merge. Will still cause a bottleneck between the interchanges but at least it won't effect the flow of southbound traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

After being a part of the area all my life I find it hard to say one bridge is more justified than the other. You build out the highway regardless of what the demand is, make it look complete and practical, because the demand may not currently be there but it could increase over time.

+1 that’s the way Texas does it and they are extremely successful and their roads are amazing to drive on as a result.

[LakeEffect]

Ah, I see. Thank you.

So basically it has the same set up as the old (current) south to east & east to north cloverleaf merge. Will still cause a bottleneck between the interchanges but at least it won't effect the flow of southbound traffic.

It's a little hard to see, but southbound through traffic will not interact with the cloverleafs, if I'm reading that graphic correctly. If you want to use the ramps, you'll have a dedicated lane that splits off after 63rd, and joins about 50th?

[Laramie]

It would be worth building your interchanges to prepare for growth. Oklahoma lives for the moment.

Look south at Big Sister (Texas); interchanges are a model for the nation:

Dallas Mixmaster (AKA Spaghetti Bowl)

We don't need a huge mixmaster in Central Oklahoma; I-35/I-40 Junction could be expanded. We can expand to absorb growth with an interchange with future options built in. An inexpensive investment over time that will save funds and allow for more future federal money grants.

The most progressive thing you will see in Texas roads & interchanges are the designs to move traffic more safely with an even flow.

Oklahoma City & Tulsa top high impact projects: https://biappsrv.odot.ok.gov/apex/f?p=129:2:::NO:2::

[Plutonic Panda]

I don’t think that is a real interchange though it would be awesome if it was.

[Laramie]

Awesome

Dallas Mixmaster (AKA Spaghetti Bowl Interchange)

Personally watched them build this mega monster over a period of 40 years.
What was more disappointing; there weren't any signage direction to Oklahoma City.

[kevin lee]

You have to go up I-35w to see that lol.

[HOT ROD]

change ours to Fort Worth (or Texas) then. ...

[Pete]

[I235+I44]

I was just about to request you, Pete, for some latest pictures. You just served before I asked. Thanks a lot, as always!

[Ronnie Jackson]

Ready for this baby to be finished.

[Laramie]

Ready for this baby to be finished.

We're 50 years behind.

Oklahoma IMO is the last to get anything done on major interchanges in it's two major cities. Tulsa and OKC should be the two major hubs for traffic in our state.

Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson), Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rough, Shreveport) and Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs) gets it.

We're the last to finally realize that cloverleafs went out with plaid in the 70s.

[kevin lee]

We're definitely not the last one. I was up in Cincinnati last week and noticed they're resurfacing their I-75 cloverleaf as we speak.

[Rover]

We're 50 years behind.

Oklahoma IMO is the last to get anything done on major interchanges in it's two major cities. Tulsa and OKC should be the two major hubs for traffic in our state.

Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson), Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rough, Shreveport) and Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs) gets it.

We're the last to finally realize that cloverleafs went out with plaid in the 70s.

There are cloverleafs all over the country.

[Laramie]

There are cloverleafs all over the country.

We aware of that Rover--and we're still building them on mounds of dirt.

MAJOR INTERCHANGES; when will we focus on more flyover bridges that will expedite traffic on the MAJOR INTERCHANGES--it's not like we have a ton of them in Oklahoma City.

[jonny d]

We aware of that Rover--and we're still building them on mounds of dirt.

MAJOR INTERCHANGES; when will we focus on more flyover bridges that will expedite traffic on the MAJOR INTERCHANGES--it's not like we have a ton of them in Oklahoma City.

Wait, where is OKC building a cloverleaf currently? I believe there are plans to get rid of all of them in the city area. Like, literally all of them. OKC just doesn't have the luxury of a crapload of federal funds like everywhere in TX gets.

[Laramie]

Wait, where is OKC building a cloverleaf currently? I believe there are plans to get rid of all of them in the city area. Like, literally all of them. OKC just doesn't have the luxury of a crapload of federal funds like everywhere in TX gets.

In reference to them building cloverleafs all over the country.

[Laramie]

Wait, where is OKC building a cloverleaf currently? I believe there are plans to get rid of all of them in the city area. Like, literally all of them. OKC just doesn't have the luxury of a crapload of federal funds like everywhere in TX gets.

In reference to them building cloverleafs throughout the country.

[jonny d]

In reference to them building cloverleafs all over the country.

I thought you were being OKC-specific, my bad.

[Laramie]

I thought you were being OKC-specific, my bad.

You supplied me with some valuable information about Oklahoma planning to get rid of most of its cloverleafs--especially the ones without a flow thru traffic function.

[Laramie]

The two circles they created near SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital are very easy to get around especially in 'Rush Hour' traffic. So neat to see the Streetcar on that route.

More road construction needed like flyovers especially on I-40 to the OUHSC north to Lincoln off I-235 (a sharp circular turn--traffic back ups), as for I-35/I-40 interchange would like to see ODOT totally redo and connect more options to NW/NE 4th with flyovers to/from Lincoln Boulevard, Gaylord Boulevards or Innovation District from Harrison.

[rte66man]

More road construction needed like flyovers especially on I-40 to the OUHSC north to Lincoln off I-235 (a sharp circular turn--traffic back ups), as for I-35/I-40 interchange would like to see ODOT totally redo and connect more options to NW/NE 4th with flyovers to/from Lincoln Boulevard, Gaylord Boulevards or Innovation District from Harrison.

If you are going to the OUHSC from I40, you are likely going to exit at the Lincoln off ramp instead of going through the loop ramp at NE 8th. Connection from I40 to Gaylord is via the OKC Boulevard. I do agree they could have done a better job connecting the southern end of Lincoln to I235 and I 40 but that road was designed when Bricktown was just a trashy warehouse area. They did rebuild the Harrison exit to give drivers a straight shot to NE 10th and NE 13th.