Oklahoma

[Alex]

Some notes from a trip to Lawton, Duncan, and Ardmore, OK:

Construction is underway along a four-mile stretch of Interstate 44 through Lawton. From Expect construction zone delays in Oklahoma : Interstate 44 is narrowed to one lane in each direction in Lawton in Comanche County for surface and bridge work. All ramps will remain open.



What is up with these span-wire supported overheads!  

U.S. 281 Business is signed from Interstate 44, but there were no shields posted along the route between the north end and Lee Boulevard, nor were there any shields at the intersection with Oklahoma 7. Justin told us about the Central Mall in Lawton and how the original downtown was bulldozed for its construction in the 1970s. U.S. 281 Business travels around the mall's entrances to the north, east and south, but is not signed there either. Further north construction along the 2nd Street portion of the route north of Gore Avenue resulted in a full closure of the highway.



When did the Duncan bypass open to traffic? There was just one sign for the route along Oklahoma 7 eastbound, and the bypass has no route number. Looking at it on aerials, it appears that right of way exists for possible diamond interchanges along what is otherwise a super-two expressway.



Four-laning of U.S. 70 is underway from the Carter/Jefferson County line east to where the current four-lane portion ends.

Still a few circle shields for Oklahoma 199 posted at A Street SW and North Washington Street in Ardmore. Is there a gap in the state maintenance for Oklahoma 199? The route was fully signed through to the junction with U.S. 77 along eastbound, but once the highway reached E Street SW, reassurance shields were replaced with "TO" trailblazers through to Broadway.

[agentsteel53]

that is a very old Oklahoma standard.  Leave it to me to be suddenly unable to find the photo of the gantry that looks like that with a black guide sign.  I remember it had outline shields: US-66, and a state route in a square.

[Revive 755]

Found an almost-exact kill date for the Riverside Expressway in Tulsa:  12-12-1972; the project was dropped to keep parts of the Inner Dispersal Loop from possibly getting killed by the courts. Source article is "Tusla Riverside Project Gets Axe After Long Battle."  The Ada Evening News, 12-12-1972.  There's an identical article on the same date in the Lawton Constitution.

[US71]

I noticed those overheads a couple years ago when I was through there, but never got a good photo (keep meaning to go back).

Business 281 is poorly signed in Lawton. I guess no one is expected to drive through town.

Lawton also seems to the the capital of garbage dumps motels... especially along Cache Rd.

[okroads]

On I-44 East, Business U.S. 281 is signed on the 1-mile advance sign, but is not signed on the sign at the exit itself. This happened sometime between September 2008 & January 2010.

Before & after pictures of the sign at the exit:

September 2008: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3136398488_d5702e57ae_o.jpg
January 2010: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4241970743_780ce1e2fe_b.jpg

[bugo]

Riverside Freeway would have been a disaster. 

[Plutonic Panda]

It looks like ODOT is going to install wrong way detection systems on some sections of major interstates similar to what Arizona and New Mexico has done:

https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-transportation-officials-project-wrong-way-crash/41891405#

[CoreySamson]

Figured this thread's first page would be a good place to ask this:

Which turnpikes in Oklahoma still accept cash, and which ones do not? I would presume that they all accept PikePass, TxTag, and EZTag.

[rte66man]

Some notes from a trip to Lawton, Duncan, and Ardmore, OK:



When did the Duncan bypass open to traffic? There was just one sign for the route along Oklahoma 7 eastbound, and the bypass has no route number. Looking at it on aerials, it appears that right of way exists for possible diamond interchanges along what is otherwise a super-two expressway.

The funds for the Duncan Bypass were procured by Rep. Jari Askins back in the late 1990's. As noted, the RoW was purchased so it could be converted to a full freeway with 4 lanes. The intersections with Bois d'Arc and Beech have already had grade separations added. The Elk Ave intersection is on the 8 Year plan to be grade separated. So is Osage Road. Not sure why they skipped over Plato Rd and Camelback Rd.

The southern extension from 27th St south was added a few years ago. Bobby5280 might disagree but I've seen no formal plans to extend the bypass north around the west side of Marlow.

[US 89]

Figured this thread's first page would be a good place to ask this:

Which turnpikes in Oklahoma still accept cash, and which ones do not? I would presume that they all accept PikePass, TxTag, and EZTag.

IIRC, the urban turnpikes (Kilpatrick, Creek, Kickapoo) are now all-electronic, while the high-traffic Turner and Will Rogers still take cash and aren't expected to convert to AET for a couple more years.

Someone more familiar can correct me if any of that is outdated. The Indian Nation definitely accepted cash when I drove on it a few months ago.

[algorerhythms]

Having driven on the turnpikes in Oklahoma last year and run out of change in the process, it would have been nice if Oklahoma had joined the civilized world and used EZPass...

[Bobby5280]

Bobby5280 might disagree but I've seen no formal plans to extend the bypass north around the west side of Marlow.

ODOT had plans for an extension to dovetail the bypass into US-81 in Marlow. IIRC that plan got shelved, perhaps permanently, due to local opposition in Marlow.

Which turnpikes in Oklahoma still accept cash, and which ones do not? I would presume that they all accept PikePass, TxTag, and EZTag.

I know the H.E. Bailey Turnpike is all cash-free. Now OTA just has to remodel the damn toll plazas in Newcastle and Walters to allow traffic to be free-flowing on four lanes.

As for interoperability PikePass works with Kansas' KTAG and works on all the toll roads in Texas, with still the possible exception of the DFW Airport Parkway. I remember there being a hold-up on that one for some weird reason.

Having driven on the turnpikes in Oklahoma last year and run out of change in the process, it would have been nice if Oklahoma had joined the civilized world and used EZPass...

I don't know how much different the RFID tag technology is in the EZ Pass transponders compared to those used by PikePass. Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas is a pretty huge block for interoperable toll roads though.

In order to have nation-wide toll tag interoperability the government may have to get involved and force ALL toll agencies to adopt a new tag standard so every agency feels the same pain. Right now it's a tug of war between certain large agencies wanting everyone else to switch to their standard while they suffer no cost. It's bullshit. And that's why hardly any progress is being made on interoperability.

[kphoger]

As for interoperability PikePass works with Kansas' KTAG and works on all the toll roads in Texas, with still the possible exception of the DFW Airport Parkway. I remember there being a hold-up on that one for some weird reason.

I do want to point out that, even though they are technically on roads in Texas, the toll booths at the Mexican border do not accept PikePass, nor do they accept TxTag.

The border bridges are a mixed bag when it comes to technology.  The Laredo bridges accept Laredo Trade Tag and eGo, Eagle Pass and some of the RGV crossings accept HID proximity cards, Mission and Hidalgo accept something called EZCrossBridge TollTag, etc...  A lot of crossings accept IAVE on the Mexican side, but not on the US side.

[bwana39]

Having driven on the turnpikes in Oklahoma last year and run out of change in the process, it would have been nice if Oklahoma had joined the civilized world and used EZPass...

Oklahoma is compatible with its neighbors Texas and Kansas. My TollTag (NTTA) works just fine there. EZ pass is overall older technology and it is they that need to progress into the (civilized) 21st Century.

[bugo]

Leave it to me to be suddenly unable to find the photo of the gantry that looks like that with a black guide sign.  I remember it had outline shields: US-66, and a state route in a square.

This?

[Bobby5280]

Those old overhead sign panels are at least attached to a horizontal pole. Those old signs on Fort Sill Blvd in Lawton were hanging by wires.

BTW, either the City of Lawton or ODOT removed that old sign structure a couple or so years ago. Here's a Street View image of the replacement:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6199594,-98.4045857,3a,75y,354.81h,94.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA-eMLRygrNDlcJ3wztmsxw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

[roadman65]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/shares/2z88q7G055
Opened originally as the Glass House Restaurant is now the Vinita Service area on the Will Rogers Turnpike Spanning like an Illinois Tollway Oasis housing a Subway and McDonalds Restaurant.

[Bobby5280]

That I-44 turnpike plaza near Vinita, OK went through a major remodel (or a complete re-build, I can't remember for certain) just a few years ago. I remember stopping at that plaza when I was a kid back in the 1980's. It was pretty trippy to be able to eat a Big Mac while watching traffic whizzing below the restaurant.

I don't know if this is true, but supposedly at one time the McDonald's restaurant in that service plaza was the world's largest McDonald's location. That's most certainly not the case now. The current store is much smaller. In the past I wonder if they were including all the floor space upstairs as the McDonald's seating area to get that "world's largest" claim.

[BigOkie]

That I-44 turnpike plaza near Vinita, OK went through a major remodel (or a complete re-build, I can't remember for certain) just a few years ago. I remember stopping at that plaza when I was a kid back in the 1980's. It was pretty trippy to be able to eat a Big Mac while watching traffic whizzing below the restaurant.

I don't know if this is true, but supposedly at one time the McDonald's restaurant in that service plaza was the world's largest McDonald's location. That's most certainly not the case now. The current store is much smaller. In the past I wonder if they were including all the floor space upstairs as the McDonald's seating area to get that "world's largest" claim.

It was pretty large; I remember stopping there several times on trips with family to Branson in the 70s and 80s.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://oklahoma.gov/odot/citizen/traffic-advisories/2023/sign-project-impacts-traffic-on-i-40--i-235--expect-travel-delay.html

ODOT has begun working on replacing signs and gantries on I-235 between the I-40 junction and N. 23rd Street as well as I-40 between Morgan Road and Portland Avenue.

[Scott5114]

Relevant project file: https://www.odot.org/contracts/a2022/plans2210/192_2210_HSIPG-255F(581)TR_3579504/0000-3579504-FULLFILE.pdf

The plans look great–let's see if Action Safety can manage to actually follow them.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/C9ACt5gCG3GW8Agj9
What's up with the out of sequence exit numbers on I-44 at the Creek Turnpike?

[rte66man]

Those aren't the exit numbers used by I-44. They look like the ones for US412 measuring from the end of the Cherokee Turnpike near Locust Grove. However, that means they run from east to west, which is the opposite of the interstate system.

UPDATE:

Measured that distance in GE. It's only 25 miles or so.

[will_e_777]

https://goo.gl/maps/C9ACt5gCG3GW8Agj9
What's up with the out of sequence exit numbers on I-44 at the Creek Turnpike?

The mile markers for the Creek start at 0 at the I-44 interchange in Sapulpa and increase going east; it uses those markers for that section of I-44 that was built to connect to it and avoid that stupid three highway left-handed merge in Catoosa,

[rte66man]

https://goo.gl/maps/C9ACt5gCG3GW8Agj9
What's up with the out of sequence exit numbers on I-44 at the Creek Turnpike?

The mile markers for the Creek start at 0 at the I-44 interchange in Sapulpa and increase going east; it uses those markers for that section of I-44 that was built to connect to it and avoid that stupid three highway left-handed merge in Catoosa,

Trust OTA to eff up by not putting the Exit numbers on the BGSs