New ODOT 8 Year Plan Released Today

[rte66man]

The 2020-2027 8 Year Plan was released today. 

https://www.ok.gov/odot/Programs_and_Projects/8_Year_Construction_Work_Plan/index.html

Some of the more interesting additions for FY2027 are below.  I know ODOT has accelerated some of the projects, but I'm only listing the ones I'm familiar with.

- The US70 Madill bypass is now scheduled for FY2027
- RoW purchases for US69 north from the Indian Nations Turnpike interchange.
- Duncan Bypass interchange at Elk Avenue.  Glad to see this because that intersection scares me.
- US81 Chickasha Bypass is now scheduled to be completed in FY2022. That is over $353 million in 3 years, a big deal for ODOT.
- US81 from Okarche to south of Kingfisher, elimination of the so-called "Mississippi" 4 lane where the original northbound lanes are being resurfaced with added shoulders.
- Rebuild OK51 from the Creek County line west through Yale. The original concrete has seen better days.
- Replace the I40 bridge at Webbers Falls.
- 4 lane OK20 from US75 west to Skiatook
- I44/US75 interchange in Tulsa. Odd scheduling $30 million next year, then no more construction until 2027.
- US169/ BA Expressway "selected Movements" in 2027. Not sure which piece this is.
- I44/OK66/OK74 interchange in OKC - operational improvements. They can start by blowing it up and starting over.
- OK152 - added lanes EB and WB near Meridian

There are a LOT of Bridge rehabs and surface rehabilitations I did not list.  Overall I was a little disappointed that some of the urban projects were not accelerated.

[Plutonic Panda]

Dang... I was hoping they would at least accelerate the construction phase of waterloo/I-35 by a year.

I will also add though sorely needed projects are included this is a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a bit more but overall it doesn't seem like a sum of projects are expedited. They just shuffled some around and many more were moved back. Hmmmm... OkDOT needs about double the amount of funding it currently has and the majority of that would only cover maintenance and modernization. Hopefully Stitt makes good on his promise to bring Oklahoma into a top ten state and increases the transportation budget which is required to make that even a remote possibility.

[Chris]

- US81 Chickasha Bypass is now scheduled to be completed in FY2022. That is over $353 million in 3 years, a big deal for ODOT.

This appears to be a freeway-standard bypass?

[bugo]

- US81 from Okarche to south of Kingfisher, elimination of the so-called "Mississippi" 4 lane where the original northbound lanes are being resurfaced with added shoulders.

What is a "Mississippi 4 lane"?

- 4 lane OK20 from US75 west to Skiatook

What? Ths has been 4 lanes for years now.

- I44/US75 interchange in Tulsa. Odd scheduling $30 million next year, then no more construction until 2027.

This can't happen soon enough. The current interchange is dangerous and deadly. Merging from NB 75 to EB 44 is hell because you have to merge with the C/D lane which is right next to the main lanes and it is hard to tell if a car is coming on the C/D lane or the mainline.

- US169/ BA Expressway "selected Movements" in 2027. Not sure which piece this is.

This is an awful interchange as well. There are no C/D lanes and the loop ramp just dumps you onto the highway.

[In_Correct]

- US81 from Okarche to south of Kingfisher, elimination of the so-called "Mississippi" 4 lane where the original northbound lanes are being resurfaced with added shoulders.

What is a "Mississippi 4 lane"?

- 4 lane OK20 from US75 west to Skiatook

What? Ths has been 4 lanes for years now.

- I44/US75 interchange in Tulsa. Odd scheduling $30 million next year, then no more construction until 2027.

This can't happen soon enough. The current interchange is dangerous and deadly. Merging from NB 75 to EB 44 is hell because you have to merge with the C/D lane which is right next to the main lanes and it is hard to tell if a car is coming on the C/D lane or the mainline.

- US169/ BA Expressway "selected Movements" in 2027. Not sure which piece this is.

This is an awful interchange as well. There are no C/D lanes and the loop ramp just dumps you onto the highway.

Mississippi 4 Lane Divided Highway is slang for a carriageway that was subsequently twinned without properly upgrading the  original part of the highway. For example: If the original carriageway had no shoulders, it still has no shoulders. The result is parts of U.S. 81 as well as parts of U.S. 75 having one carriageway narrower than the other.

[rte66man]

- US81 Chickasha Bypass is now scheduled to be completed in FY2022. That is over $353 million in 3 years, a big deal for ODOT.

This appears to be a freeway-standard bypass?

You are correct.  Full limited access bypass. It's been planned since US81 bypassed Ninnekah in the early 60's. I never thought they would do it in my lifetime (I'm in my 60's).

[Bobby5280]

How often is ODOT's 8 Year Plan revised?

The only project of any real significance in the Lawton-Fort Sill area is a $13.2 million re-surfacing project for OK-58 by Lake Lawtonka (for 2027). The only project within Lawton itself is $2 million worth of "safety improvements" for Rogers Lane. I don't know what that could be, but given the small sum it couldn't be more than maybe adding a turn lane at one signaled intersection and re-painting some road stripes. Rogers Lane really doesn't deserve the US-62 designation. It has no shoulders at all; no place to pull over in case of a vehicle problem (or traffic ticket). Cross-over head-on collisions are very possible along that glorified street.

Goodyear operates one of the world's largest tire manufacturing plants on the West side of Lawton. That plant has a few other manufacturers as neighbors in that industrial park. Together they make up the 2nd largest employer in the area after Fort Sill. Many of those jobs pay well too. That industrial park is not directly connected to any highways. Not US-62 or I-44. They have to use inadequate city streets or county maintained roads to reach any highways. This has been an issue for 30 years. Lately things have come to a head because the local roads to the industrial park have deteriorated to the point of being totally beat to $#!+. The roads are now damaging the trucks that use them. The plant managers out there and their higher ups are very unhappy about the roads situation. Lawton doesn't have the money to fix the existing roads, much less fund a proper solution (such as an extension of Rogers Lane down to Goodyear Blvd or a Southern bypass spur from I-44).

Those plants are not going to pull out of Lawton completely any time soon. But companies like Goodyear sure as hell can send major production lines and employees to other plants. It's just like the wind-down that happened a few years ago at Fort Sill. Lawton's population dropped from 98,000 to 92,000. Fort Sill is still there though. Over time Goodyear can wind down the plant enough to where it can be closed. Lawton isn't the only beneficiary of that industrial park (actually the Cache School district gets some of the biggest benefits). The state government collects a juicy amount of tax revenue from those companies and their reasonably well paid employees. From what I've seen from different versions of ODOT's 8 year plan they must think Lawton has only 5000 people living here.

Of course, Gore Blvd and I-44 is a major traffic bottle-neck in the area. During certain times of day it's best to avoid that intersection. It appears there are zero plans to fix the traffic issues there or the 100% lack of any pedestrian/bike access through there.

[rte66man]

How often is ODOT's 8 Year Plan revised?

Once a year.

I knew you would be thrilled

[Bobby5280]

Yep.

Well, at least Chickasha is getting their big fancy, Interstate quality bypass -pretty much all at once. No incremental, piece-meal stuff like what is going on with Duncan's bypass. I thought there was supposed to be a plan to extend the Duncan bypass North of OK-7 up to the Southern edge of Marlow. That's not in this 8 year plan. A new exit for Elk Avenue is long overdue. Duncan Regional Hospital is just down the street from there. I guess ODOT is going to work its way North one intersection at a time (Plato, Camelback, Osage and then one for the Gatlin & Boren combo). At least they have the ROW already reserved to do the work in the future, which is way way more than some other projects elsewhere in Oklahoma.

Once Chickasha's new freeway is complete it should help the town function even more as an exhurb for Oklahoma City.

[In_Correct]

Yep.

Well, at least Chickasha is getting their big fancy, Interstate quality bypass -pretty much all at once. No incremental, piece-meal stuff like what is going on with Duncan's bypass. I thought there was supposed to be a plan to extend the Duncan bypass North of OK-7 up to the Southern edge of Marlow. That's not in this 8 year plan. A new exit for Elk Avenue is long overdue. Duncan Regional Hospital is just down the street from there. I guess ODOT is going to work its way North one intersection at a time (Plato, Camelback, Osage and then one for the Gatlin & Boren combo). At least they have the ROW already reserved to do the work in the future, which is way way more than some other projects elsewhere in Oklahoma.

Once Chickasha's new freeway is complete it should help the town function even more as an exhurb for Oklahoma City.

I thought there was supposed to be a plan to extend the Duncan bypass North of OK-7 up to the Southern edge of Marlow.

That seems like a very long bypass. Wouldn't that be a completely new alignment?

[Scott5114]

Good for Chickasha, but I don't really know that there's much traffic that follows US-81 through town, is there? I'd think most traffic coming up US-81 would catch either I-44 or US-62 and friends to the northeast, or turn west on SH-9 toward Anadarko. El Reno probably isn't much of a destination, nor are Minco or Pocasset (despite the casino).

[Bobby5280]

Has the amount of heavy truck traffic been increasing on US-81? I wonder if a significant amount of heavy truck traffic is using the route as an alternative to I-44 and its tolls.

Still, even if this freeway bypass has been planned since the 1960's, it seems difficult to justify this big project. Chickasha is a town of 16,000 people. Is there really enough traffic on US-81 to warrant a fully Interstate quality bypass around a town that size? When the general public sees the construction get going on this new freeway I'm sure at least some people are going to say, "(cough) pork."

Lawton is 6 times larger than Chickasha, has more heavy industry and has a major Army post yet ODOT has nothing of any significance in any long range plans for this area. Duncan has about 22,500 residents, Halliburton was founded there, yet their US-81 bypass was built as an upgrade-able Super 2.

I think a few other corridors in the region are more deserving of the kind of attention US-81 in Chickasha is receiving. OK-4 needs to be upgraded from I-44 up through Mustang to I-40 (or the curvy Southern extension of the Kilpatrick Turnpike). The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Extension needs to be extended all the way to I-35. That's probably an OTA job though, unless the facility was a toll-free freeway from the US-62 intersection to I-35. The folks at Riverwind Casino might like that. Either way, the Kickapoo Turnpike currently under construction could eventually be extended SW down to that same area. The combination of the Kickapoo Turnpike and H.E. Bailey Extension would create a decent regional bypass of OKC for I-44 traffic.

Was any consideration made to just upgrade the existing US-81 route up to I-44? The highway is already flanked by frontage roads. That kind of upgrade wouldn't serve as a bypass though.

[rte66man]

Good for Chickasha, but I don't really know that there's much traffic that follows US-81 through town, is there? I'd think most traffic coming up US-81 would catch either I-44 or US-62 and friends to the northeast, or turn west on SH-9 toward Anadarko. El Reno probably isn't much of a destination, nor are Minco or Pocasset (despite the casino).

There is a link on ODOT's site somewhere where they did an extensive study of traffic counts and destinations. I will have to find it but IIRC they looked at a number of alternatives and, based on the destinations, the western bypass was confirmed.  It provides a quick way for anyone east of Lawton to reach I-40 quickly.

[rte66man]

Has the amount of heavy truck traffic been increasing on US-81? I wonder if a significant amount of heavy truck traffic is using the route as an alternative to I-44 and its tolls.

Still, even if this freeway bypass has been planned since the 1960's, it seems difficult to justify this big project. Chickasha is a town of 16,000 people. Is there really enough traffic on US-81 to warrant a fully Interstate quality bypass around a town that size? When the general public sees the construction get going on this new freeway I'm sure at least some people are going to say, "(cough) pork."

Lawton is 6 times larger than Chickasha, has more heavy industry and has a major Army post yet ODOT has nothing of any significance in any long range plans for this area. Duncan has about 22,500 residents, Halliburton was founded there, yet their US-81 bypass was built as an upgrade-able Super 2.

I think a few other corridors in the region are more deserving of the kind of attention US-81 in Chickasha is receiving. OK-4 needs to be upgraded from I-44 up through Mustang to I-40 (or the curvy Southern extension of the Kilpatrick Turnpike). The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Extension needs to be extended all the way to I-35. That's probably an OTA job though, unless the facility was a toll-free freeway from the US-62 intersection to I-35. The folks at Riverwind Casino might like that. Either way, the Kickapoo Turnpike currently under construction could eventually be extended SW down to that same area. The combination of the Kickapoo Turnpike and H.E. Bailey Extension would create a decent regional bypass of OKC for I-44 traffic.

Was any consideration made to just upgrade the existing US-81 route up to I-44? The highway is already flanked by frontage roads. That kind of upgrade wouldn't serve as a bypass though.

I think Lawton is doing road penance for something.......

The bypass has nothing to do with Chickasha's size. The truck traffic on 81 greatly ties up the downtown area and slows all traffic, not just that on 81.

The Duncan bypass is almost solely due to the efforts of former Rep. Jari Askins.  When the ROADS bonds were in negotiations, she was able to get the bypass put. Not sure what kind of quid pro quo was involved but IMO the bypass should be prominently named after her. 

As an aside, ODOT could help increase southbound traffic on the bypass with better signage at the Lawton-Duncan "Y. Also traffic seems to be tot eh point they should start planning for 4-laning it from OK7 to at least Elk.

[Bobby5280]

The bypass has nothing to do with Chickasha's size. The truck traffic on 81 greatly ties up the downtown area and slows all traffic, not just that on 81.

A truck bypass route going around a small town doesn't have to be an Interstate quality divided 4 lane highway. An upgrade-able Super 2 with limited access exits at either end and one for I-44 probably would have been adequate. Even a regular 4 lane divided expressway with a few at-grade intersections and traffic signals might have worked.

Most of US-81 between Duncan and Chickasha is a divided 4-lane highway. But most of US-81 between Chickasha and El Reno is still just a 2 lane route. Perhaps if ODOT was able to upgrade US-81 to a 100% 4-lane facility from Enid down to the Red River it might help the corridor work more like a relief/alternate route for traffic looking to avoid I-35 thru OKC. That would also include building a new 4-lane bypass around the East side of El Reno.

As an aside, ODOT could help increase southbound traffic on the bypass with better signage at the Lawton-Duncan "Y. Also traffic seems to be tot eh point they should start planning for 4-laning it from OK7 to at least Elk.

What they really need at the Duncan bypass intersection with OK-7 is a limited access interchange with at least one or more cloverleaf movements to eliminate at grade left turns across oncoming lanes of traffic. But that costs money. Better advance signs on OK-7 (maybe an overhead gantry with big green panels) would help. One of the least things ODOT could do is install some freaking lighting at the intersection. At night it's dark as hell there.

I think Lawton is doing road penance for something.......

There's no telling what the issue could be, other than the Lawton area just not having any political clout. Having the Army, Goodyear and some decent tourism attractions here doesn't seem to make any difference in that regard. Nevertheless, the problems have been real for a long time.

Recently a meeting was held between the plant managers at the industrial park and city leadership (city government and chamber). The city manager was caught off guard by a question from a Goodyear executive, "what plans do you have to improve Lee Boulevard?" There wasn't any plan. Nothing for improving Lee or any of the blight along it (which embarrasses the hell out of Goodyear executives when they bring visitors here from other places around the nation or world). There's no plans for improving highway access for trucks. City leaders apparently didn't realize there was any problem with the roads. It's either that or they've been working to protect the status quo. Plenty of local business people don't like the idea of highway bypasses. It wouldn't surprise me if the bad fake-Interstate design of Rogers Lane was created in part by input from local businesses.

I'm sure there had to be local push-back from Chickasha businesses against the freeway bypass planned there.

One of my concerns is, considering all the years it takes to get any highway project completed, Lawton could go through some rough times before any of its highway infrastructure issues ever get fixed. Those manufacturing plant managers out there aren't going to accept the current status quo for many more years. I-44 is sub-standard where it crosses through Fort Sill. With the Artillery Village neighborhood of post housing cleared and replaced elsewhere on post there is more than enough room to properly widen Rogers Lane. That is until Fort Sill builds some other stuff there on the now vacant land.