I-44 Tulsa

[bugo]

You have any pictures of it bugo?

Not yet, but now that you mention it I'll take my camera to work tomorrow and try to get some pics on the way back.  Hopefully the sun won't be too far down at 3:30 and the pictures come out OK.

[bugo]

http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/lewis-ave-to-shut-down-at-i-44-on-monday

Lewis will be closed for 20 months.  The frontage roads and ramps will still be open.  The detours are Harvard and Peoria.  The original bridge over Lewis was built in 1956 as part of Skelly Drive, which was originally signed as Bypass US 66.  If you watch the video closely, you will spot a US 66 shield.

[codyg1985]

20 months?! That's a bit crazy.

[rte66man]

20 months?! That's a bit crazy.

It's more than a bridge replacement. Thye have to dig out an entire hill to move the road further south.  THEN they can build the new bridge, all while maintaing 2 lanes in each direction on I44.  20 months is pretty good IMO.

rte66man

[intelati49]

20 months?! That's a bit crazy.

What's crazy is to see the road 75% done three years after I downloaded the pdf.

[bugo]

4 lanes of the relocated I-44 at Lewis in Tulsa are now open.  The road that is open goes underneath the southern span of the half-completed Lewis bridge over I-44.  The lanes that are open are the future eastbound lanes.  It opened today, September 23, 2013 between midnight and 2 pm.  No longer do you have to go around the curves and underneath the old Lewis bridge, which is to be demolished soon.  Now no part of the original Skelly Drive in midtown is open.

[rte66man]

Are they going to significantly lower the new lanes so there isn't such a steep climb eastbound?

rte66man

[bugo]

Yeah, it's not as steep as it was, although there is still a hill.

[bugo]

Now the Lewis Avenue offramps off of both eastbound and westbound OK 66/I-44 are closed. Heading east and west, it is best to use the Harvard exit unless you are going from EB 44 to SB Lewis, when you would take the Peoria exit.

[bugo]

The Lewis Avenue bridge over I-44 is now gone.  It was torn down October 10 or 11, 2013.  It can be seen at 3:15 in this video.  It's sad that it's gone, but that section of I-44 was a serious bottleneck and could not handle the volume of traffic that goes through that stretch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05a4E9e35FU

[bugo]

The Lewis Ave. bridge is now gone.  RIP.

[bugo]

Now the westbound lanes are open, two of them at least.  It appears that all six lanes could be opened within the next few days, even though I doubt they will do it because ODOT.  I-44 EB at Lewis is down to one lane so if you're coming through Tulsa during the day, it might save time to take the Creek Turnpike.

[bugo]

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/More-lane-closures-expected-near-I-44-this-weekend/_xzIshlrGESuT5v-boaJ5A.cspx

Drivers can expect more lane closures near Interstate-44 and Lewis Avenue this weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, crews will open east and westbound lanes to three lanes in each direction. This will be the first time all new lanes will open to traffic.

There will be various lane closures, as crews make final adjustments.

--

This is going to be nice.  Hopefully they'll raise the speed limit to 65.  When these lanes are opened, I-44 will be six lanes between US 75 to the eastern I-244 split.  Right now only one lane is open, and it is a major bottleneck that is causing problems. 

[Scott5114]

I wouldn't count on an SL bump. Most of the Interstates in metro OKC, even the recently reconstructed ones, are set with a speed limit of 60.

[bugo]

Most of 244 is 65.  44 east of 169 is 65.  169 is 65.  The Creek Turnpike is 65 through south Tulsa  The BA is 65 east of I-44.  Why can't I-44 be 65 too?

[bugo]

All six lanes of I-44 at Lewis Avenue are now open to traffic.  The speed limit is still 45 through the work zone, and a there is a lot of work to be done on the frontage roads and the Lewis bridge over I-44 before the project is complete.  The Lewis onramps and offramps are closed and traffic is detoured on parts of the frontage roads.  This makes I-44 six lanes between US 75 and the eastern I-44/244 split.   There is also a spot west of Cherokee Curve at 193rd that has been rebuilt as a six lane freeway, although it is only striped for 4 lanes, and there is a project at the 177th bridge which will widen the freeway to 6 lane width.  Slowly but surely I-44 will be six lanes between the turnpikes.

[rte66man]

All six lanes of I-44 at Lewis Avenue are now open to traffic.  The speed limit is still 45 through the work zone, and a there is a lot of work to be done on the frontage roads and the Lewis bridge over I-44 before the project is complete.  The Lewis onramps and offramps are closed and traffic is detoured on parts of the frontage roads.  This makes I-44 six lanes between US 75 and the eastern I-44/244 split.   There is also a spot west of Cherokee Curve at 193rd that has been rebuilt as a six lane freeway, although it is only striped for 4 lanes, and there is a project at the 177th bridge which will widen the freeway to 6 lane width.  Slowly but surely I-44 will be six lanes between the turnpikes.

Just in time to make it 8 lanes between Riverside and 169

Seriously, it will be awhile before the part from Elwood to the west 44/244 interchange is made six lanes.  The US75 interchange alone will take ODOT 10-15 years to rebuild.  That seem to be standard for major interchange rebuilds in OK (see Dallas junction, Ft Smith junction,, etc).

[bugo]

All 4 lanes are now open at 177th Street.  The road is wide enough for 6 lanes but is striped for 4.

[bugo]

Now the ramps to and from EB 44 to and from 51st Street/Lewis are open.  The WB ramps remained closed.  Also, both lanes on EB 51st are opened all the way to Harvard.

[bugo]

The Lewis Avenue bridge over I-44 opened sometime on Friday, August 8, 2014.  I was able to use the Texas style U turn ramp to cross the highway to the WB frontage road.  The project looks to be very close to completion.

[bugo]

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/lewis-avenue-bridge-over-interstate-44-reopened-for-tulsa-drivers

http://www.ktul.com/story/26236034/lewis-avenue-bridge-reopens-over-interstate-44

The Lewis Avenue bridge over Interstate 44 is open to traffic again.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced the opening Friday afternoon.

The westbound off ramp to Lewis Avenue remains closed as crews finish work on the project.

The highway project closed Lewis Avenue over the highway for about two years. It was the final project in widening Interstate 44 through midtown Tulsa.

[rte66man]

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/lewis-avenue-bridge-over-interstate-44-reopened-for-tulsa-drivers

http://www.ktul.com/story/26236034/lewis-avenue-bridge-reopens-over-interstate-44

The Lewis Avenue bridge over Interstate 44 is open to traffic again.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced the opening Friday afternoon.

The westbound off ramp to Lewis Avenue remains closed as crews finish work on the project.

The highway project closed Lewis Avenue over the highway for about two years. It was the final project in widening Interstate 44 through midtown Tulsa.

Look at the first still in the KJRH story.  It looks like a Texas turnaround, but that wouldn't work there as 51st is two-way.

[bugo]

51st is now a one way frontage road west of Lewis.  The U ramp goes from EB 51st to WB Skelly Drive.

[US71]

51st is now a one way frontage road west of Lewis.  The U ramp goes from EB 51st to WB Skelly Drive.

I'm going to be SO lost next time I'm over there

[Rick1962]

Rt66man is correct. There is an extra lane on the northbound side of the Lewis Avenue bridge. Original plans called for 51st Street to be converted to one-way traffic between Lewis and Harvard. This was quickly shot down, but it looks like the original bridge plans were not changed. Even for ODOT that's quite an oversight.

Perhaps the plan is to incorporate it into the proposed bike trail connecting the trail stub east of Yale with the Arkansas River trail. In Tulsa, it's anyone's guess!