I-44/US-75 Interchange Reconstruction(Tulsa)

[Scott5114]

This interchange's temporary configuration has (or at least had) some of the jankiest merges that I've ever seen on a freeway (stop signs on the loop ramps, unclear cone placement, etc.).

That's par for the course for Oklahoma work zones. I-235/I-44 and the I-35 six-laning in Norman were both notorious for ramps that suddenly ended at a merge-or-die concrete wall. I myself got into two accidents at the latter.

[Plutonic Panda]

The entire project should be under construction by fall of next year and here's an article on it: https://www.krmg.com/news/local/work-add-flyover-ramps-i-44us-75-begin-next-year-ahead-initial-schedule/FBJ2D54AR5HYPNXO6JMO42E3RY/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3Vme9rGmrTeM9-dmrYF75eWYrQseOajiFQlG7Gssc-M_VF0i0RGnA879Q

[splashflash]

How,about Traffic Henge?

https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/as-construction-stalls-tulsans-refer-to-i-44-75-project-as-traffic-henge

With phase one of the I-44 and Highway 75 construction project complete and next phases not underway, there are now several ramp beams–but no roads on top of the beams.

Leave it up to an artist like Tulsan Steve Liggett to find an alternate and humorous view of its current look.

"We thought, "this is just like Stonehenge but it's in Tulsa... so Traffic Henge?"  he said, referring to when he and his partner drove by and snapped a photo.

That photo and whimsical post about "Traffic Henge"  garnered hundreds of shares. One commenter vowed to call it Traffic Henge, "until it's complete... which means forever!"


In fact, ODOT tells 2 News the project is ahead of schedule. The five-phase project can't happen at once due to funding. However, $95 million in grant money will allow them to start three of the phases next year.

[Plutonic Panda]

Update from Tulsa World on this project which is schedule to begin the next phase this fall:

OKLAHOMA CITY — Bridge columns that have been referred to as "traffic henge" at the interchange of Interstate 44 and U.S. 75 in Tulsa are on track to get more attention this year from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Work on Phase 1 of a multiphase project to update the highly trafficked interchange was completed in late 2022. Since then, passing motorists have gotten used to seeing the bare columns rising to the sky with nothing stretching between them.

Sen. Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa, asked for an update on plans when ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz met recently with lawmakers on the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee.

Gatz said bidding on the next phase of work is scheduled to begin this fall.

In Phase 1, the base work was completed for what will be "flyover ramps" for drivers to get from one highway to the other. The first phase also included the widening of I-44 from four lanes to six between Union Avenue and the Arkansas River bridge, reconstructing bridges around the interchange and reconfiguring several ramps.

According to a 2022 traffic survey, about 68,000 motorists pass through the area on I-44 daily, and about 65,000 pass through on U.S. 75.

"When those interchanges were out in the middle of a pasture, they functioned very well, but they're not anymore. They have huge traffic volume pressure on them now," Gatz said. "What you're seeing out there now is just a phase. What you'll see next is about a $200 million investment."

Work on the interchange overall will cost more than $400 million, the transportation director said.

Gatz said an $85 million National Infrastructure Project Assistance grant will help to accelerate the next phase of work. The federal grant program was launched in 2022 to support complex projects that are likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility or safety benefits.

According to the eight-year plan, Skelly Drive also is due for improvement, and a new access road will be built between 61st Street and Skelly Drive. Additionally, a pedestrian bridge will provide a connection to Tulsa's River Parks Trail; bike lanes will be added on West 61st Street; and sidewalks will be added along West 51st and 61st streets, 49th West Avenue and Skelly Drive.

Rogers also asked Gatz about factors that affect ODOT's eight-year plan.

The transportation director said inflation has affected scheduling.

"If you consider what inflation has done since 2019, we're on about a 63% increase in highway costs," Gatz said. "We can't account for something like that in our projections, so we have to make adjustments. So we're getting less work done in the context of the eight-year plan."

- https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/traffic-henge-at-i-44-u-s-75-due-for-attention-this-year-lawmakers-told/article_6fae817e-1ac2-11ef-b343-432547f0158a.html

[rte66man]

The remaining 3 phases are on the tentative September Bid Opening list. Let's see if that holds true.

[rte66man]

The final 3 phases are on the Final September Bid Opening list:

8 IS044 1.000 I-44: AT THE US-75 INTERCHANGE WP 2 INTERCHANGE TULSA 33788(08) 23,359,871.11 41,500,000.00 16,418,226.53 0.00 81,278,097.64 NHPPI -4400- (116) FP

8 IS044 1.000 I-44: AT THE US-75 INTERCHANGE WP 3 INTERCHANGE TULSA 33788(09) 32,319,151.46 10,000,000.00 10,605,227.87 0.00 52,924,379.33 NHPPI -4400- (117) PM

8 IS044 1.000 I-44: AT THE US-75 INTERCHANGE WP 5 INTERCHANGE TULSA 33788(11) 26,283,067.29 43,500,000.00 17,581,446.82 0.00 87,364,514.11 NHPPI -4400- (126) FP

[Plutonic Panda]

From ODOT:

Director Gatz also provided the commission with an update on the interchange improvements at I-44 and US-75 in Tulsa. The project was divided into five work packages to help ensure the projects were manageable. Major construction was completed on the first work phase, which included bridge piers, in 2022. The piers were built in phase one to speed up planned construction and minimize future traffic impacts. The next round of work is expected to start in 2025 and last three years.

- https://oklahoma.gov/odot/about-us/newsroom/2024/-august-commission-meeting-wrap-up--us-70-roosevelt-bridge-and-i.html

I just wish it was a fully directional stack. It would be nice to have the first stack interchange built.

[swake]

$252 million was awarded yesterday to Manhattan Construction for phases 2, 3 and 4 of this project to start in the spring.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/contract-awarded-to-complete-i-44-us-75-interchange-in-west-tulsa/article_8287bce4-84ed-11ef-8ce1-8f2cdaaddf4d.html

These phases will complete the interchange and all work on US-75 leaving a couple of miles of I-44 west of US-75 to be widened in phase 5.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/contract-awarded-to-complete-i-44-us-75-interchange-in-west-tulsa/article_8287bce4-84ed-11ef-8ce1-8f2cdaaddf4d.html

[swake]

Construction set to restart on April 7th with all remaining phases being completed over three years.

[BigOkie]

Posted this in the Oklahoma subforum but it's relevant to this.  It's a little long at 16 minutes but I feel like it's good information to get out to Tulsans in particular.

[BigOkie]

Also, I have a question:  at one time I had the original rendering PDF for the project but have obviously lost it.  If anyone has it could they post up a link?  I would appreciate it.

[swake]

Also, I have a question:  at one time I had the original rendering PDF for the project but have obviously lost it.  If anyone has it could they post up a link?  I would appreciate it.

Here's the grant page: https://oklahoma.gov/odot/progress-and-performance/federal-grant-awards/infra-grants/infra-2020/2020-tulsa-county-i-44-and-us-75.html

These are the specific phases under construction now, phase 2, 3 and 5: https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/odot/progress-and-performance/federal-grants/infra/2020/tulsa-county/maps-and-graphics/i-44-and-us-75-wp-23-and-5.pdf

We are about three months into a three year project right now.

[BigOkie]

Thank you!  It seems like every time ODOT changes their web design the links break again.  I'll keep these and download the PDF for later retrieval.

[Plutonic Panda]

Their website really sucks. It was really good in the early 2010s. They had a lot of information they kept it up. I don't know why they let it go to shit.

[Stephane Dumas]

Their website really sucks. It was really good in the early 2010s. They had a lot of information they kept it up. I don't know why they let it go to shit.

Maybe the Wayback Machine have archived copies of OKDOT website back to the 2010s.

[Plutonic Panda]

Update on this project with a timelapse:

https://fb.watch/DdUcG59uMh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[swake]

Update on this project with a timelapse:

https://fb.watch/DdUcG59uMh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Here's a live camera at the interchange:

https://www.newson6.com/weather/I-75-I-44

[Plutonic Panda]

Update on this project with a timelapse:

https://fb.watch/DdUcG59uMh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Here's a live camera at the interchange:

https://www.newson6.com/weather/I-75-I-44

Nice! This is a great start on improving Tulsa's interchanges. There's tons of other ones that need to be converted to a fully directional stack.

[Bobby5280]

ODOT and OTA both appear very hesitant, if not opposed, to building complete directional stack interchanges at superhighway to superhighway connections unless they have no other choice.

I keep expecting OTA to go back to the drawing board with the proposed directional stack interchange with I-35 and the East-West Connector Turnpike between Moore and Norman. Obviously it makes the most sense to build a 5-level stack there since I-35 and the new turnpike will both be flanked by frontage roads. I think the real estate around the interchange is expensive; a cheaper cloverleaf interchange would eat up more of that space.

I think OTA will get the East-West Connector turnpike itself built pretty fast. But I bet they'll drag their feet on that stack interchange with I-35. It may function as a volleyball interchange for several years while the stack is built piece-meal style, one flyover ramp at a time. That complex Y interchange in Newcastle with I-44 might be the same situation. They'll probably build the SPUI between OK-37 and I-44 and let that function as the entrance to the East-West Connector Turnpike for a few years. Then they would build the direct connector ramps from I-44 to the new turnpike later. The ACCESS Oklahoma program is already over budget. They're talking more toll rate increases. However, I won't put it past OTA to scale back the design on certain projects to less expensive alternatives.

[Plutonic Panda]

We'll see I asked about that five stack interchange and they said it's gonna be built pretty quickly so hopefully that's true.

The Gilcrease Tollway and the 412 freeway should have a fully directional stack.

[Scott5114]

One of the strangest things about moving from Oklahoma to Las Vegas is that in LV the locals start pitching a fit if a system interchange reconstruction takes longer than six months. Telling them that in Oklahoma it usually takes a decade tends to end that conversation really quickly.

[Great Lakes Roads]

ODOT and OTA both appear very hesitant, if not opposed, to building complete directional stack interchanges at superhighway to superhighway connections unless they have no other choice.

I keep expecting OTA to go back to the drawing board with the proposed directional stack interchange with I-35 and the East-West Connector Turnpike between Moore and Norman. Obviously it makes the most sense to build a 5-level stack there since I-35 and the new turnpike will both be flanked by frontage roads. I think the real estate around the interchange is expensive; a cheaper cloverleaf interchange would eat up more of that space.

I think OTA will get the East-West Connector turnpike itself built pretty fast. But I bet they'll drag their feet on that stack interchange with I-35. It may function as a volleyball interchange for several years while the stack is built piece-meal style, one flyover ramp at a time. That complex Y interchange in Newcastle with I-44 might be the same situation. They'll probably build the SPUI between OK-37 and I-44 and let that function as the entrance to the East-West Connector Turnpike for a few years. Then they would build the direct connector ramps from I-44 to the new turnpike later. The ACCESS Oklahoma program is already over budget. They're talking more toll rate increases. However, I won't put it past OTA to scale back the design on certain projects to less expensive alternatives.

The OTA are doing the OK-37 and I-44 interchange in three work packages:
Work Package 1- Rebuild the OK-37 interchange to a DDI. Add new ramps to/from the west at NW 24th Street. Starts construction in late 2026
Work Package 2- Rebuild ~2 miles of I-44 with new bridges and ramps. Starts construction in 2027
Work Package 3- Add direct-connector ramps to/from the East-West Connector (EWC). Starts construction after completion of Work Package 1 & 2 (Starts in 2030?)

[Bobby5280]

A 2030's time frame to start construction on the direct connector ramps from I-44 to the East West Connector Turnpike sounds about right -assuming the ramps eventually get built. It wouldn't surprise me if ODOT and OTA allowed the SPUI that's going to get built in Newcastle to handle all the traffic movements between the East West Connector Turnpike and I-44 for a long amount of time.

One of the strangest things about moving from Oklahoma to Las Vegas is that in LV the locals start pitching a fit if a system interchange reconstruction takes longer than six months. Telling them that in Oklahoma it usually takes a decade tends to end that conversation really quickly.

Perfect example is the I-44 interchange with Broadway Extension/I-235. They farted around with that project for over a decade.

I'm still hoping they don't drag their feet on the stack interchange with I-35 and the East West Connector. It could be a show piece interchange for the Moore and Norman area. It might be nice for such a thing to be built sooner rather than later.

[CoreySamson]

If we're basing predictions off of recent events, ODOT's speed in building is speeding up... it took them only about a year to build the US 75/141st St interchange from scratch. Same with the I-244/US 75 reconstruction to the west of downtown (and just to the north of this thread's interchange in question). The new ramps at I-244/US 169 and I-44/US 169 took less than two years.

[Scott5114]

The speed by which ODOT does anything is fully related to budget. Higher budget thanks to federal government grants = faster build. Smaller project meaning it's easier to fit in a single budget = faster build. Large, expensive project with small budget = have to split it across several years' budgets to get it done = slow build.

I would expect that ODOT's pace of construction will slow back down once they are out of whatever money they got from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.