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.
Author
Topic: New ODOT 8 Year Plan Released Today (Read 3065 times)