What good is I-244 in West Tulsa?

[YoungTulsan]

Eh I was just daydreaming.  If the 41st bridge was ever set into motion and the street needed to be widened through West Tulsa, the cost of getting it across that I-244 cluster would be immense.  Looks like I had a bad idea  But I hear you folks a lot talking about taking out a leg or two of the IDL.

[rwarn17588]

si_uk_lon_ok, U.S. 75 is indeed four lanes, except in brief stretches where it has to merge or leave the IDL.

I got the traffic counts from the link above. The highway's traffic counts vary by location in Tulsa city limits, but I saw ranges from a low of about 35,000 in north Tulsa to a high of 49,000 just south of I-44. (I did not mention the spots where 75 merges with I-244, which obviously skews the numbers.)

For the sake of brevity, I rounded the top figure up to 50,000, as the data is from 2005 and traffic counts have undoubtedly risen in south Tulsa since then.

Talk about removing the IDL is a pipe dream. The genie's out of the bottle, and you can't put it back in.

[rwarn17588]

To clarify what I said above: U.S. 75 is two lanes in each direction most of the way through town.

[si_uk_lon_ok]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588

si_uk_lon_ok, U.S. 75 is indeed four lanes, except in brief stretches where it has to merge or leave the IDL.

I got the traffic counts from the link above. The highway's traffic counts vary by location in Tulsa city limits, but I saw ranges from a low of about 35,000 in north Tulsa to a high of 49,000 just south of I-44. (I did not mention the spots where 75 merges with I-244, which obviously skews the numbers.)

For the sake of brevity, I rounded the top figure up to 50,000, as the data is from 2005 and traffic counts have undoubtedly risen in south Tulsa since then.

Talk about removing the IDL is a pipe dream. The genie's out of the bottle, and you can't put it back in.

That is a terrifically high load for the road. I'd never have guessed it though, I've never seen it that congested, although I don't live around the area.

I think the IDL will reach the end of its life at some point in the future. Then the question has to be asked is it worth building another one and maintaining it. Could other roads, or public transport do the job for less and have a more positive impact.

[bugo]

The Crosstown Expressway wasn't US 412 until 1989.  Before it was simply I-244.  They're not going to decommission an Interstate route for a US route.

Another unusual thing about Tulsa's freeway system is I-44 doesn't go through downtown.  This is most likely because Skelly Drive was completed many years before I-244.  Most cities tend to have the main Interstate go through downtown, and the bypass is an even-numbered 3 digit Interstate.

I read somewhere that the Creek Turnpike is going to get an Interstate number.  The most logical number would be I-644, even though I-844 would not be out of the question.  Has anyone heard anything about this, and if so when the numbering is going to happen?

Another thing: sign I-444!