Oklahoma City Boulevard

The Oklahoma City Boulevard (also known as the Crosstown Boulevard) is a partially completed urban thoroughfare intended to make use of the right-of-way of the former Crosstown Expressway which was relocated south along a former rail alignment.^[1] The project is currently underway and is being largely funded by the US Department of Transportation. The project is being implemented by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). The cost is approximately $85 million.^[2]

History

Controversy

The Oklahoma City Boulevard plan became controversial when the full extent of ODOT's original intended design became public during an Oklahoma City Streetcar meeting. At that meeting, ODOT Division Director Paul Green explained ODOT's intent for a thoroughfare design rather than a traditional urban street type boulevard. No previsions were presented by Green or ODOT representatives to accommodate the planned streetcar system approved by voters. Oklahoma City Streetcar Subcommittee member Jeff Bezdek was incensed by the plans and the lack of awareness by ODOT as to streetcar project. Bezdek was approached by Bob Kemper, a local transportation advocate and former ODOT employee about forming a citizens group to force further public review of the project. Bezdek conceived the name Friends for a Better Boulevard and suggested that Kemper organize a group under that title on Facebook to harness online civic support to demand a proper environmental review. Friends for a Better Boulevard (FBB) launched its campaign as a Facebook Group and via the popular Oklahoma City blog, OKC TALK. The group grew quickly to over six hundred active members and demanded that local leaders apply further review to the boulevard project. After much debate, the Federal Highway Administration stepped into the process and required ODOT to put the project under an Environmental Assessment to determine if a full-fledged Environmental Impact Study should be required. The state transportation agency developed three initial alternatives for consideration and evaluation. The slate was further expanded to four.^[2]

Current Status

The Federal Highway Administration is awaiting submissions from ODOT for further review. Friends for a Better Boulevard has formally requested that earlier traffic modeling conducted by ODOT be reprocessed to thoroughly vet the alternatives.^[3] As of October 1, 2016, the expressway is open to traffic from I-40/US-270 to Klein Avenue. On October 28, 2016, the east section from I-35 & I-40 opened to E.K. Gaylord. ^[4]

Exit list

The entire route is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County.

mi[5]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.0	0.0	I‑40 west / US-270 west (Crosstown Expressway) – Amarillo	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-40 exit 148B
0.7	1.1	Virginia Avenue
1.5	2.4	Klein Avenue	At-grade intersection
Gap in route
		E.K. Gaylord Boulevard	At-grade intersection
		I‑40 east / US-270 east – Fort Smith
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References

1. Smith, Dylan (May 31, 2011). "Proposed downtown street to be named Oklahoma City Boulevard". OKC.biz. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
2. "FAQ". Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
3. Felder, Ben (August 5, 2014). "Group continues effort to reverse course of downtown boulevard". Oklahoma Gazette. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
4. News9.com. "New Interstate Connections For Downtown OKC Open Friday". Retrieved 2016-10-29.
5. "Overview Map of Oklahoma City Boulevard". Google Maps. Retrieved October 1, 2016.