Oklahoma Roads - Future I-40, Oklahoma City

Future I-40, Oklahoma City



If you're paying attention when you travel past the now-closed Lincoln Blvd. exit (151A) on I-40 EB and look to the right where the exit used to be, you may catch the top of this overpass. It seems like it's just a future ramp being built over something, but the reason this is on a separate page is because appearances aren't the whole story. In fact, if you drive the same route as I-40 EB in the future, you would travel directly over this bridge and come to a T intersection with relocated Lincoln Blvd. What the bridge is overpassing is a relocation of I-40 to a modern, wider highway along railroad tracks south of the current alignment by several blocks. Although the Riverside neighborhood will still be cut off from the rest of Oklahoma City, a lot more of the city will be tied together (roughly five blocks wide by about two miles long), and this is a lot easier than trying to widen I-40 in its existing path. Maybe Oklahoma City could have taken a cue from Cincinnati, where I-75's two sides were constructed around both sides of Arlington Heights, or Newark, NJ, where US 1/9's NB side was built on a new alignment many blocks east of the original four-lane freeway, which was then converted to SB only. A curiosity about the new boulevard is that even though it will be placed right in current I-40's footprint, there will be no access between the boulevard and I-40, and Lincoln Blvd. will never be reconnected. What the new boulevard will have is full connectivity with I-35 and I-235.


There's a parking lot just across the railroad tracks from future I-40, where I look west and east at the highway taking shape.


The other side of the highway, looking north at the decorative retaining wall and overpass from Lincoln Blvd. Incidentally, the reason Exit 151A was closed from I-40 is that the new highway was built right through the middle of it. Given how much of the highway has yet to be constructed, it would have been nice for ODOT to leave the connection in place until much closer to the completion date. I guess they want people to get used to not being able to get where they want.


Looking west from Lincoln Blvd. SB as it curves along Future I-40 WB and then curves back to cross the future EB lanes. If Lincoln Blvd. can cross the highway, why can't the old exit from I-40 EB? I assume that there will be no graffiti once the new highway opens - it's the long delay between this piece being constructed and any other work being done that lends itself nicely to impromptu artwork. I also assume that there will be a park to the south and especially west in the future, since the last photo hints at landscaping.


Starting back NB on Lincoln Blvd. and looking east. You can see what looks like a merge into the new highway from the right - it's a loop ramp from the future boulevard EB to continue east on I-40. It's really only there so that there's easy access to I-35/I-235, but it ends up allowing the only I-40 access from the surface. I wonder if it will even be signed for I-40 EB or just to 35/235.


Continuing north, Lincoln Blvd. leaves the I-40 WB mainline and travels up the wrong direction of a future onramp. This will be a combined merge from I-35 NB/I-235 SB versus today's separate merges to the current I-40.

Current I-40, Oklahoma City and west
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Onto I-35
Onto I-235
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