Press was released last week informing OKC drivers that one of the city’s main highway intersections will be slow-going for the next three years.
Put another (and more depressing) way, I-235 traffic will be affected from now until America is in the middle its next presidential election.
But as we all come to terms with the collateral slowdowns that will come with the widening of I-235 around its I-44 interchange, let’s not forget what an absolutely enormous project this is — one that literally sits at the intersection of urban life, industrial enterprise and Mother Nature.
The Deep Fork is more than just a grill
Missing from local coverage of this Oklahoma Department of Transportation project has been reference to the Deep Fork River, a tributary of the North Canadian River (aka the Oklahoma River that cuts through OKC) which runs between that and Lake Eufaula.
In reality, the Deep Fork River itself crosses northwest Oklahoma City through neighborhoods and within spitting distance of many news-making locations. It passes right behind the now-closing Charcoal Oven north of Northwest Expressway, and it circumvents the now-reopened May Avenue bridge at Northwest Expressway.
The Deep Fork also flows just south of the I-235 and I-44 interchange. During heavy rains the river has previously flooded parts of the highways and their cloverleaf.
More recently, state agencies have been trying to determine the cause of significant fish deaths in the Deep Fork north of OKC in Lincoln County. The issue underscores the precarious relationship between modern civilization and nature.
Trains, bridges and automobiles
A stone’s throw from the highway interchange stands the longest railroad line in Oklahoma, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Moving south to north, the railroad crosses over I-235 just south of N.W. 50th Street, which crosses over the railroad and the highway. About 2,000 feet later, the railroad crosses over I-44.
With dozens of trains passing the area daily, engineers have an enormous task on their hands to reconstruct the two aforementioned bridges. In addition, night-time resurfacing of I-235 will be a substantial project as well.
When it’s all complete …
Years from now when I-235 is wider and its interchange with I-44 is less dangerous, residents will likely all agree that the years of disruption will have been worth it.
Whether the construction affects or is further complicated by the river, railroad and adjoining roadways will be interesting to observe.
In the meantime, be careful in construction zones, drivers.
