West Lindsey Street Interchange Case Study

West Lindsey Street is undergoing a major transformation that will likely have significant impacts on traffic in Norman. The construction project includes the widening of Interstate 35 and reconstruction of the interchanges at West Lindsey Street and Highway 9 East. The West Lindsey Street Interchange is designed like the recently completed bridge at Main Street. This kind of interchange is designed to move large volumes of traffic. The project represents the largest single contract in the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s history. But, the construction timeline is not satisfactory and there is not enough communication from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation updating drivers on construction updates as well as changes and short-term closures. Construction on Interstate 35/SH-9E and West Lindsey Street Interchanges project began on Monday, March 2, 2015, and it is still under construction. The West Lindsey Street Interchange is a single-point urban interchange that is designed like the recently constructed Main Street Bridge. In 2013, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation started a $31 million construction project to widen the Main Street Bridge from 4 lanes to 6 lanes and Interstate 35 North and South of the Main Street Bridge from 4 lanes to 6 lanes. The project slowed traffic on …show more content…
The bond project, voted on by citizens in 2012, includes major improvements to West Lindsey Street from 24th Avenue to Berry Road. The 3-lane roadway between 24th Avenue and Berry Road has the most traffic jams in Norman. This section also has a traffic accident rate three times greater than the national average. The Lindsey Street Bond promises to reduce traffic conditions and improve the utilities, accessibility, and streetscape. But, widening West Lindsey Street will also have its