ACPA Concrete Pavement Progress Q2 2020

Concrete Pavement Progress www.acpa.org 6 Interstate Relocation Opens a Gateway to Oklahoma City THE CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY RAN THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF OKLAHOMA CITY and served the city for decades after its opening in the 1960s. As times and conditions changed, officials were faced with the question of reconstructing the heavily trafficked interstate section. Instead, officials identified an alternative approach that involved the con- struction of a four-mile, four-lane boulevard in the footprint of the former section of I-40.The I-40 Crosstown was an elevated interstate and the longest bridge in the state. It was originally designed to carry 72,000 vehicles per day (VPD) but was carrying nearly 120,000 VPD before the decision was made to transfer the new alignment just south of the downtown area. The new 10-lane expressway is designed to carry up to 173,000 VPD. City officials wanted to make sure the area was not cut off from interstate access and that it could attract and support business, says Eric Wenger, director of public works for the City of Oklahoma City. “Oklahoma City Boulevard was designed to serve as a gateway to the city, restore connections to the downtown, provide a sense of community to the downtown area, and create opportunities for business growth,” he says. The concrete boulevard features a landscaped center median, on-street park- ing areas and 15-foot sidewalks and bicycle paths that improve access and mobility in the area. “The road connects the core of the downtown area to the surrounding areas and provides access to I-40 and I-35,” Wenger says. “We began to see increased development in the area before we finished the boulevard with the construction of an Omni Hotel, a convention center and a new central park.”The arena that is home to Oklahoma CityThunder professional basketball team is also located adjacent to the new boulevard. “The reason concrete pavement was selected was the 2035 projections of just over 34,000 average number of vehicles traveling on the boulevard,” says Keith Angier, vice president of MacArthur Associated Consultants and project manager for both the I-40 relocation and the OKC Boulevard. “All of the intersections with existing streets are concrete to handle the volume of vehicles turning and traveling through the area.” The pavement is 9-in. doweled concrete pavement placed over 4 in. of ce- ment treated base, which is constructed over 6 in. of aggregate and an 8-in. New Boulevard Revitalizes Downtown Area By Sheryl S. Jackson continues on page 9 » C I T Y B O U L E V A R D