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CONTRACT NO. K-1415-77: AN AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA; THE CITY OF MOORE, OKLAHOMA, AND THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WITH EACH CITY'S SHARE BEING $75.000 FOR THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR TRAFFIC STUDY FROM 4TH STREET IN MOORE TO TECUMSEH ROAD IN NORMAN.
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BACKGROUND: The Interstate 35 and Indian Hills Road interchange in north central Norman was constructed in the 1960s by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). It is configured as a rural interchange designed to carry low volumes of traffic. It is functionally obsolete and deficient for the current and projected traffic volumes, and for the anticipated land uses in the general vicinity. It is also the only original interchange in the Oklahoma City area that has not been redesigned or replaced.
The City of Norman is currently experiencing significant development pressure in the general vicinity. During the last 36 months, Council approved nine preliminary plats for development in the area. Combined, these plats will bring 1,591 residential lots, 708 apartment units, 655,800 square feet of gross floor commercial space, 123,500 square feet of gross floor office space, a 600-student elementary school, an 800-seat church sanctuary and a 200-bed assisted living center. These developments are capable of generating an additional 51,231 trips per day, with a significant portion using the Indian Hills Road interchange. It is reasonable to expect the current traffic volume using the Indian Hills Road bridge to quadruple over the next decade, which will require a four-lane bridge with sidewalks and the signalization of the Interstate 35 off ramp intersections with Indian Hills Road. The attached map provides a summary of the recent development activity.
DISCUSSION: In 2012/2013, ODOT collaborated with the City of Norman to repair the bridge deck on Indian Hills Road over I-35. According to State Statutes, the local jurisdiction (City of Norman) is respo...
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