Moore plans 2 major traffic projects
MOORE — Two major traffic projects are among Moore’s plans for this year: a bridge over Interstate 35 at SW 34 and a SE 4 underpass at the BNSF Railway tracks.
In far south Moore, the only way to get across I-35 is to drive to the SW 19 bridge over the interstate or go south to Indian Hills Road. That will change with the SW 34 bridge plans.
After the city council’s Jan. 17 meeting, Assistant City Manager Stan Drake said the city is in the “court system” to acquire four properties for the bridge expansion. Those properties are on the west side of the interstate.
SW 34 will be widened from two lanes to four from the bridge to beyond Telephone Road. On the east side of I-35, the bridge right of way will extend 800 to 1,000 feet east of the interstate to an existing low-water bridge on SW 34.
Drake said a traffic study that involves Moore, Norman and the state Transportation has begun. He said once construction begins, the project could last 18 months to two years.
Jenson said on- and offramps are not in the current plans for the bridge but could be added later. He said there are a lot of steps before construction can begin. He said the city has to deal with federal and state regulations.
In November 2014, Moore voters passed a proposition to build the four-lane SW 34 bridge. The city council in October 2015 approved a $18.25 million design for the bridge project.
In the city’s 2017 video, Elizabeth Jones, Moore community development director, said the fourlane extension of SW 34 will go from S Telephone Road to Santa Fe Avenue. She said the project is in the engineering phase and the city “will wait for some federal funding, but it is possible that project will also start toward the end of 2017.”
The other big traffic project is one that has been talked about for years: a railroad underpass at SE 4. Jenson said 18,000 vehicles cross the railroad tracks daily at SE 4, and 25 to 30 BNSF freight trains go through Moore each day. Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer crosses SE 4 once in the morning and again in the evening. When a train goes through, the crossing gates lower and east- and westbound traffic backs up.
Councilman Mark Hamm said that for the underpass project, the city is seeking a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant.
Jenson said the city is using federal Housing and Urban Development funds, not city money, to design the underpass. He said the amount is about $1.2 million to $1.4 million. He said that enables the city in 2017 or 2018 to pursue a TIGER grant, which will help build the underpass. He said the grant would not pay for the entire project. He cautioned that actual construction will not start in 2017.
Moving the city’s Fire Station No. 2 from 725 NW 12 has been on the “to do” list for a while. At its Dec. 19 meeting, the city council approved moving the station to 630 NW 5 on the northern side of Fairmoore Park. On Jan. 17, the council approved a $335,000 contract for the fire station design. Jenson said construction is expected to begin late this year and take at least a year to complete.
Finishing Fairmoore Park is another 2017 project. The park will include a walking trail, a horseshoe area, a playground, a water feature, a splash pad, picnic shelters and restrooms. The park site once had Moore’s public swimming pool and tennis courts. Improvements also are scheduled at Westmoore and Little River parks.
A project expected to begin in March is the reworking of Howard Street from NW 2 to SW 4. Jones said the work will solve drainage issues and make the area more walkable with the addition of sidewalks. The city council on Jan. 17 approved a contract for $45,000 with Architectural Design Group for engineering of the plan.