KOTV in Tulsa uncovered an interesting story about the Route 66 town of Catoosa, Okla., and the state highway department’s plan to close an access ramp from an adjacent highway.
The state wishes to close a ramp from westbound U.S. 412 onto northbound Oklahoma 66, aka old Route 66. The state says the ramp’s design is dangerous by modern standards, and that only 300 vehicles use it daily. By comparison, 19,000 vehicles a day use the eastbound U.S. 412 exit onto northbound 66.
Naturally, the town’s residents don’t like the idea:
Catoosa felt slighted when the turnpike (Interstate 44) moved further east a few years back. Now they feel like ODOT’s plan to close an exit ramp would cut them off even more.
“No, I don’t like it and the citizens don’t like it,” Catoosa Mayor Rita Lamkin said. […]
“That’s basically our main street right now,” Lamkin said. “It would cut off our main street.”
Apparently, you can get onto northbound 66 from westbound 412. But it’s not a snap.
“You have to get off the expressway to do that Texas turnaround, and do the turnaround, get back on the expressway to come back east and then locate the exit on 66. It’s more complicated than that sounds,” she said. “It’s going to discourage the people coming into our town that’s going to hurt our tax base and hurt our growth.”
The state highway department takes lightly the impact closing an access ramp would have on the town. But Catoosa isn’t stupid. It’s been bypassed by the interstate before. It’s not going to let highway access be further restricted without a fight.
And a lot more people now are aware of what destruction a highway bypass can inflict because of this Oscar-nominated scene from “Cars”:
How stupid to close access at a junction of two state highways! If the ramp is dangerous (who designed it, anyway?) then fix the ramp.
It’s hard to believe only 300 drive that every day but even so….
They compare the connection of 412W to 66N with 412W to 66S. That is disingenuous to say the least! 412W to 66S is nothing more than I44W; it’s not an intersection, it’s an interstate highway, for goodness sake!
I say they should fix the ramp thus serving the OKLAHOMA citizens of Catoosa..