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43-579: The Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway, aka I-40 Crosstown, is a roughly five-mile (8.0 km) stretch of Interstate 40 (I-40) just south of Downtown Oklahoma City, running along the Oklahoma River between Agnew Avenue and the I-40/I-35/I-235 Crossroads of America junction. Prior to 2012, the I-40 Crosstown was an elevated stretch that bisected downtown. The Oklahoma City Crosstown is

86-464: A day, by 2010 it was used by nearly 120,000 vehicles a day. The Crosstown was completed in the 1960s using an engineering process commonly termed as " fracture critical ", a process that has not been used since the 1970s because it does not provide redundancies . According to Brian Windsor, an ODOT structural engineer, without redundant support, the failure of a single beam created the risk of total collapse of that section of bridge. The entire stretch of

129-620: A lack of breakdown lanes . In an August 2007 poll sponsored by The Oklahoman , nearly 2 ⁄ 3 of respondents indicated that they were "afraid to drive across the Crosstown bridge in Oklahoma City". On January 5, 2012 eastbound traffic was transferred to the new alignment of the I-40 Crosstown Expressway, with westbound following on February 19. The original I-40 Crosstown Expressway bridge has since been removed. As of 2020

172-559: A new boulevard in its place has been completed. In May 2002, federal funding was secured to finance replacement of the Oklahoma City Crosstown. Rather than replace the existing structure, a new stretch of I-40 would be constructed about five blocks south of the then current location. Initial estimates of the Crosstown replacement project were that the project would take 8 years with a completion date of 2010, and would cost $ 360 million. The most recent revision to this estimate

215-570: A purchase price of $ 260 million in cash. URS announced its acquisition of Flint Energy Services, a provider of construction services in the oil and gas industry, based in Calgary, Alberta, on February 20, 2012. On October 20, 2014, URS was officially acquired by AECOM. URS provided ongoing management and operation of the 4,200-acre Kennedy Space Center complex, including its 900 mission-specific facilities, 16,000 unique NASA systems and equipment, and 600 unique U.S. Air Force systems and equipment. In

258-477: A statement indicating that the condition of the Crosstown was "deteriorating", but that it "remained safe." Concerns about whether the Crosstown Bridge would last until its 2012 replacement date increased on September 23, 2007, when a hole in the Crosstown resulted in closure of all but one lane and created significant traffic delays. Other safety problems of the Crosstown included falling chunks of concrete and

301-428: A total of 1,375 acres (5.56 km) in the core of Oklahoma City. After the completion of the new I-40 Crosstown, the existing bridge was demolished. While ODOT is responsible for the relocation of the I-40 Crosstown and the subsequent demolition of the existing structure, the city of Oklahoma City will take the lead in determining the future use of the land currently occupied by the existing crosstown. On June 20, 2006,

344-792: Is an Interstate Highway in Oklahoma that runs 331 miles (533 km) across the state from Texas to Arkansas . West of Oklahoma City , it parallels and replaces old U.S. Highway 66 (US-66), and, east of Oklahoma City, it parallels US-62 , US-266 , and US-64 . I-40 is the longest Interstate highway in Oklahoma. Cities along the route include Erick , Sayre , Elk City , Clinton , Weatherford , Oklahoma City and its suburbs ( El Reno , Yukon , Del City , and Midwest City ), Shawnee , Okemah , Henryetta , Checotah , and Sallisaw . I-40 enters Oklahoma near Texola in Beckham County . It crosses

387-511: Is known to be the largest tornado ever recorded at 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide and was responsible for eight fatalities and 151 injuries. Four of those fatalities were storm chasers, the first known deaths in storm chasing history. This tornado crossed over I-40 at around 6:33 pm CDT after hitting peak strength and maximum width and did a 270-degree counterclockwise loop north of the Interstate, clipping SH-66 before traveling on and along

430-611: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and worked at one time for Gustav Lindenthal , including on the Seventh Street Bridge . URS acquired the Denver, Colorado based civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering firm Woodward-Clyde Group in 1997 for $ 100 Million, bringing additional environmental capabilities and a broader international presence to the organization. When Dames & Moore Group joined in 1999 (which had recently absorbed

473-533: The McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System near Webbers Falls was struck by a barge on May 26, 2002, causing the bridge to collapse and resulting in the death of 14 people. Westbound I-40 traffic was detoured through Gore and Webbers Falls along SH-10 , US-64 , and SH-100 , while eastbound traffic was diverted through Porum and Stigler along SH-2 , SH-9 , and US-59 . Delays of 30 to 50 minutes on

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516-593: The North Fork of the Red River near Sayre and runs through southern Elk City . It then cuts across northwest Washita County before entering Custer County . There, it passes through Clinton and Weatherford . After leaving Weatherford, I-40 then runs across northern Caddo County . After that, it enters the Oklahoma City metropolitan area at Canadian County . I-40 runs through the southside of El Reno as it enters

559-617: The "Energy and Construction Division". On June 12, 2009, URS Chief Executive Officer Martin Koffel indicated the company was still on the hunt for "transformative acquisitions". An analyst with Gabelli & Co. stated that KBR , Chicago Bridge & Iron Company , and Foster Wheeler AG may be possible takeover targets. On September 10, 2010, URS completed its acquisition of the British engineering firm Scott Wilson Group . On June 2, 2011, URS completed its acquisition of Apptis Holdings, Inc. for

602-412: The 12-mile (19 km) westbound detour were typical, although trains passing through Gore could lengthen wait times by 15 minutes. The eastbound detour added 40 miles (64 km) and two hours to the typical trip. Some travelers chose to avoid the area entirely; one Tulsa trucking firm detoured trucks via Springdale , adding 70 miles (110 km) to the trip. The detour significantly impacted

645-529: The Australian firm Hardcastle & Richards ), URS further strengthened its program and construction management expertise and added to its FORTUNE 500 client base. In February 1999, URS also acquired transport consultant Thorburn Colquhoun. In 2002, URS acquired EG&G Technical Services, positioning the company as a leading U.S. federal services contractor. In November 2007, URS acquired Washington Group International of Boise for $ 3.1B and operated it as

688-559: The Crosstown is through traffic, not transferring to or from downtown streets. More recently, the Crosstown project has come under serious controversy. In an era of fluctuating energy prices and changing circumstances, several citizen's groups are challenging the project. Devon Energy announced in March 2008 it would construct a one million square foot office tower in the center of a revitalized downtown to house between 2,000 and 3,000 of its employees. The Devon location will be ten blocks away from

731-745: The Federal Surface Transportation Board held that the BNSF railway made fraudulent representations in their request for abandonment of the freight line that would enable the Crosstown, and denied the abandonment. However, in May 2009 the final decision from the STB reversed the earlier ruling, allowing the ODOT to move ahead with their plans. ODOT had not sought to redirect semitrailers off the former I-40 stretch of deteriorating overpasses. ODOT Director Gary Ridley said

774-497: The Interstate, approaching Oklahoma City at a very slow speed. The tornado dissipated at 6:43 pm near exit 130 (Banner Road). On December 17, 2015, a Pasadena, Texas, man allegedly shot and killed two people on I-40 near Weatherford, Oklahoma. He was arrested by police in Clinton, Oklahoma. The original I-40 Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway was built in 1966 mostly as an elevated route; however, this former stretch

817-550: The Oklahoma City Council announced a $ 387,000 contract for professional consulting services with the URS Corporation "to recommend specific actions to facilitate redevelopment within the area impacted by the relocation of the downtown section of I-40, Reno Avenue, new I-40 alignment, Western Avenue and I-35/I-235" On October 5, 2006, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett introduced the 'Core to Shore' project team which has

860-574: The Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It then passes through Yukon before entering Oklahoma City city limits. In west Oklahoma City, I-40 has a junction with I-44 . It then runs just south of downtown Oklahoma City on a new 10-lane section. I-40 then interlines with I-35 at the Dallas Junction complex. This forms a concurrency with it for two miles (3.2 km). After the Dallas Junction, I-40 then passes through Del City and Midwest City on

903-530: The Tinker Diagonal. This provides access to Tinker Air Force Base in east Oklahoma City. In far eastern Oklahoma City, I-40 meets I-240 in a partial junction. Afterward, it passes through the northside of Shawnee . This marks the eastern end of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. In Henryetta , I-40 serves as the northern terminus of the Indian Nation Turnpike . In McIntosh County , it crosses

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946-713: The United Kingdom, a URS-led team was responsible for management and operation services at the Sellafield nuclear complex, including commercial operations, waste management, support services, decontamination and decommissioning, and new construction projects. Sellafield is one of the largest and most complex nuclear sites in the U.K., storing and treating nuclear waste from both the U.K.'s military and civil nuclear programs. URS lost this contract in January 2015. URS provided comprehensive project and construction management services for

989-580: The admission of negligence or wrongdoing on the part of URS. In November 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the collapse of the I-35W bridge was "inadequate load capacity, due to a design error by Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates, Inc., of the gusset plates at the U10 nodes, which failed under a combination of (1) substantial increases in the weight of

1032-555: The bridge, which resulted from previous modifications, and (2) the traffic and concentrated construction loads on the bridge on the day of the accident." URS was not involved in the work being conducted on the bridge at the time of the collapse or in the design of the bridge. The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis experienced failure of two of its longest support cables on February 20, 2012. URS Corporation

1075-564: The de facto east–west artery through Oklahoma City, serving as an unofficial dividing line between north and south Oklahoma City (the official dividing line for address purposes is Sheridan Avenue). It is owned and maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). The Oklahoma City Crosstown was the busiest of Oklahoma's many aging bridges. While the Crosstown Expressway was designed to withstand about 76,000 vehicles

1118-399: The end of February 2014, the hedge fund Jana Partners disclosed that they had acquired an activist investor ownership position in the publicly traded company, announcing an intent to engage the corporate management on board and corporate structure and to create shareholder value. Amidst industry speculation of a corporate breakup for URS, AECOM announced on July 13, 2014 that an agreement

1161-768: The existing bridges constitutes serious concern for the Department." Other highway connections, running east and west, include I-240 and I-44. Under the original Environmental Impact Statement, residents of two neighborhoods were to be displaced by construction of the new Crosstown Expressway. Construction resulted in the demolition of 165 properties in the Walnut Grove and Riverside neighborhoods. The realignment will now directly result in reconstruction of 590 acres (2.4 km) in Phase I and an additional 785 acres (3.18 km) in Phase II, for

1204-453: The fiscal year 2013 revenue and earnings were below expectations, URS made some management changes. URS had acquired Flint Energy Services for $ 1.25 billion in February 2012, creating an oil and gas division for the company. Issues in the oil and gas division were cited for the poor financial performance in fiscal year 2013 and URS announced the resignation of senior staff from that division. By

1247-465: The interstate instead of four blocks, resulting in increased congestion on slower downtown streets during rush hour. Under current construction plans, part of Oklahoma City's Union Station railyard would be sacrificed to make space for the freeway, leading to concerns that this would disable the station from use in future light rail, commuter rail or traffic circulation use. An unprecedented ruling in June 2008 by

1290-540: The largest cement manufacturing facilities in the world. The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed in August 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. In 2003, URS had been retained by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to conduct a fatigue evaluation and a redundancy analysis of the bridge. Lawsuits filed in 2008 and 2009 cite the company with negligence. In 2010, these lawsuits were settled out of court without

1333-483: The name Broadview Research was changed to United Research Services and later shortened to URS. URS was publicly traded as NYSE :  URS from January 13, 1978 through its acquisition by AECOM on October 17, 2014. It was originally traded as Thortec. A major investor was Richard Blum , husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein . As of June 2013, the firm had more than 50,000 employees worldwide, in nearly 50 countries. Following announcements in early February 2014 that

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1376-753: The new crosstown opened in 2012, nearly 95% of non–rush hour traffic was considered 'through traffic' (i.e., not transferring to or from downtown streets). A landscaped boulevard (Oklahoma City Boulevard) was completed in 2019, replacing the original I-40 Crosstown Bridge right-of-way through downtown Oklahoma City, similar to the I-30 reconstruction through downtown Fort Worth, Texas . I-40 has eight business routes in Oklahoma, six of which are old alignments of US-66 . A number of other old alignments of US-66 are also present west of Oklahoma City. I-40 has one auxiliary route in Oklahoma: URS Corp. URS

1419-555: The northernmost arm of Lake Eufaula . Afterward, it meets US-69 south of Checotah . Near Webbers Falls , I-40 is the southern terminus of the Muskogee Turnpike . It then crosses the Arkansas River before passing through southern Sallisaw . The Interstate crosses into Arkansas north of Moffett . West of Oklahoma City, I-40 parallels and replaces Old US-66. US-66 was decommissioned in Oklahoma in 1985. The I-40 bridge over

1462-577: The original I-40 Crosstown Expressway was elevated, and at some points, the elevation was as much as 50 feet (15.2 m). According to a 2006 report, Oklahoma led the nation with 6,299 "structurally deficient" bridges. Attention to the Crosstown project increased in August 2007 after the collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota . At that time, ODOT released

1505-740: The reconstruction of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the largest building project ever undertaken by the University of California. URS was the contractor for the Port Washington Generating Station in Wisconsin, an 1100 MW combined-cycle power plant, which was recognized by Power Magazine as one of its top plants of 2008. URS also helped build the state-of-the-art Holcim cement manufacturing plant in Missouri, one of

1548-506: The task of "planning and developing the area south of downtown and north of the Oklahoma River where Interstate 40 currently runs." This team consists of community leaders as well as representatives from URS Corp. The entire route is in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma County . [REDACTED] Media related to Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway at Wikimedia Commons Interstate 40 in Oklahoma Interstate ;40 ( I-40 )

1591-447: The then current I-40 will "absolutely" survive through 2012, the completion date for the realignment, adding, "If we felt there was anything wrong that would cause us concern, we would close it, and we wouldn't think twice about it." However, in a filing with STB, Ridley urged a quick ruling because "new serious issues including cracks in fracture critical members are constantly being discovered and repaired. The condition and obsolescence of

1634-528: The town of Gore. Local firefighters directed traffic there 24 hours a day, with daytime temperatures approaching 100 °F (38 °C). Businesses in Gore reported loss of revenue due to the traffic; one gas station reported a 30% decline in revenue while traffic was detoured through town. On the evening of May 31, 2013, a very large and powerful multiple-vortex tornado occurred over rural areas of central Oklahoma, passing around El Reno, Oklahoma . This

1677-494: Was acquired by AECOM on October 17, 2014. URS Corporation’s oldest predecessor company was founded in 1904. URS was established in 1951 and incorporated in 1957 as Broadview Research – a research group active in the area of physical and engineering sciences. In 1967, management developed a growth strategy focused on building a multidisciplinary professional services firm. In 1968, Broadview Research acquired United Research Incorporated of Cambridge, Massachusetts. During this period,

1720-402: Was reached to acquire URS for about $ 4 billion in cash and shares with another $ 2 billion in assumed debt. The final acquisition was decided on October 17, 2014, and URS was officially part of AECOM as of October 20, 2014. In 1996, URS acquired Greiner Engineering for $ 73.5 million. Greiner Engineering had been established in 1908 by John E. Greiner. Greiner was a former bridge engineer for

1763-507: Was released in July 2007, and indicated that the project will be completed in 2012 and will cost $ 557 million. The ground-level boulevard to replace the current Crosstown bridges is no longer included in the cost estimates. The new Crosstown will have ten lanes for traffic traveling at 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). It is being designed to carry 170,000 vehicles per day, and will have shoulders for disabled vehicles. Over 95% of current traffic on

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1806-487: Was the design consultant for the bridge that was completed in 2007. These failures resulted in closures of Hiawatha Avenue and the adjacent light rail between Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis for safety precautions while support structures were put in place. Rail service was restored after four days while Hiawatha Avenue road traffic remained closed for staging of construction equipment. This failure occurred less than 18 months after URS Corporation settled out of court

1849-571: Was too narrow for existing traffic and was frequently in disrepair. In response, the I-40 Crosstown Expressway has been relocated a few blocks south of the original route and the original bridge torn down. The project was completed in February ;2012. The new I-40 Crosstown Expressway has been designed to carry more than 170,000 vehicles per day traveling at 60 mph (97 km/h) using at least 10 lanes for traffic and has breakdown lanes for disabled vehicles and future lane expansion. When

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