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January 30, 2013

Repairs to the detour

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — It took some time, but it looks like the state Highway Department and its contractors will change the configuration of the Interstate 35 on-ramp at Lindsey Street.

The State Highway 9 and Lindsey northbound on-ramp will be lengthened once the new asphalt cures. It will give oncoming motorists extra distance to enter the highway.

The configuration for the past few weeks forced motorists to enter the highway after only a short acceleration. Few drivers already on the highway were yielding to oncoming traffic or paying attention to the slowing traffic signs. And, as we all know, oncoming drivers don’t always yield to highway traffic as they were taught. It was hard to navigate and we heard from several commuters.

Several crashes, at least one with serious injury Sunday evening, came about at the location. The orange barrels were hit often, and the barricades had many marks on them.

We thank the highway department and the contractor for making the change. It’s too bad that it took this long to fix the problem. The information should help them plan the routes for when the Lindsey Street and SH 9 East bridges are replaced in coming years. Thankfully, that project won’t start until Main Street is completed.

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