July 19, 2012
Wider possibilities for Lindsey
By Joy Hampton
The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Editor’s Note: This is the first in a periodic series of stories examining the projects of the transporation bond package set for vote Aug. 28.

For years, local restaurateur Joe Sparks opposed proposals to widen Lindsey Street. Now, he’s reversed that stance and is supporting the upcoming transportation bond package going before Norman voters on Aug. 28.

“In the past, I worked against widening Lindsey Street,” he said. “This is the first time the widening has been combined with drainage issues at Lindsey and McGee and this is the first time they’ve agreed to bury the utilities.”

Sparks and wife Rebecca Sparks own Legends Restaurant on Lindsey Street west of Berry Road. He said the time is right for the Lindsey project.

“We’ll get half of it paid for with the federal match,” he said. “Another plus is the Lindsey Street bridge is going to be torn down to make it six lanes. We might as well get these other problems solved at the same time.”

Norman would coordinate the reconstruction and widening of Lindsey Street between Berry and 24th Ave. Southwest with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s work on the Lindsey bridge at Interstate 35. That project is slated for 2016.

“Of course, the Lindsey Street project is only one of eight involved with this project,” Sparks said.

The Lindsey widening could take as long as two years and that will affect his business, but Sparks said the improvements will be worth the sacrifice.

“We’ll just have to make some adjustments in the way we operate while that’s going on,” he said. “Businesses and their customers will still have access continuously.”

Sparks said access at the Lindsey and I-35 interchange will also remain continuous.

“The end result will be a much better Lindsey Street. We’ll have continuous sidewalks and continuous curbs,” he said. “The utilities will be buried so there will be opportunities for better landscaping.

“The University of Oklahma will have a better opportunity at having a really attractive gateway. The 21st Century calls for landscaping.”

The city has been gathering data from Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, resident surveys and other entities to prioritize projects as this bond proposal was prepared.

That information reveals some startling statistics:

· Lindsey Street is the No. 1 rated sotrm water problem in Norman.

· It is also the No. 1 traffic congestion corridor in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

· The crash rate on Lindsey is nearly three times the national average for similar roadways.

Flooding along McGee Street affects access to homes, churches and at least one school. Bethel Baptist Church and St. Stephens United Methodist Church struggle with flooding and access every time it rains as does Whittier Middle School. Flooding is so bad in that area, it is commonly referred to as “Lake McGee.”

Access for people with disabilities is also an issue along Lindsey Street because the sidewalks are not continous and many of those that exist lack curb cuts. Landscaping is spotty and overhead powerlines interfer with trees and other landscaping features.

The proposed bond project would solve those problems in addition to easing traffic congestion through the widening.

“West Lindsey Street is probably the main gateway to the university and it’s the first thing many people see — the first impression of Norman,” Sparks said.

That includes prospective students, visitors to Norman, industrial prospects and investors and people who might buy a home here, he said.

“There’s a serious economic component to the improved appearance of Lindsey Street,” Sparks said.

As a local business owner and Norman resident, he believes it’s a project that’s time has come and the investment is worth the outcome.

The 2012 Bond Program, if approved, will provide the city’s matching dollars for eight transportation projects. The city is making use of federal matching funds administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments. All of the proposed bond projects are eligible for federal tranprojects.

Joy Hampton 366-3539 jhampton@ normantranscript.com