Analysis outlines improvements to help traffic flow on Lawton’s Gore Boulevard

Just under $4 million worth of upgrades could help traffic flow on Gore Boulevard while providing better amenities for those who walk or ride bicycles.

The upgrades are outlined in a traffic flow analysis conducted by WSB on a segment of Gore Boulevard that stretches between Northwest/Southwest 7th Street and Lawrie Tatum Road, an area city officials and many drivers — particularly those living or working in east Lawton — say is prone to traffic congestion. WSB’s traffic analysis is one of two studies on the area, and while one analysis resulted in adjustments at the five signal lights between Lawrie Tatum Road and Northwest/Southwest 2nd Street, WSB’s analysis is a more in-depth study and recommendation document that included motorized traffic, bicycles and pedestrians.

Members of the Lawton Metropolitan Planning Organization’s transportation policy and and transportation technical committees approved the document recently, meaning the data could be adopted in some form by city officials to address congestion and overall traffic flow.

The list of recommendations includes $1.69 million for work such as road markings at eight major intersections in the study area, sidewalk improvements, crosswalks and bike lanes, as well as adding left turn lanes at Gore Boulevard’s intersection with Railroad Street.

Ward 4 Councilman George Gill, the east Lawton City Council member who travels Gore Boulevard multiple times a day, is among those pressing for solutions to congestion. Noting the recommendation for left-turn lanes from Gore, he also recommended a right-turn lane for eastbound traffic onto Railroad Street to pull some of the waiting traffic off Gore Boulevard. While Railroad Street is an industrial access road, it also is the major entrance into the new public safety facility and east Lawton drivers say traffic has greatly increased since the center opened.

David Denham, chairman of the City Planning Commission, cited the traffic signal light at Southwest/Northwest 4th Street, asking if that device is necessary. City officials have been questioning the lights at 4th and 6th Streets, asking whether their removal could improve traffic flow on Gore Boulevard. Others have said the 4th Street light no longer is necessary now that Lawton Police Department no longer is located along that pathway. WSB traffic engineer Hamideh Etemadnia agreed, saying their analysis shows the 4th Street light is not warranted, referring to an analysis that uses the amount of traffic flow to determine if a signal light is needed.

The signal lights at 4th and 6th streets are the only traffic lights between South 11th Street/Fort Sill Boulevard and Southwest/Northwest 2nd Street; other intersections are controlled with Stop signs for northbound and southbound traffic.

Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris said the 4th Street intersection may no longer qualify for a light, but the lights shouldn’t be removed “until the buses stop.” LATS buses access Gore Boulevard via Southwest 4th Street, and Harris said that light cannot be removed until the new transfer center opens on Railroad and Southeast D Avenue.

Harris also is interested in WSB’s recommendation to install new sidewalks and widen existing ones along Gore Boulevard, suggesting sidewalks should be extended all the way to casinos and hotels east of the Interstate 44 bridge. Harris said there is a lot of foot traffic that would benefit from sidewalks, taking pedestrians and bicycle riders off a high-speed arterial.

WSB’s study cited concerns the I-44 bridge, which contains only narrow shoulders that pedestrians and bicycle riders must use to get from one side of the interstate to the other.

Lawton and Oklahoma Department of Transportation already have resolved that issue. The entities are cooperating on a $2.56 million project to build a pedestrian bridge adjacent to the vehicular bridge. Jay Earp, ODOT Division 7 engineer, said construction is slated to begin in July. It’s one of three ODOT-led projects that will begin in Lawton in coming months: the West Gore Boulevard expansion west of 67th Street will begin in mid-April, while upgrades on Rogers Lane will begin in mid-August.

Etemadnia agreed with city officials that there are specific problems causing congestion on Gore Boulevard, including Railroad Street.

“This is one of the issues,” she said, of a signal light installed to help emergency vehicles exit the Lawton Public Safety Center, but one that drivers said also adds to congestion, particularly for westbound traffic.

Etemadnia said the study also confirmed the signal light at Lawrie Tatum Road is warranted, something city officials have questioned in recent years because the light was intended as a temporary measure until the Comanche Nation built an access road to East Lee Boulevard. Recent discussions by Gill and others have indicated city officials would consider upgrading that light system only if the Comanche Nation covers the cost.