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Project Background

The City Council conducted a study session on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, to discuss the concept of One-Way Frontage Roads along Interstate Highway I-35 from Main Street to Tecumseh Road. This subject was prompted by recent discussions involving (1) transportation improvements for the University North Park development, (2) upcoming improvements to I-35 and associated Norman interchanges by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and (3) general traffic congestion and safety concerns at Robinson and I-35 as well as other interchanges. At the conclusion of the study session, the City Council directed staff to prepare a resolution for ODOT supporting the one-way frontage road concept.

On June 26, 2007, City Council approved Resolution No. R-0607-130 supporting the evaluation of the concept of One-Way Frontage Roads and directing staff to coordinate with ODOT. With this approval, staff was also directed to pursue professional services for an economic analysis of the impacts associated with the change in traffic flow and to assist with the formation of a citizen’s task force responsible for the review of the study and elaboration of a final recommendation to Council.

Between July and August of 2007, City staff met with ODOT officials to discuss the scope of the study and its financing, and also worked on the formation of a Citizen Task Force. A strategy for the selection process was developed and a selection committee formed. Members of the committee included David Streb and Tim Tegeler of ODOT, Shawn O’Leary and Angelo Lombardo of the City, and Mike Fowler of the citizens Task Force. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ), jointly issued by the City and ODOT, was mailed to 318 consulting firms on August 17, 2007. Seven statements of interest were submitted on August 28, 2007 and three firms selected for the interview phase of the selection process (HNTB Corporation, Traffic Engineering Consultants and Wilbur Smith Associates). Consultants were interviewed on October 1, 2007 and the joint venture of HNTB Corporation and Development Strategies was unanimously selected.

A scope of services was developed and presented to City Council during the October 9, 2007 Council Conference. It included five elements: Stakeholder Involvement, Economic Impact Analysis, Land Use Impacts, Transportation Analysis and Modeling, and Conceptual Plans and Cost Estimate Development. ODOT agreed to fund the Transportation and Roadway Elements with the City covering the Stakeholder, Economic and Land Use elements. The preliminary fee for services was reviewed by City staff and forwarded to ODOT for concurrence on October 19, 2007.

In early January of 2008, ODOT officials notified City staff of their decision to pursue the transportation and roadway elements of the original contract scope independently from the HNTB contract. To do so they retained the services of Traffic Engineering Consultants, Inc., who finished second in the original selection process. Staff and HNTB met with ODOT officials and representatives of Traffic Engineering Consultants to discuss coordination of the two contracts. Staff also requested a revised scope and fee proposal from HNTB to include only the stakeholder and economic analysis elements in their contract with the City of Norman. The study will be completed and the final report submitted by July 26, 2008.