PICTURES OF THE WEEK I
Week of May 4, 2003: four years ago, on May 3, 1999, a devastating tornado ripped through central Oklahoma, killing many and damaging or destroying much. The last damage it caused was to a church only one mile from my home in southwest Tulsa. But the picture above shows the most visible remnant of that day: a big, empty concrete field where the Tanger Outlet Mall in Stroud once stood, just north of the Turner Turnpike at the OK-99 exit. (Here are three more pics of the same area) Sidebar: that tornado was the strongest F5 ever recorded. In fact, just one MPH stronger and it would've been an F6, previously believed unheard of in nature!
Week of May 11, 2003: northbound on US-271, just south of Hugo, approaching a cloverleaf exchange. US-70 goes to the left and the right. US-271 continues to the left (west), with the start of the Indian Nations Turnpike just three miles down the road. Continue straight ahead and you're on the beginning of BUS-US-271, going to the Hugo business district (a.k.a. downtown). This is also the southeasternmost north-south BGS gantry in the state.
Week of May 18, 2003: I-44 eastbound, approaching the Mingo Valley Expressway-slash-Pearl Harbor Memorial Expressway-slash-US 169. The cross-highway has recently been widened from four lanes to six in this area. A side-effect of this widening: there is no more exit from eastbound I-44 to southbound US-169, as shown by the rightmost eixt sign above, showing a northbound exit only. The old southbound on-ramp led immediately to the 21st St off-ramp, and many accidents were caused by traffic trying to weave around each other. This problem was rectified by removing this exit, and adding a new 21st St exit about a mile back. Traffic wanting to get to southbound 169 can now exit at 21st, follow 21st to the east for about a mile, and get back on 169. Or, you could do what I did my first time, and use the other three cloverleafs, effectively making an 810-degree turn!
Week of May 25, 2003: Here's a rarity: a totally vacant, four-lane limited-access highway, shot a 5:00 on a Monday afternoon. What's the deal here? Major accidents in both directions bringing traffic to a complete halt? Not exactly: this is a portion of the Will Rogers Turnpike that's no longer being used due the turnpike's reroute and connection to the Creek Turnpike. Picture taken from the Pine Street bridge.
Week of June 1, 2003: Westbound on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, approaching the newest exit along this stretch of I-44: a cloverleaf exchange, the first exit taking you to the recently-extended OK-4, the second to a new unsigned 8-mile spur of the turnpike, and a more direct route for people coming from the Lawton-Wichita Falls area going to Norman. Spur will only be considered busy on days when OU has a home game.
Page 2All pictures are property of me, Martin McMahon,
but you are free to use them elsewhere if you wish, all I
insist on is proper credit be given to the true photographer,
and that the pictures are not being included in a for-profit publication
without prior permission.