He said they are looking for impacts on the area residences and businesses, like land use, noise, farmland, wetlands and floodplain impacts. Some other considerations are archeological, hazardous waste or underground storage sites. The environmental process will have to be approved by the Federal Highway Administration.

The overpass will be offset 160 feet to the north to avoid nearby residences. Noise abatements for the neighborhood are being considered.

It would be built in two phases and integrated with the I-35 project.

“It will appear as a seamless project,” Hepp said.

Stacy Hooper asked about school bus routes and explained why buses may have trouble negotiating around the construction.

Hepp said those are exactly the kinds of issues they have the public meetings to discuss and they’d look into places for the school buses to be able to turn around.

Another attendee asked about floodplain measures, with the residences recently receiving letters about the changes in the floodplain mapping.

O’Leary said the project will be required to get a floodplain permit, just as any other project would, and the design of the overpass will have to be compatible with the City’s new stringent floodplain ordinance.

He said the project will need to have compensatory storage for flood waters displaced because of the fill around the overpass.

Norman Economic Development Coalition Director Don Wood asked about Texas turnarounds or slip ramps.

Wood was told those design elements are on hold until the overdue one-way vs. two-way frontage road study is completed.

“The good news is the City of Norman is in partnership with ODOT on the study,” O’Leary said. “What you’re seeing here is the traditional two-way frontage road.”

O’Leary said the presentation will be on the City of Norman’s Web site today at www.NormanOK.gov.