The final widening of I-235/US-77/Broadway Ext. from Edmond, Okla., to Oklahoma City will begin on Monday, March 25, spurring the need for detour routes but also beginning the last stage of a more than a decade-long modernization effort.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) reports this final leg of the project will take nearly two years. It is the seventh phase of this project, which will end with an interstate sporting up to eight lanes. In all, 11 bridges will be involved, including two more flyover ramps. The interstate will remain open, but reduced to two lanes of traffic in each direction most of the time. Lane shifts, ramp closures, and night-time lane closures will further pressure the situation.
“This is likely to be the most disruptive to traffic of any other project in the state,” Terri Angier, ODOT spokeswoman, said. “The project will eliminate the last remaining bottleneck for traffic by widening I-235 over I-44 and it will be the first four-level interchange built on the state highway system in Oklahoma.”
By the project’s end, there will be as many as four full weekend closures of I-235, a weekend closure of I-44, the northbound I-235 off-ramp to N. 63rd St. will be closed for nearly two months, the northbound I-235 off-ramp to N. 50th St. will be closed for widening, N. 50th St. and Santa Fe Ave. will have lanes intermittently closed, and the southbound I-235/US-77 off-ramp to eastbound I-44 and the westbound I-44 on-ramp to southbound I-235 will be closed for up to two weeks while widening proceeds. While these matters are temporary, the northbound I-235 on-ramp from N. 50th St. is permanently closed.
This part of the project is being handled by Allen Contracting Inc. and American Bridge Co. Inc., under a $105 million contract.