I-235 Widening Project On The Way

<p>ODOT's most expensive road project will add to additional lanes and rebuild bridges and ramps in the area. Several News 9 viewers are concerned about the project, which will widen the corridor between I-235 and I-44.</p>

Friday, April 29th 2016, 2:39 pm

By: News 9

Oklahoma City driver, Denny Morgan isn’t afraid to tell you how he feels about traffic on I-235.

“It’s pretty nightmarish,” he says.

And he’s not alone. Lashay Love, another Oklahoma City resident adds, “Traffic is pretty horrible along 235.”

Their complaints have not gone unheard. This week, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is expected to award an $84 million contract for a two mile stretch of road between I-235 and I-44. An additional $3 million will go towards resurfacing the road

But ODOT spokesperson, Terri Angier says the most expensive part of the price tag goes towards rebuilding the ramps and bridge in between I-235 and I-44.

Contractors are expecting six weekends of closures along I-235 while the bridge is being rebuilt. They’ll eventually have to restrict traffic to two lanes on nights and weekends. It’s an expansion project many drivers say will hurt before it helps.

“I do understand long term why they want to do it too. OKC isn’t getting any smaller as you have more people in Edmond coming downtown. It makes sense to make it larger,” said Morgan.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to start at the end of next month. The entire project should take around three years to complete.