Federal Grant For $85M Adds To I-44, Highway 75 Project

A federal grant for $85 million will pay for part of the reconstruction of the I-44 and Highway 75 interchange in Tulsa.

The $300 million project is underway, with the first phase completed and an expected completion date no sooner than 2027.

The $85 million appropriation came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was approved last year but rejected by all of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation.

The grant, according to ODOT, is the largest federal award for a transportation project in Oklahoma history.

It comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Tulsa in August to announce a $10 million grant to reconnect 51st Street underneath the interchange and build links for walking and cycling.

Major work at the site has paused and the next phase will be put out for bid later this year.

In the first cycle, several bridges were replaced and piers built for bridges that will convert the cloverleaf junction to one with bridges over the highway so drivers and maintain speed while transitioning between the highway and interstate.

According to ODOT, the section of I-44 between Union Avenue and I-244 is the oldest and narrowest section of interstate in Oklahoma.

ODOT figures show I-44 handles 150,000 vehicles and 21,000 trucks each day.

“It's going to make it safe for people going through there, it's going to move traffic more efficiently, so hopefully we can reduce some congestion over there as well,” TJ Gerlach, an ODOT spokesman, said.

The plans include new bridges over the Arkansas River and over Highway 75 at 61st Street, the re-connection of 51st Street now cut off by the interchange, a pedestrian bridge over railroad tracks near the river, and upgrades for Skelly Drive, and construction of a new Highway 75 access road.