The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) last week broke ground on the Interstate 44/Turner Turnpike just east of Bristow. The project initaties ODOT's ACCESS Oklahoma long-range plan.
ACCESS Oklahoma, which stands for Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide, is a 15-year long-range plan to provide upgrades to turnpike infrastructure including widening projects on the I-44/Turner Turnpike, I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike and the John Kilpatrick Turnpike while also adding new interchanges along existing turnpikes, upgrading bridges and modernizing existing interchanges.
The I-44/Turner Turnpike will be widened to six lanes between SH-66 at Heyburn (Mile Marker 203) to just east of Bristow at MM 197. This just more than 6-mile project connects with the previous six-lane widening completed during Driving Forward from Sapulpa to Kellyville. This project will include a new interchange at SH-66 to improve community access and emergency response times.
The $98 million contract was awarded by the Authority's Board in December 2023 to Duit Construction Co. of Edmond. This is the second, single largest dollar construction project to be awarded in OTA’s history at more than $98 million, behind the Gilcrease Expressway.
"The people of Oklahoma really appreciate safe and reliable roads. I set a vision for Oklahoma to be Top Ten in everything we do," said Gov. Kevin Stitt, in a statement. "Since I took office, Oklahoma has made tremendous strides in infrastructure. In 2021, we were 24th place and this year we jumped to 12th place in overall infrastructure."
"Three highways converge here in the community of Bristow. Until we make some improvements to this I-44/Turner corridor, those highways don't function at their highest level and don't support the community as they will in the future," said Tim Gatz executive director ODOT, in a statement. I'm excited about this turnpike project and about the next one that begins to reconfigure the interchange that serves the Bristow area and that will make all of those highways on the tax-supported highway system work far better than they do today. And what that translates to is additional opportunities to grow and enjoy economic development"
The widening project for I-44 is expected to be complete by spring 2026.
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Source: The Oklahoma Department of Transportation
