The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) awarded a $252 million contract to Manhattan Road & Bridge for work on the Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 75 interchange.
“The interchange itself was always planned as five separate projects when we initiated the whole process. That was just to break it up into more manageable pieces. Both in terms of traffic as well as getting funding for those projects,” said TJ Gerlach with ODOT.
Construction is expected to begin next spring and last approximately three years. The project will complete the entire interchange, according to Gerlach.
“Fortunately, that first project that’s already completed was definitely the most impactful to traffic,” Gerlach said. “Not saying this coming traffic won’t be impactful, but we’re not going to have as much as the closures as we had building those piers that are there today.”
Two federal grants totaling $95 million is helping ODOT package the three projects together at once.
This is the most expensive highway construction contract ever awarded in Oklahoma and the second largest contracted time, according to ODOT.
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Source: FOX 23, KRMG
