At a recent Oklahoma Transportation Comission meeting this week, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) kicked off its Work Zone Awareness week and provided updates of a more than $40 million project on US-75 in Glenpool and given notice of an upcoming bridge project on I-235 in Oklahoma City.
ODOT executive director Tim Gatz read a proclamation from Governor Kevin Stitt declaring April 15-19 “Oklahoma Work Zone Awareness Week” and debuted a new work zone safety public service announcement, which can be viewed here. The safety campaign “Make it Home Safe; Make Oklahoma Safe,” was created by ODOT and OTA to help remind motorists of their responsibility to be safe in highway work zones, and coincides with the National Work Zone Safety Awareness campaign led by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
There will be more than 145 work zones in Oklahoma this summer driving season. “We ask for the traveling public’s support as we all work hard to end crashes in construction work zones,” Gatz said in a statement. In its history, 72 Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority employees have been killed in the line of duty, more than any other state agencies except the military.
Commissioners approved a more than $40 million contract to construct a bridge on US-75 over 141st St. in Glenpool as well as ramps, access roads and protected turnarounds. Phased construction will build ramps and frontage roads first followed by the bridge. Work is anticipated to begin this summer and take about a year. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained on US-75 at peak times. A broader corridor study is in the preliminary stages for US-75 between SH-117 and SH-67.
Gatz advised commissioners about a much needed, upcoming bridge joint rehabilitation project on I-235 just north of I-40 in Oklahoma City. The many traffic movements in the area will make it a challenging work zone. Work is anticipated to begin in late April and finish in late summer; the contract is incentivized for early completion.
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Source: The Oklahoma Department of Transportation
