They've started work on 169 and I-44. I am trying to figure out what ramps will be flyover and which will be clovers. EB I-44 to NB 169 and WB I-44 to SB 169 should both at least be ramps

They've started work on 169 and I-44. I am trying to figure out what ramps will be flyover and which will be clovers. EB I-44 to NB 169 and WB I-44 to SB 169 should both at least be ramps

This project adds just one flyover. EB I-44 to NB US-169

This project adds just one flyover. EB I-44 to NB US-169

Well dang. They still need to either braid the 21st St onramp and NB 169 to EB I-44. That's a nightmare for such a busy onramp.

Well dang. They still need to either braid the 21st St onramp and NB 169 to EB I-44. That's a nightmare for such a busy onramp.
All of the ramps should be flyovers.

All of the ramps should be flyovers.

Yeah that’d be great but it’d be best if they got US-169 and OK-51 since that junction is even more high traffic. Same with I44 and OK-51. I think they both have some work planned on thenm

More dollars to ensure it gets done. Also talks about how it will help with flood control.

https://www.fox23.com/news/oklahoma-awarded-85m-grant-tulsa-i-44-us-75-corridor-project/VGAZXIQAZ5COPG52QZUMZMVDAU/

More dollars to ensure it gets done. Also talks about how it will help with flood control.

https://www.fox23.com/news/oklahoma-awarded-85m-grant-tulsa-i-44-us-75-corridor-project/VGAZXIQAZ5COPG52QZUMZMVDAU/

Lots of federal dollars coming to Tulsa and Oklahoma as a whole!

I wonder if this will lead to any other projects on ODOT timeline to move up?

I wonder if this will lead to any other projects on ODOT timeline to move up?

85 million dollars is not that much compared to what is on ODOT's average 8 year plan

Drove through this twice this weekend. Wondered why it was in the same state as it was a month ago when we went to Claremore. Found an article where someone called it "Traffic Henge" and that made me laugh.

https://www.fox23.com/news/construction-to-begin-again-this-year-on-i-44-highway-75-interchange-in-west-tulsa/article_d49034b0-b574-11ee-9a56-4bfda8c359ed.html

The final completion of this interchange was lit for bid this month and should start construction soon. It will be a fully directional with the exception of one loop ramp. I just wish that was a flyover as well, so it would be Oklahoma’s first fully stack interchange:


Director Gatz also provided the commission with an update on the interchange improvements at I-44 and US-75 in Tulsa. The project was divided into five work packages to help ensure the projects were manageable. Major construction was completed on the first work phase, which included bridge piers, in 2022. The piers were built in phase one to speed up planned construction and minimize future traffic impacts. The next round of work is expected to start in 2025 and last three years.

- https://oklahoma.gov/odot/about-us/newsroom/2024/-august-commission-meeting-wrap-up--us-70-roosevelt-bridge-and-i.html

3 years for what’s left? Seems excessive.

I dont understand why they did it this way in general. Why not get the full product going for part of the thing and just not do the other side instead of creating the pillars to nowhere? It's soooooo weird!

Because they didn't have the funding for the full thing, and if they waited until the entire thing was funded it could have been a couple more decades. They made a gamble that getting started on phase 1 would spur additional investment - and it paid off. I would have liked them to have started on phase 2 by now since they got a bunch of infrastructure act money secured, but I think they are trying to let the project up north get a bit farther along before they tear this area up again. It's all part of my commute, so I don't look forward to several more years of construction, but I am happy they are FINALLY getting to it.

3 years for what’s left? Seems excessive.

These three phases will:
Finish the flyover bridges and new ramps in the main interchange
Widen US-75 from the 41st street exit to about 65th Street, including a new 61st Street exist and service roads
Widen I-44 to 8 lanes from east of US-75 to the Riverside Drive intersection including the Arkansas river bridges

I know they didn't have funding...that wasn't my question. My question was why not do one side of the interchange at a time instead of doing it this way where it's part of the whole interchange. For example, only do the full westbound side and leave eastbound for later. Or do one corner of it with site prep/etc for the others. It's extremely unusual that they would have released this in a way to do only the structural piers and then wait for the next phase.

Almost like stopping building the capital dome because you ran out of money.

Unless I'm missing something, that interchange today doesn't seem that busy either. With 244 so close, it seems like it's not really such a bottleneck. If we're fighting over funds for interchanges, 240/35 in OKC is about 100 times more busy and we're struggling to get ODOT to fund that one to completion.

^Because that wouldn't have made sense in terms of the whole project. You can't do one corner of an interchange when the roads themselves are also being widened. You would have to come back and redo the ramps that you created in the first phase. The first phase of this project that has already been completed involved widening both I44 and US75 through the interchange. Now the ramps have a place to go, and they've already been halfway constructed.

This interchange has suffered from major rush hour backups for as long as I've lived in the area. It's been a source of constant wrecks that mess up the morning commutes to downtown from the south suburbs. We have a couple others that are way beyond capacity for cloverleaf style interchanges.

240/35 in OKC should also be a priority. IMO, the state should be focused on upgrading cloverleafs in both major metros for the next decade.

$252 million was awarded yesterday to Manhattan Construction for phases 2, 3 and 4 of this project to start in the spring.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/contract-awarded-to-complete-i-44-us-75-interchange-in-west-tulsa/article_8287bce4-84ed-11ef-8ce1-8f2cdaaddf4d.html

These phases will complete the interchange and all work on US-75 leaving a couple of miles of I-44 west of US-75 to be widened in phase 5.