BA Expressway bridge replacement project starts Monday

TULSA - A major road project to replace three aging and structurally deficient bridge decks along the Broken Arrow Expressway will begin on Monday.

The work will take place between Yale and Harvard.

"For our maintenance crews it has been an ongoing challenge to make sure the roadway itself is in good shape," said ODOT spokesperson Kenna Mitchell.  "We're just to the point now where we need to go ahead and do a full removal of that pavement and put some new pavement in."

The project will cost $2.7 million and should take about eight months to complete.

ODOT said drivers can expect lane closures in both east and westbound lanes.

There may be instances when only one lane in each direction is open for travel, officials say.

"There's going to be some delays going through here," said Mitchell. "If [drivers] want to start locating alternate routes, now is the time to do it."

Some drivers like Brian McMillen are fine with it.

"It's an impediment to travel but it's necessary. We're growing. We're a growing community," McMillen said.

However, other drivers like Sascha Elsner say there's too much road construction taking place around town.

"It's excessive. It's a nuisance," said Elsner. "I've almost had wrecks because of it. It's unnecessary. So much of it at one time is unnecessary."

Mitchell said ODOT understands motorists' frustration with all the construction zones.

"If we were to wait for one project to end before beginning another project, we would never be able to catch up with all the needed maintenance and construction here in the area," said Mitchell. "So we do have to tackle these projects on a critical need, also on available funding."

The BA Expressway bridge replacement is the fourth major road project ODOT is working on in the Tulsa area.

They are currently working on two projects on I-244, near the Arkansas River and between Memorial and the I-44 corridor, and crews continue work on I-44 near Riverside.