Broken Arrow road projects update: What drivers need to know about Houston Street construction

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — For nearly 27 years, Malid Al-Kouri has run Jake's Cafe at the corner of Houston and Aspen in Broken Arrow.

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He says it's a good business — but the ongoing road widening project running from his corner west to Olive on Houston Street has taken a toll.

"It did affect us about 30% of the business," Al-Kouri said.

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He's eager for construction to wrap up.

"I heard from them they're going to be finished next month. Completely," Al-Kouri said.

The $4.6 million Houston Street widening project between Olive and Aspen avenues — a 2018 General Obligation Bond project — is nearing completion, but has hit a minor delay. The final load of concrete needed to finish the project has been pushed back to Thanksgiving week. Once it arrives and is installed, the project will be complete. The city's website will provide updates on delivery and installation.

The widening project between Olive and Aspen is not the only road improvement underway on Houston Street. Here is a breakdown of active projects:

Houston Street from County Line Road to Old Highway 51

Work at this location includes improving drainage, adding new curbs and gutters on the south side of the street, and installing new signal poles, which are expected to arrive around Christmas. Eastbound and westbound traffic is currently reduced to one lane each on the north side of the street.

Houston Street east of Midway (full-depth reconstruction)

To accommodate construction, the west half of East Houston Street is closed. Crews are replacing 1,000 feet of storm pipe in the northside drainage ditch, and new storm inlets are expected to arrive soon. Once drainage improvements are in place, crews will continue roadway base repairs at the east end of the project and install the final asphalt layer.

Other nearby projects

At the Oklahoma Department of Transportation project on County Line Road between Omaha and Albany streets in north Broken Arrow, the contractor is currently widening both sides of the roadway for a new bridge.

In south Broken Arrow, work continues on the 9th Street and Washington Street intersection project. Crews are still working on curbs and inlet connections, with completion expected around Christmas.

Two street maintenance projects have also recently wrapped up. On Lynn Lane between New Orleans and Washington streets, a contractor milled the pavement edges and added 2 inches of asphalt, followed by new striping. On Washington Street from Lynn Lane to First Place, the roadway was milled and overlaid with 2 inches of asphalt. Multi-polymer street striping will follow to complete that project.

New tool helps drivers navigate construction zones

PAST COVERAGE: Broken Arrow launches new app and interactive map to help drivers navigate construction zones and traffic

Congestion from these projects and others around Broken Arrow can frustrate drivers. The city recently introduced a free interactive web map and app to help residents identify construction zones, road closures, and traffic slowdowns before they hit the road.

"They can see where the construction projects are that may impact traffic flow. They can see where there are events like parades, festivals, that sort of thing where there might be some road closures, and then just everyday congestion and traffic flow," said Aaron. "Then go in, see where those are so that they can detour around them."

The map uses color coding to indicate traffic conditions.

"It'll show you the red, the yellow, and the orange to show you where traffic's a little bit slower, much slower, or completely stopped," Aaron said.

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