GLENPOOL, Okla. — If you've driven down Highway 75 in Glenpool, you've noticed the progress on the 141st Street overpass.
"We're getting very close to being able to move traffic onto that new main line," Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesperson TJ Gerlach said. "It looks like we'll be able to make that transition in probably about another month. Likely the end of August."
Work began in August of 2024, and has quickly moved closer to the finish line. It's a project that Green Country residents have asked for over the last few decades, and one that will greatly improve congestion in the area.
"Come the end of August, we should have traffic having no stops through there," Gerlach said. "No stop light, no traffic signal. And that will basically eliminate the only stop light on 75 between Okmulgee and Bartlesville."
It's a welcome sight for business owners in the area, like Momodou Ceesay, who has owned Mamadou's Restaurant in Glenpool for nearly 30 years. He says construction has made it tough for some of his customers to find him.
"For people who used to come to Mamadou's, it's easy for them and they can always navigate and come," Ceesay said. "But for new people, it's always hard for them."
With crews nearing the end of their work, most Green Country drivers rejoice. But some think with the new overpass, the need to stop in Glenpool might drop. Ceesay, the eternal optimist, says he's with that positive approach.
"For example, if you're coming from the south, you can always exit at 141st, come under the bypass, and then go where you want to go in town," Ceesay said. "So I think it's a win-win."
A win for Glenpool, and a win for Mamadou's.
"For a place like this that's been here for so long, it's a destination restaurant," Ceesay said. "So people who want to come here, find their way to get here."
Gerlach added there's still work that'll need to be done once the overpass opens. Everything under the bridge, and work on the on- and off-ramps, will likely finish up in October.
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