TULSA, Okla. — A multi-million dollar project to replace a pair of aging bridges along the heavily traveled stretch of I-44 in Tulsa is starting Monday.
The project is taking place on I-44 at 33rd West Avenue just east of the junction with I-244.
Before the project was to begin, emergency repairs had to be made to the bridges after an accident Sunday.
This is the first full replacement of the bridges.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said the $11 million dollar project is expected to take at a least a year to complete.
ODOT spokesperson Kenna Mitchel says the bridges were built in 1952 and are now considered obsolete.
Plans are to widen the bridge to accommodate future projects throughout the corridor from the Arkansas River to the 1-244 western split.
"This segment of I-44 out on the west end of town is one of the oldest remaining segments of interstate in the state. So, it’s narrow, it’s not up to today’s standards and we are trying to make plans to go through and piece by piece do different improvements in this corridor," said Mitchel.
With weather permitting, the project should be complete in the spring of 2021.
During the project, various ramps and lanes closed at different times.
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