Drivers expect delays as ODOT improves I-44 Arkansas River bridge
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Tulsans have been down this road before.
"Tulsa is sometimes a little slow about getting roads fixed. So we're kind of used to dealing with cones, signs and people with flags," said Brookside resident Barbara Murray.
Tulsa is all too familiar with construction on roads.
The nearly $4 million I-44 Arkansas River bridge improvement project may cause headaches.
Monday, Oklahoma Department of Transportation crews will be setting up the work zone on the bridge.
"And that will have traffic narrowed across the bridge until the early part of next year," said Kenna Mitchell with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Crews will be resurfacing 2 miles of the interstate, from the river bridge to the western Interstate 244 split.
It will span over several weekends, but the work done is to extend the bridge's lifespan.
"As far as the resurfacing work, it's some pretty rough pavement out there right now and that's going to help give drivers a better ride. East and westbound I-44 in that area," said Mitchell.
Drivers should expect lane and ramp closures.
Ramps from Peoria Avenue will be closed Monday at 7 p.m. until further notice.
"Hoping that, I will be able to figure out ways around it by finding other routes and so forth," said Murray.
ODOT warns drivers, during peak travel, to expect a lot of delays.
"Blocking them off so that there's very limited access and really slowing people down is going to probably end up with a lot of people feeling pretty unhappy," said Murray.
But other drivers I spoke to say if this is what it takes to get improved roads, then they are OK with it.