A new $17 million Interstate 40 interchange will be dedicated Thursday morning at El Reno.
Gov. Mary Fallin will be joined by other dignitaries in dedicating the project that began four years ago with a vow from Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy to contribute land for the creation of the Radio Road interchange.
“It’s a rare interchange,” explained Lisa Salim with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation,” because such new interchanges are not opened every day. They have to be approved by the federal government and show they have an economic impact on a city.”
The interchange is now the eastern-most exit and entrance of Interstate 40 at El Reno located two miles east of highway U.S. 81 and leads immediately into the city’s industrial district where oil and gas companies have warehouse and office sites. It also leads down Old Route 66 to oil and gas pipeline storage places such as one created a few years ago by Schlumberger.
The DOT had to build a new I-40 overpass bridge as part of the project in addition to the diamond-shaped interchange. The state called it a “unique public-private partnership” with the City of El Reno, Chesapeake Energy and the DOT.
State highway officials said in 2012, there were 34,920 vehicles a day that traveled I-40 in the area and now the DOT projects traffic will increase to 59,270 vehicles a day on average by 2032.
Actual construction on the interchange started Nov. 2, 2015.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the on and off ramps should be open for traffic by 10:30 a.m
.