The city of Tulsa got good news this week in the form of a $45 million grant to help replace bridges on Interstate 44 in the city’s west side. It will help speed up work on a $350 million project to widen the interstate to six lanes and also replace the I-44/U.S. 75 interchange.
“This was such a pleasant surprise for us to have this opportunity. It’s huge,” said Mike Patterson, Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director in an interview with The Tulsa World.
He explained the work could begin in 2020. Phase one will replace bridges at 33rd West Avenue and Union Avenue and also widen the highway to six lanes from Union Avenue east to the Arkansas River. Estimated cost is $100 million but Patterson said $45 million out of it is a “bid deal.”
The grant is called the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America award and the U.S. Transportation Department will make the formal announcement on Friday. The effort to land the funding was pushed by U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford.
“Tulsans know that the stretch of I-44 from I-244 to the Arkansas River is some of our state’s oldest infrastructure, but also one of the most heavily-trafficked routes for trucks and interstate commerce,” Inhofe said in a statement.
“That’s why I’m pleased to announce a $45 million grant for the Tulsa area that will provide necessary upgrades and revitalize an important artery for our national freight system,” he continued.
“This grant will help keep motorists safe by reducing congestion, replacing bridges and modernizing the highway design for efficient travel.”
Lankford said in a statement that “this important federal infrastructure grant is great news for Tulsa and Oklahoma.”
“This transportation route is congested and unsafe, and must be repaired soon in order to improve safety and better manage the quantity and complexity of modern-day traffic,” he continued.
An estimated 84,500 vehicles travel I-44 every day between the western I-244 split and U.S. 75.
