The project to widen I-235 to six through lanes and two auxiliary lanes from NW 36th Street to just north of NW 50th Street in Oklahoma City has been completed ahead of schedule and is now fully reopened to traffic.
Construction began in January 2017 and was projected to take about three years if traditional schedules had been followed, according to the Oklahoman. However, incentives were offered for early completion and Allen Contracting Inc. of Oklahoma City has completed the project in under two years. The $88 million project was the largest single dollar amount awarded in state transportation department history.
The highly visible part of the project was a 45-ft-tall BNSF railroad bridge containing nearly 4 million lb of steel. The bridge was built alongside the interstate in two, 275-ft-long sections and then wheeled into place in January to minimize traffic disruptions. Another part of the project involved the installation of an elaborate system of underground drainage structures and pipes primarily along the east side of the interstate, a necessary solution to the frequent flash flooding prone to impact the northbound lanes during torrential rainfall in the city.
The completion of this project marks the combined third and fourth phases of a seven-phase project that will make I-235 and the Broadway Extension at least six lanes all the way from Edmond to I-40 once work is complete. All seven phases of improvements to the I-235 corridor are expected to be complete by 2022 at a combined cost of nearly $300 million.
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Source: The Oklahoman
