A portion of U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma will close later this month, and detours will be put in place as a bridge on the Turner Turnpike is replaced.
The plan was outlined on Tuesday by Joe Echelle, the executive director at the Oklahoma Transportation Authority (OTA). The bridge replacement comes as the Turner Turnpike is being widened.
“It’s a challenging location to work in,” Echelle said. “It’s probably the last bridge that will be the worst bridge to replace on the Turner Turnpike.”
The 71-year-old bridge is an original Turner Turnpike bridge, according to OTA spokesperson Lisa Shearer-Salim. She said the bridge will cost $48 million to replace.
Officials will close under a mile of U.S. Route 66 on Aug. 21, and the closure is expected to last about a year.
The bridge will be replaced by two new ones capable of handling traffic when the roadway is increased from four to six lanes.
Two lanes in each direction will remain open during construction. Motorists can expect lane shifts and night-time closures narrowing to one lane each way, according to the OTA.
The section of U.S. Route 66 is expected to reopen in 2026.
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Source: The Oklahoman, Oklahoma Voice
