I-235 / I-44 Interchange

[Anonymous.]

^Yes, everything not concrete is temporary. The entire final project will be concrete when done.

[Plutonic Panda]

It appears this project is coming to a halt. No more work will be done on demoing the 50th St. bridge until the budget issue is fixed and sod might placed around this as this thing might be stalled for awhile. Ugh!

[jn1780]

It appears this project is coming to a halt. No more work will be done on demoing the 50th St. bridge until the budget issue is fixed and sod might placed around this as this thing might be stalled for awhile. Ugh!

Is this just your observation or did you hear it somewhere? I haven't seen any kind of news article about the I-235 project coming to a halt.

[Plutonic Panda]

Someone had posted about it in AAROADS forum that they had heard directly from an OkDOT official.

[flyfisher07]

It's possible, but i find it hard to believe. The only remaining sections they have left to demo will require I235 or the rail line to be stopped while the demo is ongoing (or they could narrow I235 to one lane in each direction and do one side then the other). And demo certainly isn't the most expensive thing of the bid package....if ODOT really wanted the contractor to stop and save money on the May invoice they wouldn't have paved the I44 E to I235 S ramp just the other day. Also, I have a hard time believing ODOT would expend the funds to put sod down before knowing the exact extent of the budget situation. Regardless, we will know one way or another in a couple weeks.

[ChaseDweller]

What I read was that future phases the I-240/I-35 project were being delayed due to budget issues. This one is already under contract. I can't imagine they could stop the current phase without incurring huge liability.

[OklahomaNick]

It doesnt appear that this project has been put on hold mid-construction. Work being done on site!
The part of the 50th street bridge NOT demoed is over the railroad and that makes sense because its an active track!

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm sure work would continue for a month or so but nerveless, I'm glad to hear it's moving along.

[Pete]

Well, this should be fun:

Press Releases
Friday, May 19, 2017

It's showtime: I-235 closes for five days in June

Off Broadway 44

In a twist to the original script, I-235 will be fully closed to traffic at the I-44 interchange for about five days in June, weather permitting. The extended closure is designed to eliminate some future traffic headaches for drivers. The nearly 100,000 motorists who use this corridor daily are urged to plan their alternate routes now.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes such as I-35, SH-74 (Lake Hefner Parkway) to I-44, I-40 or use Lincoln Blvd. for those accessing the state Capitol area.

I-235 closures are planned for the three-year, $88 million contract to widen and reconstruct the interstate between N. 36th Street and N. 50th Street. The closures are necessary for traffic safety while work occurs above the interstate, and the contract projects up to six weekend closures during the three years of construction.

However, the contractor has proposed this first I-235 closure between I-44 and N. 36th St. be extended for five consecutive days to accomplish several objectives with the payoff for motorists being the elimination of 20 days of single lane traffic in each direction, which was part of the original design plan.

“The department is working hard to keep closures to a minimum, however, some closures are necessary for safety,” said Terri Angier, ODOT spokeswoman. “Additionally, the adjustments are designed to help minimize future closures. We believe this solution will greatly benefit motorists who travel I-235 this summer by keeping two lanes of travel open in each direction as much as possible after this first closure.”

I-235 is tentatively scheduled to close between I-44 and N. 36th St. at 8 p.m. Friday, June 2, and reopen by 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, depending on weather and other factors. If the contractor takes advantage of more than $500,000 in financial incentives offered by the department, I-235 could open as earlier Wednesday, June 7.

The following construction tasks, among others, are planned for this first full closure:

Reopening the eastbound I-44 off-ramp to southbound I-235 when the interstate reopens June 7;
Removal of the remaining N. 50th St. bridge spans and piers, which likely will result in higher levels of noise for up to two nights while crews jackhammer the piers for removal; and
Completion of temporary southbound and northbound traffic lanes in preparation for a lane shift that will be in place when the interstate reopens June 7.
Future I-235 closures will include work to remove the BNSF railroad bridge near N. 50th St. and sliding the completed new railroad bridge back into place once it’s built on site, which is anticipated to occur early next year.

This is the single largest dollar amount project awarded in ODOT history. It was awarded in May 2016 and began with a resurfacing project in August 2016 to help prepare the pavement for three years of construction. Work on this three-year contract began Jan. 2 with expected completion by 2020.

Here’s how to keep up with daily lane closure notifications:

Drivers can sign up for email alerts at www.odot.org under News & Alerts;
Follow @OKDOT on Twitter and Facebook; and
Real-time travel conditions may be found at www.oktraffic.org
Learn more about the I-235 construction project at https://www.ok.gov/odot/OFF_Broadway_and_I-235.html

[Pete]

This will be OKC's version of L.A.'s Carmageddon when the 405 was closed for a full weekend.

Of course this isn't Los Angeles but this will also affect several regular business days.

[turnpup]

Glad school will be out by then!

You know, it's been fascinating watching this construction happen. We drive by at least twice daily and are always talking about how incredibly difficult it must be to plan and execute such a massive plan while continuing to have an open highway running right through it.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Um. What. This is going to be insane.

[Pete]

It says "5 days, weather permitting".

Let's all hope we don't get some major Class 3 Killstorm.

[jn1780]

I believe both sides are being shifted west onto a temporary road between the Junction and the railroad bridge. Demolishing the concrete median and building temporary crossovers for northbound traffic is probably why its taking five days. Otherwise, they could have demolished the rest of 50th street bridge in one weekend.

[gopokes88]

This will be OKC's version of L.A.'s Carmageddon when the 405 was closed for a full weekend.

Of course this isn't Los Angeles but this will also affect several regular business days.

Didn't carmageddon turn out just fine because nobody went out those two days? I kinda think same thing might happen here

[Pete]

Didn't carmageddon turn out just fine because nobody went out those two days? I kinda think same thing might happen here

Yes, a complete non-event.

I suspect many downtown employers will give people a pass to 'work from home' for those few days.

[gopokes88]

Yes, a complete non-event.

I suspect many downtown employers will give people a pass to 'work from home' for those few days.

Plus it eliminates 20 2 lane days. That's significant. Positives outweigh negatives here

[Pete]

Reminder that I-235 near I-44 closes starting tonight at 8PM and should reopen on 8PM Wednesday if there are not complications or weather delays.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Reminder that I-235 near I-44 closes starting tonight at 8PM and should reopen on 8PM Wednesday if there are not complications or weather delays.

Looks like a lot of rain all weekend. Hope that doesn't delay it too much

[tyeomans]

Is the SB I-235 to WB I-44 ramp still going to be open? Surely it will since all of the work will be going on south of the intersection.

[KayneMo]

^ Yes, it's still open.

[OKCisOK4me]

This closing would be the perfect opportunity for someone to get some drone shots in!

[Pete]

Took these this morning.

First one shows what is left of old 50th Street bridge. Second one shows the freeway just to the north.

[tfvc.org]

From @okdot

OKC - I-235 between the I-44 interchange and N. 36th St. is set to open sometime in the overnight hours ahead of the Tuesday morning commute

[pw405]

This closing would be the perfect opportunity for someone to get some drone shots in!

I was thinking the same thing! I've got a drone, it isn't the greatest, but I would love to try!