Wednesday, November 7th 2018, 7:01 am
A highway project on a busy stretch of roadway that's been causing drivers headaches for weeks is going to last a bit longer than expected.
That area is northbound Highway 169 off-ramp to I-244 heading west.
Almost every day for the past several weeks we've reported major slowdowns and crashes.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says inspectors recently found the off-ramp bridge has a deteriorating beam. ODOT engineers say it's still safe for drivers, but they went ahead and narrowed it one lane, to reduce weight on the bridge.
It should cost about $300,000 to repair the beam, but ODOT says only one contractor bid on the project and asked for more than $777,000.
ODOT says it rejected the bid and will reopen the bidding process again on November 14th.
The project is only expected to take about 30 days once it starts and when that happens drivers can expect more lane and ramp closures.
So for now, drivers should pay close attention in the area and plan ahead for longer drive times or find another route.
November 7th, 2018
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