Big Changes Starting Monday For Tulsa Drivers On Eastbound I-244

All eastbound lanes of Interstate 244 between 129th East Avenue and I-44 will be closed beginning Monday, October 7th until late January 2013.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says the reason is the continuing pavement reconstruction project on I-244 in East Tulsa.

ODOT says starting at 7 a.m. Monday, all eastbound lanes will be shut down.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured to southbound Highway 169 to eastbound I-44.

Local eastbound traffic will still be able to use the Garnett Road and the 129th East Avenue exits.

Along with causing headaches for drivers, it also expected to have an impact on area businesses off those exits.

Kevin Hessy works for Southern Tire Mart on 129th East Avenue.

He said they service between 75 and 100 big rigs a day, and he expects that number to drop after the new project starts.

"A lot of people are gonna have a hard time getting to us," Hessy said. "They'll end up bypassing us and going to somewhere that's easier to get to."

Meanwhile, ODOT says construction work west of that closure continues.