Orange Barrels To Return To Tulsa's I-244 Starting In 2015

During its meeting Monday, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission awarded a $38-million bid for pavement reconstruction and replacing several bridge decks on a three-mile stretch of Tulsa's Interstate 244. 

The bid is for a section between Delaware Avenue and 73rd East Avenue. 

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says the project will require the removal of all existing concrete and the replacement of four bridge decks over Admiral and 73rd East Avenue over a 15-month period beginning sometime in early 2015. 

Raymond Alberty drives on I-244 every day and said the road, in its current condition, beats up on his car.

"It would be nice, you know, because there are certain stretches of 244 that are pretty rough on the car, you know, tires, shocks, other things, you know. You have to practically straddle traffic to avoid some of them," he said.

Drivers, like Masoud Moazami, are welcoming the project.

"It's not easy to drive in the road that has a pothole and is uneven, yes it does, I paid a heavier price for it, but I'm hoping that we'll be able to continue the progress for Oklahoma," Moazami said.

Driver Valerie Hager said, "It feels unsafe, like I want to hold on to the wheel a bit tighter, not good to drive on."

ODOT completed the section from the split with I-44 to just west of Memorial more than a year ago.

At Monday's meeting, the contractor Duit Construction/TTK Construction of Edmond told ODOT it expected the project to be done in 13 months. The department says there are incentives built into the contract for early completion. 

During the construction period, traffic will be down to two lanes in each direction which will cause delays during rush hour times. 

ODOT says a bid is scheduled to be awarded in January 2015 for completion of 1.8 miles of I-244 from Delaware Avenue to the Inner Dispersal Loop in downtown Tulsa.

10/11/2013 Related Story: ODOT Prepares To Rebuild Two More Sections Of I-244 In Tulsa