Stretch Of Eastbound Turner Turnpike Reopens After Repairs Completed

The eastbound lanes of the Turner Turnpike between Chandler and Stroud closed Monday evening until early Tuesday because of pavement failure in a construction zone.

The lanes closed at 8 p.m. Monday and re-opened at 3 a.m. Tuesday.

"I expect some pretty significant delays tonight," said Jack Damrill, with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

The turnpike authority says the weather caused the asphalt on the stretch of turnpike near Chandler to crack up.

"It's basically being pushed out. Cars are going over it, heavy trucks are going over it, and the asphalt is kind of being pushed away out of the drive lanes," Damrill said.

Asphalt chippers were already there Monday night, beginning to dig up a 200-foot stretch of the road.

"If its for seven hours tonight then there will be no problem," said Davenport resident J.W. Mattheyer.

Cars and trucks were forced to exit at Chandler and get back on Highway 66.

"These old boneheads around here are going have to change their driving," Mattheyer said.

The turnpike authority hopes this is the last time they will need to fix that stretch of highway.

"We're going to go down and dig it a little deeper and reinforce it so it doesn't happen again," Damrill said.

Tolls will be adjusted because of the closure.

When the original bridge construction project is fixed, the turnpike authority says they'll go in again and replace the asphalt for good.