Clear Lanes Ahead Through Notorious Tulsa Traffic Bottleneck

The I-44 and Harvard interchange has a new look - and a new name.

Pre-thanksgiving traffic is moving well through 51st and Harvard for the first time in years because the rebuild of the intersection is substantially complete.

Wednesday, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the state legislature named the interchange for Jerry Lasker, a longtime director of INCOG who died two years ago.

"Jerry Lasker was a behind the scenes guy who was responsible for pulling everyone together and pushing things like this to make sure they became a reality," said John Selph, INCOG Board.

The interchange is open and substantially complete, but ODOT still has work to do that will last into next spring.

The Harvard Interchange is part of the much larger $360 million dollar I-44 widening that's complete from Harvard Avenue to the east.

"It's really exciting to see the new concrete and see the sections of the highway widened and seeing the public out enjoying the newer, wider highway," said Randall White, ODOT Division Engineer.

The next major steps in construction are along I-44 at Peoria and Riverside, where the road is being realigned and widened. Work on the last interchange will start next summer.

The Lewis Avenue interchange involves a major sidestep for the highway - removing a choke point on the interstate - and rebuilding all of the access roads and intersections.

The overall project is due for completion in 2013, but the work on Riverside and Peoria will be done next year.