Widening of I-44 in Tulsa

There are still no answers for Tulsans wondering if the I-44 widening project will be literally in their backyards. <br/><br/>The plans call for a six-lane section with frontage roads from Yale Avenue

Friday, July 23rd 2004, 5:41 am

By: News On 6

There are still no answers for Tulsans wondering if the I-44 widening project will be literally in their backyards.

The plans call for a six-lane section with frontage roads from Yale Avenue to Riverside Drive. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation held an informational meeting Thursday night. Residents viewed preliminary drawings. But state officials say they're not far enough in the process of the $263-million project to tell exactly which properties will be affected.

They also say a lack of funding forced them to shelf the plan for more than a decade. Homeowner Bob Darby: "They've got a plan some place they've gotta have some sort of plan they need to just stick to it and tell everybody what they're gonna do and what they're not gonna do."

ODOT will accept written comments until July 30th. But it doesn't know when construction could start. Officials say it's not uncommon for planning a project like this one to take 10 or 15 years.