Construction for extension of Highway 266 to the WR Turnpike begins soon

Friday, September 22nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Green Country drivers using Highway 66 will soon have better access to the Will Rogers Turnpike. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is getting ready to build a quicker route for trucks traveling to and from the Port of Catoosa.

The extension of Highway 266 to the turnpike is something many people say they've been wanting for years.
The three-quarterâ€™s of a mile extension should give the 800 trucks that haul loads to the port each day a better route in which to operate. The road extension should ease traffic congestion as well. â€œIt means taking the trucks off the roads that you and I have to travel continuously when we travel around the Tulsa metropolitan area," said Tulsa Port of Catoosa director Bob Portiss.

In order to extend a portion of Highway 266 to the Will Rogers Turnpike, 16 homes in Rogers County have been torn down and those families re-located. Bids for the projectâ€™s construction go out to potential contractors next month.