Final Part Of I-44 Widening Project In Tulsa Finished After 10 Years

Tuesday, a widening project near the Hard Rock Casino on I-44 opened. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said all eight lanes of east and west bound traffic are finished.

"Out at I-44 and 193rd that had the unfortunate nickname for years as dysfunction junction so that was the first project we tackled out there. Drivers may remember other bridges we had in the corridor that were requiring a lot of emergency maintenance calls out there. A lot of narrow traffic especially during the rush hour times,” said Kenna Mitchell.

Kenna Mitchell with ODOT said just because there are more lanes doesn’t mean drivers should increase their speeds.

"Our crews have noticed while they're picking up these signs that drivers are also picking up speed. There is a lot of speeders going through there right now. It is still 65 out there. So drivers, even though there are more lanes and more room out there, you still have to use caution out there right now,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said drivers could see a few lanes closures through the rest of the year while ODOT continues to work on highway lighting in the area.