$45M Turner Turnpike Construction Project to Start Monday

A $45 million construction project will start Monday on the Turner Turnpike near the Creek Turnpike entrance into Tulsa at the State Highway 66 interchange. The project will expand the four-mile stretch of highway from four lanes to six lanes.

Both Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the westbound lanes will be narrowed to just one lane so workers can facilitate necessary traffic control and temporary striping. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said, after that, all four lanes are expected to be open for the duration of the project, except on rare occasions, when nighttime lane closures will be necessary.

In addition to being six lanes, the project will also increase the width of the shoulders and add a new modern median barrier wall. The expansion will also create an urban turnpike corridor, like the Creek Turnpike in the Tulsa area, with LED lighting the entire four miles. This project is also a part of the first portion of the Turner Turnpike expansion project that was finished in November of 2018 and expanded the roadway to six lanes from near Bristow to Sapulpa.

"The Turner Turnpike is a vital turnpike corridor that connects Oklahoma's two metro areas," said Secretary of Transportation and OTA Executive Director Tim Gatz. "We have seen what the first phase of this project has done for this corridor and has increased safety and reduced the number of accidents and fatalities."

The project should be complete in 2022.