I-44 And Yale Ramps Closed

The construction at I-44 and Yale in Tulsa is shifting into high gear and that means a slowdown for motorists. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says the traffic on I-44 moves "over" Yale just fine,

Tuesday, May 16th 2006, 12:53 pm

By: News On 6

The construction at I-44 and Yale in Tulsa is shifting into high gear and that means a slowdown for motorists.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says the traffic on I-44 moves "over" Yale just fine, but it's tough to get on or off the highway at Yale.

The traffic was still turning onto the access roads Tuesday afternoon, but don't be fooled, there's not much access onto I-44 near Yale.

Drivers are now discovering that 3 of the 4 ramps have been shut down. The westbound exit ramp is the only one open. The eastbound exit ramp will be closed for about 30 days. But the on ramps in both directions will likely be closed for a few months.

State transportation officials say they're hoping to have everything back open in time for the busy holiday shopping season, but people we talked to say they're pretty busy right now. Transportation officials do have some help for that one.

Matt Moshiri with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation: "What they can do is travel down the frontage road to hit Harvard and then there's access at Harvard. Eastbound, they can go down to 41st and get on the interstate up there at 41st and Sheridan."

ODOT officials are sympathetic, but say its safety first and convenience second with road construction. Although the lane closures speed things up in the long run. Matt Moshiri: "It accelerates us quite drastically by not having to worry about another traffic movement that's coming in there."

But wait, there's more. This weekend, Yale will be shut down under the highway, so they can take down one of the bridges, but they say it will be back open by Monday.