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Oklahoma City’s I-235 widening project finishes ahead of schedule

Updated Nov 14, 2018
Google Earth screen shot of I-235 construction in Oklahoma City.Google Earth screen shot of I-235 construction in Oklahoma City.

An $88 million project to widen a portion of Interstate 235 in Oklahoma City to six lanes and add two auxiliary lanes that was completed ahead of schedule and in less than two years is now open to traffic, thanks to incentives that were offered for early completion, NewsOK reports.

Allen Contracting Inc. started work on the project in January 2017 and completed it in October 2018.

“This is just in time for Thanksgiving, so that’s great,” said Terri Angier, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokeswoman, according to the news agency.

One highly visible part of the project was a 45-foot-tall BNSF steel railroad bridge that was built alongside the interstate in two, 275-foot-long sections, which were then wheeled into place to minimize traffic disruptions.

The part of the project that most were not aware of was the installation of a system of underground drainage structures and pipes to relieve flooding that had occurred in the northbound lanes during torrential rains. The single 20-inch pipe that was in place was replaced with more than 30 drainage structures, including a 96-inch pipe, a 72-inch pipe, and several 18- to 24-inch pipes, Angier told the news agency.

The completed project was the combined third and fourth phases of a seven-phase project to make I-235 and the Broadway Extension at least six lanes wide from Edmond to I-40.