The federal grant announced Tuesday is the largest ever received by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, officials said.
Oklahoma didn’t exactly win the lottery but it is getting mega millions for infrastructure improvements in southwest Tulsa.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Tuesday it has awarded the state $85 million for projects related to the Interstate 44/U.S. 75 interchange. The grant is the largest ever received by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, officials said, and among nine “mega grants” awarded nationally.
President Joe Biden highlighted the program Tuesday by visiting New York City’s Hudson Tunnel project, which received $292 million.
The $90 million first phase of the structurally obsolete I-44/U.S. 75 interchange’s rebuild began in January 2021. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the site last fall to announce an additional $10 million grant to reconnect West 51st Street east and west of U.S. 75 and for other improvements in the surrounding neighborhood.
People are also reading…
The area east of U.S. 75 was largely cut off from the rest of the Carbondale community when an elevated U.S. 75 came through in the 1960s.
ODOT said the $85 million announced Tuesday will help fund three phases with a total cost of $205 million. Construction contracts are expected to be let on two of those phases later this year, and the third in 2024. The final phase, to begin in 2026, involves replacing the oldest stretch of interstate pavement in the state, from Union Avenue west to the I-244 split.
Specifically, the three projects to which Tuesday’s grant is committed include: completing the flyover ramps at the I-244/U.S. 75 interchange; new bridges at the Arkansas River, West 51st Street and West 61st Street; a new U.S. 75 frontage road; and improvements to Skelly Drive.
ODOT said the overall project targets “the most outdated, unsafe, and congested elements of Tulsa’s I-44 corridor.” The highway carries almost 150,000 vehicles a day, including about 21,000 trucks, ODOT said.
Scheduled improvements also include new sidewalks along West 51st and 61st streets, 49th W. Avenue and Skelly Drive; a new pedestrian bridge over railroad tracks connecting with Tulsa’s River Parks Trail; and bike lanes on West 61st St.
According to a USDOT press release, the interchange was chosen for one of the nine grants because: “Recurrent congestion and poor safety make travel through the state-designated ‘critical urban freight’ corridor difficult. Travel delays and unreliable travel times also affect supply chains and reduce access to job opportunities. By reducing crashes and travel delays and improving travel time reliability, this project will eliminate a freight bottleneck and expand access to jobs.”
“This is exciting and welcome news for the Tulsa area and the state of Oklahoma,” Oklahoma Transportation Secretary Tim Gatz said in a press release. “I-44 and U.S. 75 are vital travel, freight and commuter corridors across the state and this Mega Grant will help us complete much needed safety and operational improvements at this highly traveled interchange.”
The nine grants announced Tuesday totaled $1.2 billion, with $5 billion in grants planned through 2026 as part of a 2021 infrastructure bill. Oklahoma’s congressional delegation joined most Republicans in opposing the measure but apparently worked to help ODOT secure Tuesday’s grant.
“We are very appreciative for the support of our elected officials whose assistance and commitment helped Oklahoma receive this important grant award,” Gatz said.
