Oklahoma City drivers, brace yourselves for a slew of closures and lane reductions that kicked in last night and will be haunting your commutes for quite some time. As per the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), Key intersections and stretches along I-35 and I-44 will be experiencing significant changes to facilitate ongoing construction and bridge projects.
Ongoing construction narrowed northbound I-35 down to one struggling lane at 50th St., while the northbound on-ramp from the same street was closed from 8 p.m. Monday until early Tuesday morning. Similarly, the right to continue onto westbound I-44 from northbound I-35 will also be confined to a single lane, affecting the ease with which vehicles can merge and traverse these significant junctions. And it's not just a one-night affair – these disruptions are part of a larger bridge reconstruction effort slated to continue through 2025.
As part of the resurfacing and bridge project on I-35 between Memorial Rd. and US-77/2nd St. in Edmond, both the northern and southern bounds will be redrawn to a single lane nightly through Friday. The construction continues with intermittent narrowing of lanes and ramp closures through the summer of 2025. These changes aim to resurface shoulders, add protected turnarounds, and transition to a one-way frontage road system.
Drivers looking to navigate the I-44 corridor at SH-37/S.W. 134th St. will also be confronted by limiting factors. East and westbound traffic is narrowed to one lane, albeit with ramps remaining open, but only from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night through Friday. In addition to the nightly inconveniences, SH-37/S.W. 134th St. itself will be sealed shut over I-44 until the end of August for bridge repairs, just when you thought you could escape the gridlock.
The ongoing interchange construction project on SH-9W at I-35 near Goldsby has culminated in the narrowing of the roadway to a single lane in each direction and will remain so through 2026. The ambitious project will convert the current set up into a Diverging Diamond Interchange while widening I-35. Commuters have been advised to consider alternate routes like US-77 and I-44 where possible to avoid the affected areas and any additional journey time that may ensue from these significant and prolonged adjustments to the roadways.
