President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive an $85 million mega grant for the Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 75 Corridor Improvement Project in Tulsa.
The funding comes from part of a nearly $1.2 billion National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) discretionary grant program, which was approved in November 2021 as part of Biden's infrastructure deal.
“From the Hoover Dam to the Golden Gate Bridge, some infrastructure projects are so large and complex that they defy traditional funding systems—and so significant that they become iconic parts of the American landscape,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “After receiving over one hundred applications, we are proud to fund these nine infrastructure megaprojects across the country to create jobs, strengthen our supply chains, expand our economy, and renew America’s built landscape.”
The I-44 and U.S. 75 Corridor Improvement Project was one of nine significant projects for the first year of the Mega Grant program.
The project will upgrade the interchange and make pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements, as well as provide security for the adjacent, low-income, minority neighborhoods that are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts.
The reconstruction of Skelly Drive and the new bridge structures over Mooser Creek will be designed to accommodate 100-year storms, any flood storage removed by the project will be replaced and stormwater runoff will be incorporated within Tulsa's MS4 system to mitigate flooding risks.
Recurrent congestion and poor safety make travel through the state-designated "critical urban freight" corridor difficult. CUFCs are important freight corridors that provide critical connectivity to the National Highway Freight Network, a network of highways identified as the most critical highway portions of the U.S. freight transportation system determined by measurable data.
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, the Corridor Improvement Project will eliminate a freight bottleneck and expand access to jobs.
The Mega Grant program funds projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs. The program will invest a total of $5 billion through 2026 to help rebuild U.S. Infrastructure for the benefit of generations to come.
For more information about project awards, click here.