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ODOT granted $85 million to complete I-44/US-75 interchange in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive an $85 million National Infrastructure Project Assistance grant to help fund projects related to improvements of the Interstate 44 and US-75 interchange in Tulsa.

Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz said this is the largest transportation grant Oklahoma has been awarded in its history.

“This is exciting and welcome news for the Tulsa area and the state of Oklahoma,” Gatz said. “I-44 and US-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 grant will help fund three phases of already scheduled construction projects around the interchange.

The three projects total $205 million in improvements, including:

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. are also included in the project.

Gatz says the improvements support replacing and upgrading the most outdated, unsafe, and congested elements of Tulsa’s I-44 corridor that carries almost 150,000 vehicles, including about 21,000 trucks, on a typical day.

One portion of the project concluded in late 2022. More work is tentatively scheduled to let for construction in late 2023 and 2024.

“We are very appreciative for the support of our elected officials whose assistance and commitment helped Oklahoma receive this important grant award,” he said.

This award is in addition to the $10 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced during a visit to Tulsa in August 2022. The RAISE grant will fund related work to reconnect West 51st Street under US-75, including sidewalks.

The Oklahoma House Delegation voted against the Infrastructure bill which funded this massive grant.