I-235 to be shut-down temporarily

Drivers can expect to see some big changes on the road. The next phase of a ten-year construction project is set to take place at one of the Metro's busiest intersections. Fox 25's Kisha Henrys found out what we can expect.

Construction is expected to start at the end of April or early May on the Eastbound I-44 ramps to Southbound I-235. It's all part of a project that's expected to last ten years and cost around $200-million.

"When the Interchange was built, it was built for traffic around 60-thousand cars a day, and there's upwards of 90-thousand cars driving through that area," says Cole Hackett, ODOT spokesperson.

You can say goodbye to the cloverleaf-ramps, and say hell to wider lanes and more merge-room, thanks to the incoming fly-over bridges. "You'll be able to get on and off of those areas, getting to where you're going quicker once it's all complete," says Hackett.

This phase of the project will cost around $8-million, and should be finished in nine-months. "That ramp will be completely replaced, but the good thing is, the new ramp will be longer and it will be on an off-set alignment, so we'll be able to keep the current ramp open during construction," says Hackett.

Drivers won't have much trouble there, but ODOT says there will be one obstacle-- all of I-235 will close for about two days. "We are working with a contractor to have it done overnight or over a weekend," says Hackett. During the construction, he recommends taking Lake Hefner Parkway or I-35 to bypass the area. He says the inconvenience for drivers will pay off when the congestion and danger of merging disappears with a new ramp.
I-235 to be shut-down temporarily

Posted: Friday, March 15 2013, 09:27 PM CDT