Stretch of I-40 near Midwest City to close this weekend

Steve Lackmeyer, Oklahoman
Updated ·2 min read
The Engle Road Bridge over Interstate 40, pictured Tuesday, is being demolished for the upgrading of the Douglas Boulevard and I-40 junction in Midwest City. The removal will cause closures of the interstate for a six-mile stretch this weekend.
The Engle Road Bridge over Interstate 40, pictured Tuesday, is being demolished for the upgrading of the Douglas Boulevard and I-40 junction in Midwest City. The removal will cause closures of the interstate for a six-mile stretch this weekend.

A six-mile stretch of Interstate 40 will be shut down this weekend as construction crews lift a bridge for off-site dismantling to make way for reconstruction of the Douglas Boulevard interchange.

Motorists are being advised by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to begin planning now for a weekend closure of I-40 between Shields Boulevard and Choctaw Road starting at 7 p.m. Friday through 5:30 a.m. Monday. Some of the westbound on-ramps in Del City will remain open, according to a map provided by the department.

Lisa Salim, Transportation Department spokeswoman, said the closure will require cross-country traffic to detour onto Interstate 240. Eastbound I-40 traffic will detour at I-35 to eastbound I-240 while westbound I-40 traffic will detour to westbound I-240 starting at Choctaw Road.

I-40_closure_map
I-40_closure_map

Drivers also may consider using alternate routes such as U.S. 62, or the Kickapoo Turnpike to U.S. 62 or to Interstate 44.

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More than $170 million going into new I-40 interchange

The work this weekend will resemble the removal of the BNSF Railway bridge over Interstate 235. Crews already have cut both ends of the Engle Road bridge, allowing it to be lifted by a crane this weekend and taken off-site for dismantling.

Engle Road Bridge over Interstate 40 in Midwest City is being demolished for the upgrading of Douglas Boulevard and I-40 junction.
Engle Road Bridge over Interstate 40 in Midwest City is being demolished for the upgrading of Douglas Boulevard and I-40 junction.

“This is one of those things where the closure is tough, but it allows the contractor to get multiple things done that will save drivers time later on,” Salmin said. “They're going to take full advantage of the closure to do as much as they can on two or three different areas of the project. We know this is a huge and costly impact on motorists. We don’t take this measure lightly.”

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More than $170 million is being spent to rebuild I-40 at Douglas Boulevard into a single-point urban interchange. The bridge design, which previously was used in reconstruction of the Morgan Road bridge over I-40 and the Lindsey Street bridge over I-35 in Norman, will allow traffic to move through the interchange safely and more efficiently with only one set of traffic signals allowing for longer signal cycles.

More than $170 million is being spent to rebuild Interstate 40 at Douglas Boulevard in Midwest City into a single-point urban interchange. As part of that project, the Engle Road Bridge is being removed.
More than $170 million is being spent to rebuild Interstate 40 at Douglas Boulevard in Midwest City into a single-point urban interchange. As part of that project, the Engle Road Bridge is being removed.

Additionally, I-40 will be widened to six lanes between Town Center Drive in Midwest City and the I-240 interchange. In addition to replacing the Engle Road and Douglas Boulevard bridges, the project also includes rebuilding seven other bridges at Westminster Road, Anderson Road and Post Road, and the I-240 ramps at the I-40 interchange. Most of the bridges being replaced date back to original construction of I-40 in the mid-1900s.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Six-mile stretch of Interstate 40 to be closed this weekend