Construction on the Interstate 244 Inner Dispersal Loop in Tulsa, Oklahoma is continuing to meet progress milestones and is expected to finish early next year. Last week, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez visited the IDL to inspect its progress.
As reported by KJRH-TV, Mendez praised the project's progress and design. “I think what you're doing here is very creative, innovative approaches, to get the project done faster. The fact that you were able to shut down the freeway and really provide a detour through the central city, that's very creative.”
The $75 million project is reconstructing the west and north legs of the loop and replacing more than 40 bridge decks. Located in the heart of Tulsa, the IDL handles 62,000 vehicles a day, and rehabilitating the loop became a massive undertaking. It is the single largest project ever let by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Garver's services include fast-track design on the western leg, maintenance of traffic on both the west and north sections, and a safety analysis.
This project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Earlier this year, Rep. James Oberstar, U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman said, “This is arguably the most complex stimulus project in the whole country… It was extraordinarily well conceived, carried out, and implemented in record time.”
During his visit, Mendez also stopped by the Interstate 244 multimodal bridge, another Garver project. Garver is providing a preliminary engineering study and final construction plans for the Interstate 244 westbound bridge over the Arkansas River in Tulsa. The I-244 multimodal bridge will be a two-level structure that carries rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic. The rail will accommodate both commuter and high-speed lines.
The following media outlets reported on IDL project and Mendez's visit:
The following media outlets reported on IDL project and Mendez's visit:
