OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Highlights of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s recent meeting include an update on several plans for the I-35 corridor between Norman and Purcell, including an asphalt overlay, reconstruction, and six-lane expansion; and recognition of District 6’s efforts during recent winter weather.

Commissioners awarded a $1 million asphalt overlay project on I-35 at Main Street in Norman, which is estimated to begin in the spring. The project will take about two weeks to complete, and work will primarily be done overnight. The project was one of 11 asphalt overlays awarded for a total cost of $30 million, a trend likely to continue into summer time with warmer temperatures returning.

Secretary of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Executive Director Tim Gatz updated commissioners that the I-35 and SH-9W interchange reconstruction and widening project is underway and is anticipated for completion in 2026. Construction began last week on the $105 million project and will not only convert the interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange, but will also widen the interstate to six lanes to connect with future expansion efforts to the south.

The innovative DDI design can accommodate large volumes of turning traffic by shifting traffic to the left side of a divided roadway through a series of coordinated signals for safer and more efficient left turns. Oklahoma’s first DDI at I-40 and SH-6 in Elk City opened in 2020 and has received many accolades, including national awards for quality bridge and pavement construction.

In addition, commissioners approved an engineering contract to begin preparations on expanding I-35 in McClain County from four lanes to six from Johnson Road north two miles. A final report on how to address the corridor expansion from the Red River north to the Oklahoma River is still underway, and with it will come an interactive dashboard for motorists that will map out critical corridor needs and solutions.

In early January, ODOT District 6 crews were called to help seven men stranded on a closed county road near Guymon. Due to the blizzard-like conditions, the men had been stranded for several hours without power or heat. Without slowing snow removal efforts, two ODOT employees spent nearly two hours to make the 15-mile trip through near-zero visibility conditions to rescue the men, likely saving their lives.