Full Closures Expected on I-35 as Oklahoma Department of Transportation Continues Road Construction
Ponca City Now - September 19, 2022 6:34 am
Southbound I-35 is now OPEN between I-44 (mm 133) and I-40 (mm 127) after closing Friday night for resurfacing over the weekend.
Since the closure, nearly 100 contract personnel have been on site milling 7,600 tons of road surface and replacing it with 6,600 tons of asphalt to extend the lifespan of this section of I-35 until full reconstruction, which is tentatively scheduled for 2029. Paving operations completed late Sunday afternoon, ahead of schedule, with all lanes reopened after the contractor completed striping and guardrail repairs about 8 p.m. Sunday.
It is rare for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to fully close a section of interstate, but the department made the time-saving decision in an effort to shorten the amount of time traffic will be impacted by this nearly $5 million resurfacing project.
Additional closures will continue Monday night and through the week from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly starting on northbound I-35 between I-40 and I-44 for initial repairs and prep work for the next full closure on Friday, Sept. 30. Overall work is expected to complete in October.
Motorists should start planning ahead for a second weekend closure later this month:
**Major closure Sept. 30**
• Friday, Sept. 30 — Northbound I-35 will be fully closed between I-40 (mm 127) and I-44 (mm 133) from 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, to 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3. Detour will be I-40 to northbound I-235/US-77 to eastbound I-44 to northbound I-35. Ramp closures for this upcoming weekend include:
-Westbound I-40 ramp to Sunnylane Rd.
-Westbound I-40 ramp to Scott St.
-Westbound I-40 ramp to northbound I-35
