A temporary fix to the congestion of Interstate 35 and Waterloo Road was approved Monday morning at the Oklahoma Transportation Commission Meeting.
With a unanimous vote by the Commission inside the Oklahoma Department of Transportation room, the highly traveled interchange will soon see a temporary traffic light system to help traffic flow on both sides of the interstate.
With the rise in population of southern Logan County, traffic congestion has become a safety issue during morning and evening rush hours. Many times, vehicles can be seen on the highway waiting to exit the northbound exit ramp.
Many citizens have shared the congestion will only worsen with the addition of the OnCue Express convenience store, which is soon to open.
The interchange is part of ODOT’s eight-year plan for a complete, estimated $32 million renovation of the area with plans of right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation set for 2019 and construction in 2021.
The temporary fix will have a total of eight poles installed at the on and off ramps for the span wire system.
A total of three bids were submitted with the award going to Traffic & Lighting Systems, LLC in the amount of $284,131.
The project is estimated to get started in April 2017 and is expected to take no more than four months to complete.
ODOT officials say Waterloo Road has nearly 12,000 vehicles a day travel through, while I-35 has approximately 49,000 vehicles pass through.
A couple of extra lanes wouldn’t hurt. It’s not like you can’t see it coming….then spend the $284,000 for lights that are more permanent instead of something that has to be redone in the next year or two. It’s only going to get worse with the new businesses that are popping up.