Oklahoma – The City of Tulsa and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) will host a ceremonial groundbreaking on Wednesday, April 23, at 2:30 p.m. to mark the beginning of a major construction phase on the I-44/US-75 interchange project.
The event will take place east of 51st Street and Union Avenue, near the northwest corner of the interchange, where a set of unfinished bridge piers—dubbed “Traffic Henge” or “Tulsa Stonehenge” by locals—have stood since the completion of an earlier phase in early 2023. These piers were installed in advance to take advantage of available funding and to streamline construction in future phases while minimizing traffic disruption.
Several officials are expected to speak at the event, including U.S. Senator James Lankford, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa City Council Chair Phil Lakin Jr., Tulsa County Commissioner Lonnie Sims, and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz.
The $252 million project was awarded in October 2024 by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission to Manhattan Road and Bridge. This phase will focus on completing the full reconfiguration of the I-44/US-75 interchange and includes a series of additional infrastructure improvements aimed at enhancing safety, traffic flow, and accessibility in the area.
Key components of the project include widening US-75 between 71st Street and 41st Street, replacing the US-75 interchange at 61st Street, constructing a new frontage road between 61st Street and Skelly Drive, and extending and connecting 51st Street under US-75. A pedestrian bridge will also be built over the railroad along 51st Street near Elwood Avenue.
A separate, future project is planned to complete the widening of I-44 between the I-44/I-244 Western Split and the Arkansas River.
The ceremony will symbolize the next step in a long-term infrastructure initiative intended to modernize a vital corridor in the Tulsa area and improve travel for thousands of drivers each day.
