The Gilcrease Expressway West project—a $259 million project in Tulsa, Oklahoma—has made significant progress since construction began in spring of 2020. The project is now 65 percent complete, with construction expected to peak over the next few months as all features of work are completing or beginning. Currently, there are over 300 staff and craft on-site, including 29 subcontractors.
Moving Forward with Mass Earthwork and Concrete Paving
The team is focusing on completing the mass earthwork and will then shift efforts to concrete paving. All features of work are currently in construction, most notably bridges, bridge box structures, storm drainage, waterlines, mainline concrete pavement, toll plazas, overhead sign structures, concrete and riprap lined ditches, and solid slab sodding. Specific project updates include:
Tolling Plaza Progress
Construction of all three toll plazas has commenced, including construction of 1500 LF of mainline concrete pavement, both south and northbound lanes, at each tolling station. Plazas are scheduled to be turned over to the client for testing and commissioning in the fall of 2021.
In addition to the toll plazas, reconstruction of 41st and 51st Streets is a priority. Once these streets have been constructed, the final traffic configurations will be established to allow for project completion.
Adverse Weather Creating Project Delays
A significant project challenge has been the unusually severe weather in 2021, starting with a long stretch of winter storms in January and leading into heavy, work-halting rainfall this spring and summer. By focusing on developing work area access, the team has been able to minimize the impact of weather events and keep the progress moving forward.