Restore T.R.U.S.T.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 2, 2011
PR# 11-047

RE: Widening I-35 and building a bridge, a match made in Norman

The Rock Creek Road bridge and bike/hike trails officially opened to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians the evening of Tuesday, August 30. The bridge, which spans

I-35 in Norman and now connects 36th Avenue N.W. on the west to 24th Avenue N.W. on the east, was a collaboration among the City of Norman, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Among providing an additional interstate crossing for motorists, there are now also 10-foot-wide protected bike/hike trails incorporated into either side of the roadway to safely carry pedestrians and bicyclists across the interstate.

Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley, ODOT’s Director of Engineering David Streb and Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal spoke to the crowd of eager bridge-crossers on the west side of the bridge before cutting the ribbon. After the ribbon cutting, people entered their cars or climbed onto their bicycles and proceeded to take part in the maiden crossing of the bridge. The event was sponsored by the Norman Chamber of Commerce.

“This bridge project is a prime example of positive partnerships between city and state governments,” Ridley said. “And the two contractors worked in a cooperative spirit as I-35 was being widened, as well as during construction of the Rock Creek Road bridge.”

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation provided about $4 million of the $12 million cost of the bridge with the City of Norman and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments providing the rest. In addition, ODOT piggy-backed the environmental clearance onto the I-35 widening project, saving the City of Norman the cost and time to do its own.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the City of Norman wanted to get the bridge completed while I-35 was being widened in the area. Haskell Lemon, the contractor on the I-35 widening and on the bridge spans over I-35, did not have to shut down additional lanes of I-35 in the process. Completing these projects at the same time saved the City of Norman $1 million in traffic control costs alone. The approaches to the bridge were completed by Silver Star.

The entire project, from acquiring funding to designing the bridge to construction, took three years. Typically a project of this magnitude would take five to seven years to complete. The result is that the citizens of Norman have a new bridge that will reduce traffic on the Robinson St. and Tecumseh Rd. bridges. Even as the area develops, this bridge is expected to reduce traffic on Robinson St. and Tecumseh Rd. bridges by over 20 percent.

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