The Oklahoma City Turnpike Authority (OTA) is connecting the four corners of the city. As a result, residents of rural areas in Oklahoma will find roadways to the city and commerce areas more accessible. The roadway opens pathways for the growth of new businesses and the expansion of established ones. And it is all being done ahead of schedule.
The most recent completion of highway expansion around the city is the section of the Kilpatrick Turnpike, which extends from MacArthur Boulevard at Memorial Road to the Northwest Highway.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation officials took attendees on a preview of the 4.5 mi. (7.24 km) section a few moments before it was officially opened to the public on Sept. 1, 2000.
Duit Construction Project Manager Mark Willy, and his Executive Superintendent Gary Gaul, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremonies of the new highway. With the completion date scheduled for January 2001, the section was actually completed four months early. Gaul attributed the advance completion of the project to good management, a good work crew and few mechanical difficulties.
According to Neal McCaleb, secretary of transportation, the last section of the $700-million turnpike project is now scheduled to be complete in January 2001, however, it appears that it also may be opened ahead of schedule. McCaleb predicts the opening to occur sometime in December 2000.
The project will add 16 mi. (25.75 km) of turnpike road when completed, connecting rural towns to the city and allowing better traffic flow on the north side of town. The improvements can be attributed to the passage of a bond issue in 1989. The revenue bonds to finance the Kilpatrick were approved in January 1998, and eight grading and drainage contracts were awarded to different contractors for the completion of the Kilpatrick project.
“There was a 500-percent increase in the issue of building permits over the last six months along the turnpike,” said Holly Lowe, deputy director of the OTA, as she related how this turnpike is good business for Oklahoma City and Oklahoma. There are other future highway projects which will receive their funding from the bond issues, including the H.E. Bailey Spur, a $70-million project now under construction and is slated to be complete in January 2002, which will be a major connection between north and south Oklahoma.
Duit Construction completed the paving project with a 1996 CMI 450 paver, a machine manufactured in Oklahoma City and, according to Gaul, a good performer for them. “The life of these machines is usually 10 to 15 years depending on the maintenance and operator experience,” said Gaul.
During the month of August 2000, for the first time on record, Oklahoma did not receive one drop of rain. The heat mixed with the dry conditions, raises clouds that envelop even the largest machinery. Therefore, more frequent routine maintenance is necessary during these dry spells, along with the addition of a few more mechanics.
The Oklahoma heat, which can reach well into the three digit figures during the summer months, adds to machine stress. The machinery is in operation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and both Gaul and Willy said machinery breakdowns can be avoided if machinery is kept in good repair.
Duit Construction began work on the roadbed with a trimming grade then a sub-grade and eight inches of 15-percent fly ash in a modified subgrade, then added an open graded base top before laying the concrete road. The company will use the same procedure on the last section of the Kilpatrick Turnpike, planning to begin paving the last section in late October with a concrete bed.
“The state contract for the Kilpatrick called for concrete due to the proposed life of the road. In the long run, the state finds the concrete to be more economical,” said Gaul.
“We moved a million yards of dirt on that one section of the Kilpatrick,” said Gary Sewell of Sewell Brothers Construction. “We used a Komatsu PL600 with a 5-yd. (4.57 m) bucket and transported a load every five minutes,” added Sewell. The accelerated project schedule started with the early completion of the roadbed allowing Duit to move in ahead of schedule.
Sewell also attributed the early completion to good equipment and low operator error. “We have many operators that have been with us for years, and this helps to maintain the equipment,” said Sewell.
The turnpike was opened with no charge to drivers over the Labor Day weekend, allowing the OTA to acquaint users with the new access and the ease of using it. “The work crews put in some extra effort to get the turnpike open for the holiday weekend,” said Lowe.
When the turnpike is completed, it will wrap around northwest Oklahoma City from I-35 and will end south of I-40 at SW 15th Street.
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