Crews Repair Hole on Crumbling I-40 Crosstown, Construction Continues

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- All westbound lanes of Interstate 40 were reopened after a hole opened between Western Avenue and Classen Boulevard Thursday morning.

Crews repaired a one foot by six feet hole in the center lane of the interstate. The Crosstown was down to one lane for almost five hours.

"The Crosstown bridge is an aging structure, that's why it's important to build the new one which is under construction," Perry said. "When you're looking from up above it and you can see how many times the pavement had to be fixed and repaired, it looks like a patchwork quilt, if you will."

Work on the new Crosstown is on schedule and the bridge crews have been working day and night. It is expected to be open to traffic by 2012.

"We're making tremendous progress in the building of the new I-40 crosstown, a lot of progress is being made out there and it's starting to look a lot different," Perry said. "Traffic hasn't been interrupted too terribly badly yet until we get to  the end of the project and alot of  the tie ends."

Transportation Department spokeswoman Brenda Perry said there were no reports of damage to vehicles or injuries Thursday morning.

If you face a problem, it can be a long process, but you can file a claim with the state's risk management office by calling 405-521-4999. The Oklahoma Risk Management Division is located in the Will Rogers office building on 2401 N. Lincoln, Suite 202.