Ongoing Construction Project In NW OKC Causes Headache For Commuters

A construction nightmare now could pave the way to an easier commute in the future. In the northwest Oklahoma City and Edmond areas, several roads are congested with more than traffic.

Construction crews are in place adding turn lanes in one the most heavily traveled areas.

"In the morning going to work and coming home from work it can get a little congested,"said  Helen Skeete, one of more than 24,000 commuters who travel along State Highway 74, also known as Portland Avenue, between Memorial Road and N.W. 178th.

The area shows no sign of slowing down and it's why the Department of Transportation expects those numbers to increase.

ODOT officials estimate the daily traffic count will be up to 28,000 in the next ten years. ,

"I think everyone that drives through that area knows that there are projects needed to widen that," Cole Hackett, a spokesperson for ODOT explained.

As a temporary solution, the state is adding turn lanes at three major intersections (N.W. 150th , N.W. 164th, and N.W. 178th) on the two lane highway. A more permanent solution is to widen the highway to four and five lanes but the construction for that project will not start until at least 2015.

"I wish the construction would get done because it is hurting businesses around her, ‘cause some of the people coming around here have been talking about what's taken so long," Michael Herrera said.

Herrera works at China Kitchen, a nearby business seeing less customers in light of the traffic.

While not everyone is happy about the current $3.5 million, the updates are something commuters like Helen Skeete have been waiting for.

"It's going to be very good, traffic should run very smoothly," Herrera said.

This project is expected to be complete by the end of 2013. In the meantime, crews are asking for everyone to bear with them.