Closure For I-235 Postponed For Weather

The I-235 closure and bridge movement has been postponed one week.

Originally scheduled for Friday, the shut-down has been moved due to weather conditions.

“It's extremely wind dependent. So Mother Nature called, and right now it's off for this weekend,” Terri Angier with ODOT said.

The project will shut down I-235 from 36^th Street to I-44 from Friday night until Tuesday morning, tentatively planned to start on January 26.

Wind conditions will be evaluated again next week.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says wind speeds need to be under 20 miles-per-hour to move the massive trusses.

Each truss is the length of a football field and weighs two million pounds.

“These are humungous,” Angier said.

Both massive trusses will take four hours to move a quarter of a mile with four hours adjustment to replace the old railroad bridge.

A day is also set aside for preparation.

“The good news is using the alternate routes is not as difficult it this location because we have Lincoln. Oklahoma City has partnered with us and offered Classen,” Angier said.

Even with these alternates - drivers are advised to plan.

Construction will continue for the widening of I-235 for another year and a half.