OKC Boulevard Set To Open After Years Of Construction

Oklahoma City Blvd. is set to open Monday, August 19. 

The road runs behind the Chesapeake Energy Arena and in front of Scissortail Park, but OKC Blvd. is really the final phase of the Interstate 40 Crosstown Project. 

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Terri Angier said the project started in the 90's.

"The whole project, to give you a perspective, was $730 million," said Angier.  "The largest in our state history of any other project; but this portion the Blvd, all the phases of the Blvd., was $120 million of that."

Angier said people may have forgotten about the project since the I-40 portion opened up back in 2012. 

She said this road means so much to a lot of people, and it helped drastically change the skyline of OKC. 

"There was obviously as expected a lot of opposition early on," said Angier. "But what it allowed us to do by moving the crosstown south a few blocks, never imagining what the city would be going through today the renaissance, allowed them really that room to develop. "

Even though the lanes are scheduled to open up, Angier said people will probably still see crews doing clean-up work for about the next month.

"Its still a working environment," said Angier. "There will be landscaping the city will be doing that couldn't be done while we were still there. The traffic lights at five intersections we'll have to be working on with the city, and also the lights along the pathway also have to be done."

The celebration is set for 2 p.m. at the intersection of Oklahoma City Blvd. and Harvey Ave. and will include guests like Governor Kevin Stitt and Mayor David Holt.