OKC Celebrates Final Phase Of I-40 Crosstown Project Completion After 2 Decades

After two decades and $120 million, Oklahoma City Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City is officially open. 

The $730 million project began back in the 90s, but not without a little bit of controversy.

“This success has many fathers and mothers over the last 25 years,” said Mayor David Holt. “I am excited for the pay off and will get to see the potential of this boulevard and this whole project play out in the year ahead.”

One of those fathers is David Streb, a former Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) engineer when the crosstown project came to be in. It’s considered a project for the people.

“I think they will appreciate that they can get to the Thunder games, get to the new convention center and all of the new things that are going to be here,” said Streb.

Streb said engineering was the easy part of the project. What to sell, and who to sell it to, was the biggest challenge.

“This was a very difficult project for the department to get buy in from the general public, buy in from all the business owners to show that this was a project for the general good of the city,” said Streb.

Four million dollars in landscaping is yet to be completed. Nine hundred and ninety-six trees will be planted. A final touch on what appears to be a promising future.

“We're not building any of this for the city of 2019, we are building this for the city of 2040 you know, and I think that visionary mentality is permeated everything we've done and that has taken a little time to get right,” said Mayor Holt.

ODOT officials said landscaping along Oklahoma City Boulevard will be finished in September.

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