Pavement rehabilitation of a 13-mile section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in Comanche County will continue through spring 2024, according to Lisa Shearer-Salim, public information manager for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
The toll road is undergoing a dowel bar retrofit project between state Highway 49 (mile marker 45), the Medicine Park exit north of Fort Sill, and Whitefield Road (mile marker 62) east of Fletcher.
In the project, a series of grooves are cut into the concrete paving, a metal bar is placed into each groove and covered with concrete, and then a diamond grinder smooths the driving surface.
Closures of northbound and southbound lanes alike are staggered at no more than two miles at a time in either direction, Shearer-Salim said. “This is a moving operation, so closures occur intermittently through the work zone,” she added.
Construction occurs around-the-clock “per the contractor’s scheduling availability,” she said.
The state Turnpike Authority awarded a $10 million contract on the job to Interstate Improvement, a Minnesota contractor.
Construction began in mid-July and is approximately 30% complete, Shearer-Salim said.
The H.E. Bailey Turnpike opened to traffic 59 years ago, in 1964.