The Board of County Commissioners met in a special session on Thursday, January 28, 2021 to sign a Road Use Agreement with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority allowing the detour of westbound traffic on the Creek Turnpike where it merges with the Turner Turnpike due to bridge work.
Traffic will be rerouted from the Creek to West 96th Street South, North Ridgeway Street, and Ridgeview Street to the Turner Turnpike. The Board agreed to the use and repair with the understanding that the roads will be repaired to their original condition or better when the work is complete.
Ira Barrow, a representative from ODOT, said there will be four 12-hour (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) closures, the first being on Friday, January 29th. Barrow said the first step of construction will be to remove beams for the bridge repairs, which has already been done on the eastern phase of the Creek Turnpike near Highway 75, at the 111th Street bridge.
He asked the Board to allow ODOT to meet with its staff, examine the specified roads, and to identify any concerns they may have. They will also be looking at the current condition of the road.
Barrow said traffic count studies estimate around 1,100 cars will travel the detour route each night of the closure, although it could be less. District #1 Commissioner Stephens stated that this is good information for the County and the public to have. He said that “this could be scary on some of the county roads; the highway traffic count is more than the normal traffic that travels these roads. I am glad to get on the same page and to discuss what the expectations are.” He asked that Barrow stay in contact with new Creek County Project Manager Glen Musser, as he will be District #1’s representative during the project.
Barrow advised the Board that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol will be stationed along the route and that there will be plenty of signage to alert travelers of the changes. “I believe this is the best route for the traffic,” he said.
District #2 Commissioner Warner stated that the detours straddle Districts #s 1 and 2. He said he is “not concerned with the usage; you guys have used some of our roads on the first project and you helped to fix them back to or better than they were before the detour. There might be a few people that might not like it, but it is a very minimal amount of people.”
Stephens stated that there are approximately fifteen property owners that will be affected and that the detour will take place from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on three additional nights, the dates of which are forthcoming. “There should be minimal traffic during this time of day” he said.
Don Engle, Creek County Treasurer, addressed the Board with concerns of the encroachment off New Sapulpa Road and 96th Street. He explained that there are several large potholes there and that with the increased traffic they are likely going to get worse. He said that the area has been repaired several times, but with weather and use, they will eventually become worse again.
These plans were unanimously approved by the Board. Sapulpa Times will announce the dates of the road closure when they have been approved.
