New I-40 interchange opens Friday, gives Yukon new access

A new interstate interchange will provide greater access to goods and services on the west side of Yukon.

Yukon Mayor Shelli Selby and Secretary of Transportation and Oklahoma Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz joined Yukon City Council members and community members Friday morning to officially open the new Frisco Rd. bridge and I-40 interchange ramps to traffic.

“It’s rare to add a new interstate interchange and projects like these only can be achieved through great partnerships like the one we have with the City of Yukon. This new gateway into the city will help alleviate traffic congestion at Garth Brooks Blvd., and it creates new opportunities for economic development in the area,” Gatz said.

In addition to adding new I-40 on- and off-ramps at mile marker 134, contractor Sherwood Construction reconstructed and widened the more than 350-foot-long Frisco Rd. bridge over I-40 to five lanes with a sidewalk. The ramps feature new traffic signals at Frisco Rd. Additionally, the City of Yukon reconstructed and widened Frisco Rd. to five lanes between I-40 and SH-66.

“We are thrilled to witness the ribbon cutting for the Frisco Rd. interchange. Many Yukon leaders have banded together over the past decade to see this happen, and it’s finally here. This interchange will mean so much to our community, opening up many opportunities for growth,” Selby said.

The $14 million project is the result of a partnership by the City of Yukon, Oklahoma Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The contract was awarded in July 2020 to Sherwood Construction Co. Inc. of Tulsa. While the project is substantially complete and open to traffic after Friday morning’s ribbon cutting ceremony, motorists can expect the following traffic impacts through September as work is finalized:

• Westbound I-40 on-ramp from Frisco Rd. to remain closed until mid-September for ongoing work to complete.
• Westbound and eastbound I-40 remain narrowed to two lanes between Garth Brooks Blvd. (mm 136) and Frisco Rd. (mm 134).
• Northbound and southbound Frisco Rd. will be intermittently narrowed to one lane in each direction.
• The traffic signal on the south end of the bridge is expected to be operational in about a week, meaning traffic will have interim stop signs in place until then.

Drivers are reminded to use caution in the work zone as the final tasks are completed and are urged to always buckle their seat belt each and every time they get behind the wheel.

TO LISTEN to a portion of remarks by Secretary Gatz, click here: https://vimeo.com/593439058/ecbaa70cd8