All property acquired for phase two of SH-4 project

First-phase construction nears completion; state roadway widened in Yukon

By
Conrad Dudderar
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317
The speed limit has been reduced to 35 miles per hour for construction along State Highway 4 in Yukon. (Photo by Conrad Dudderar)

By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer

As phase one of the State Highway 4 project nears completion, the City of Yukon has acquired all property needed for phase two construction.

The Yukon City Council on Jan. 19 granted deeds and easements to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) for 22 separate parcels between State Highway 66 and Wagner Road.

SH-4 is being reconstructed as a “super” two-lane roadway with shoulders between Main Street and Wilshire in Yukon city limits.

Motorists travel along a newly built section of State Highway 4 near the North Canadian River south of Wilshire. Phase one construction nears completion and the City of Yukon has acquired all rights-of-way needed for phase two between Main Street and Wagner Road. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is widening the state roadway in three phases between Highway 66 and Highway 3. (Photo by Conrad Dudderar)

Since SH-4 is a state roadway, the project is under ODOT’s supervision.

The City of Yukon has been responsible for right-of-way acquisition for the project.

“The City of Yukon has acquired all the property and easements for the construction of State Highway 4 from Main Street to North Wagner Road,” City Engineer Robbie Williams wrote in a Jan. 8th city council memo.

“The purpose of granting the property and easements is for ODOT to construct the project, and when the project is complete, maintain the roadway facility.”

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TWO PHASES IN YUKON

The SH-4 widening project in Yukon is being done in two construction phases.

Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. began work in January 2020 after being awarded $13,135,000 contract for phase one, which features a new bridge at the North Canadian River and new intersection at Wilshire.

The ODOT contractor should substantially complete the project’s first phase in mid- to late-February, according to ODOT spokeswoman Lisa Shearer-Salim.

“It’s almost fully opened to traffic,” Shearer-Salim said. “They’re getting really close to wrapping things up.

“It appears they will meet the completion timeline (spring 2021).”

Construction on phase two, from SH-66 north to Wagner Road, will cost an estimated $13 million.

ODOT is scheduled to solicit contractor bids for the project’s second phase this November with construction in 2022.

SH-4 will be reconstructed and widened, with shoulders added, during phase two in Yukon city limits.

A third phase, in Oklahoma City limits, is on ODOT’s 2023 construction list.

This will be from Wilshire to State Highway 3 (Northwest Expressway), with an estimated $11.5 million cost.

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