UPDATE: State Transportation officials confirmed Oct. 12 that the intersection closure has been delayed one week. It is now scheduled to begin Oct. 23. Read more in upcoming print and online editions.
By Conrad Dudderar
Associate Editor
The intersection of Main Street and State Highway 4 will be closed starting Monday, Oct. 16 as the second phase of the SH-4 project gets underway.
Jason Beal, Yukon’s assistant to the city manager, informed the public during the Oct. 3rd Yukon City Council meeting.
An Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) contactor will reconstruct and widen about two miles of SH-4 from Main Street (SH-66) north past Wagner Road to the North Canadian River.
“They will keep it open for thru traffic, except there’ll be a 35-day period they’ll have to close that area from Main Street to Birch,” Beal said.
Northbound motorists will use Wagner Road as an east-west detour route while the signalized SH-66/SH-4 intersection is shut down as crews install new concrete lanes – extending north 460 feet.
In February, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission awarded a $12,628,932.55 contract to Schwarz Paving Co. for the second phase of the SH-4 project in Yukon city limits.
Soon after, the City of Yukon hosted a groundbreaking ceremony with Schwarz representatives.
At the time, ODOT officials anticipated construction would start in June – and the project would be completed in summer 2024. Since SH-4 is a state roadway, the project is under ODOT’s supervision.
ODOT allotted 445 calendar days for the contractor to finish phase two.
Construction was delayed several months this year as utility line relocations were finalized. Phase two previously was delayed for ODOT engineers to finalize design plans and then because of lingering utility issues.
Schwarz Paving’s bid price was 3.2% below the ODOT engineer’s estimate. Four other companies submitted bids, ranging from $13,999,863 to $14,965,764.40.
The construction cost will be paid with an even split of federal and state funds.
ALIGNMENT MOVING WEST
The SH-4 alignment will be moved west during the upcoming phase-two construction.
After the concrete section is finished between Main Street and Birch, the rest of phase two will feature two, 12-foot-wide asphalt lanes with eight-foot shoulders – just like phase one.
SH-4 will remain open to traffic during construction of the asphalt section.
Two large drainage boxes also will be installed – by the soccer fields and the span bridge at Wagner Road.
Phase two ultimately will tie into the south end of the North Canadian River bridge.
The $13.1 million first phase of the Highway 4 project – from the North Canadian River to Wilshire in Yukon city limits – was finished in spring 2021.
This included the new bridge over the North Canadian River.
Both phases have been designed to allow future expansion of the asphalt to four full lanes.
The City of Yukon was responsible for right-of-way acquisition and worked with ODOT to move gas, electric, cable, and water utility lines for the first two phases.
A third phase of SH-4 construction, from Wilshire to State Highway 3 (N.W. Expressway) in Oklahoma City limits, will follow phase two.
