Lane shift, ramp closures on I-244 for your morning commute

You can expect major changes to your drive into work today on the east end of Interstate 244 in the construction zone.

Traffic has been shifted to new lanes for westbound I-244 drivers as part of the on-going pavement reconstruction project.

"From about Garnett thru the construction zone toward Memorial, they are going to be shifting traffic from the current right lane onto a new section of pavement that has been built up on the right lane," says the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Kenna Mitchell.

The shift also means some ramp closures.

“Probably the big one that drivers are going to notice is on westbound 244, the ramps to north and southbound U.S. 169 will be closed through mid-October,” says Mitchell.

She tells KRMG that sign boards have been up for some time with the information explaining that drivers headed west on I-244 need to follow I-44 for the detour.

“So it is very important that they follow the signs at the 244/44 junction on the eastside of town in order to have access to 169,” says Mitchell.

Still, she understands that drivers could easily be frustrated with the changes and it will take a few days to get use to the new traffic configuration.

She tells KRMG the westbound I-244 ramps to both northbound and southbound U.S. 169 will be closed until mid-October.

"But it is important to let drivers know that with these ramp closures this is actually planned by the contractor to try to expedite some of the work in this corridor,” says Mitchell.