Orange barrel alert: Project set to begin at US 169 junction with SH 266

SH 266 is also 46th Street North; the project will take more than a year

Highway project on US 169 in Tulsa Satellite imagery courtesy: maps.google.com (Russell Mills)

By Russell Mills

The commute back and forth between Owasso and Tulsa is about to become more of a challenge for thousands of drivers each day.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will begin the process of widening SH 266, or 46th Street North, and replacing the bridges over US Highway 169.

The project is expected to take about 13 months, and will mean lane closures, delays, and for at least one long weekend, a complete closure of US 169.

That's expected to occur in mid-February, beginning on a Friday evening and ending early Monday.

The two bridges that now cross over US 169 at the junction will be taken down, necessitating a complete shutdown of the highway.

Roughly 55-60,000 vehicles a day travel that stretch of the highway.

Speed limits will also be lowered on both roads during the construction project.