Lincoln Boulevard connector to I-44, I-235 in OKC set for completion in August

The final phase of construction related to the rebuilding of Interstate 235 is set to end next month after the completion of a new Lincoln Boulevard ramp that will improve access to Interstate 44 and add a direct link to Broadway Extension.

The “Off Broadway” project along I-235 between downtown Oklahoma City and I-44 began more than 12 years ago and followed reconstruction of Broadway Extension between NW 63 and Edmond.

The Lincoln Boulevard connection is the final phase of reconstruction of what was one of the city’s most dangerous highway junctions.

“It’s desperately needed,” said Tim Gatz, director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. “It takes us a little bit to get it done, but that interchange is everything it should be.”

The old Lincoln Boulevard ramp to I-44 closed in June and the new one won’t open until completion of the project in August. The $16 million Lincoln Boulevard connector was started in April 2023.

The "Off Broadway" project capped a decades-long effort to rebuild I-235/Broadway Extension between Edmond and downtown Oklahoma City. The highway is now a minimum of three lanes wide in each direction with flyover ramps replacing an outdated cloverleaf junction that forced travelers to make dangerous quick lane changes between the two busy highways.

In addition to building the flyover ramps, the $240 million project added new bridges and ramps at NW 36 and NW 50 and replaced a railroad bridge over I-235.

“The interchange is functioning at a level now that will carry us long into the future,” Gatz said.