A small but significant section of Route 66 in Wellston, Oklahoma, will be closed for about a year while a bridge is being replaced on the adjacent Turner Turnpike.
The road closure will begin about Aug. 21, with detours onto county roads.
Joe Echelle of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority during a recent meeting provided details about the bridge project and road closure, according to Oklahoma Voice.
“It’s a challenging location to work in,” he said. “It’s probably the last bridge that will be the worst bridge to replace on the Turner Turnpike.”
The bridge is 71 years old and an original Turner Turnpike bridge, said Lisa Shearer-Salim, an OTA spokesperson.
The bridge replacement will cost about $48 million, she said.
She said officials will close under a mile of Route 66 beginning about Aug. 21. The closure is expected to last about a year.
Local traffic will be diverted onto some county roads. Traffic exiting the turnpike at that location will also be diverted. […]
During construction, traffic on the Turner Turnpike will remain open to two lanes in each direction, but motorists can expect significant lane shifts and possible night-time closures narrowing to one lane in each direction, according to the OTA. […]
The section of Route 66, dubbed the Mother Road, is expected to be reopened before the centennial celebration in 2026, she said.
Jerry McClanahan said he would post online updates about the Wellston construction for his “66 EZ Guide for Travelers” to help guide motorists through it.
The closure of Route 66 probably will impact Butcher BBQ Stand and other businesses along the road in Wellston. So it would be a good idea for travelers to make an extra effort to patronize them during what undoubtedly will be a trying time.
Wellston also is home to Route 66B (that’s not a typo). Route 66, originally going through downtown Wellston, was to be realigned in a straighter path to the south during the 1930s. The locals protested the bypass mightily and persuaded officials to sign the original path as U.S. 66B.
(Image of a “Road Closed” sign by huskyboy via Flickr)