Eastbound I-44 Narrowed To One Lane Near I-40 Due To Emergency Road Repairs

A big heads up for drivers on eastbound Interstate 44. It's narrowed on one lane right now near Interstate 40 for emergency road repairs.

Monday, July 26th 2021, 6:53 am

By: Colby Thelen

OKLAHOMA CITY -

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said the closure of the two inside lanes of eastbound Interstate 44 was necessary to make emergency repairs.

The department didn’t elaborate on the emergency or the extent of the issue.

The closure location was already under construction. On Sunday night, the three lanes of eastbound I-44 were narrowed down to one from SW 29th to Interstate 40.

ODOT expects the closure to last until noon on Monday.

During the morning commute on Monday morning, traffic backed up for at least a mile as drivers tried to merge at the bottleneck.

When the emergency project is completed, crews plan to open the interstate to two lanes through the area.

Colby Thelen

Colby Thelen is an anchor/reporter for News 9. He anchors the 4 a.m. broadcast and reports for 5 and 6. He joined the team in August 2020 after spending two years as a morning reporter for FOX59 and CBS4 News in Indianapolis, IN.