Interstate 35 propels one of the fastest growing population and economic corridors in the United States. Oklahoma and Olsson are working to make sure a critical segment of the highway keeps pace.

We serve on the consulting team selected by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to engineer expansion of I-35 between Oklahoma City and the state line at Texas. The goal of the Forward 35 program is as straightforward as the name: Widen the highway and bridges along roadway segments that have reached or exceeded current capacity.

"How do we widen a four-lane highway on existing alignment and right-of-way and still maintain four open lanes while we do it? That’s been one of the challenges.”

“We are proud to work with ODOT to address growing demand and improve the safety and efficiency on this key transportation corridor,” said Russell Beaty, a senior project manager who leads our Transportation team in Oklahoma.

A look at the numbers shows the need for the project.

Average daily traffic counts on I-35 in Oklahoma range from 30,000 vehicles up to 150,000 vehicles per day. Projections indicate those numbers will increase in coming years.

Zooming out, the nearly 1,600-mile highway moves people and goods from Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minnesota and all points in between.

Some 21 million people live within the I-35 corridor portion from Kansas City and Dallas-Fort Worth. Between 2005-2022, this section of the corridor posted the greatest population and job growth rates of 10 leading megapolitan areas in the U.S., according to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy defines megapolitan areas as large urban regions consisting of at least two metropolitan areas linked by major transportation infrastructure.

That puts Oklahoma City in the heart of a powerhouse.

Highlights of our work on Forward 35 include the following:

- Teaming and working with ODOT, WSB, TEIM Design, and Freese and Nichols on the I-35 Corridor Report. The report gathered comprehensive data including lane configurations, crash history, and capacity deficiency foreach of four highway segments in the project corridor.

- Providing civil engineering and design for the interstate roadway, bridges, and traffic along 24 linear miles of the improvements that ODOT has programmed for funding so far.

- Delivering geotechnical analysis and environmental services related to permitting requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act.

One important requirement from ODOT – keep traffic flowing during construction along one of the most heavily traveled routes in the state.

“How do we widen a four-lane highway on existing alignment and right-of-way and still maintain four open lanes while we do it? That’s been one of the challenges,” Russell said.

We devised a combination of solutions that includes widening the inside shoulder, adding temporary lanes and crossovers in key locations, and phasing construction. We also offered plans to sequence construction and traffic control with the goal of maintaining flow and protecting workers.

A challenge, indeed. But if it were easy, we wouldn’t be on the team.