Work gets underway tonight on the expansion of the Creek Turnpike. The roadway will go from four-to-six lanes between Highway 75 and Memorial. Over 55,000 cars per-day travel the Creek Turnpike in that area. The expansion work will add a new lane each direction to accommodate the traffic load.
The Turnpike Authority’s Jack Damrill says the expansion was planned 20-years ago when the turnpike was designed. He says the Turnpike Authority purchased enough right-of-way to allow the roadway to expand toward the middle, in what is now the median.
The work is expected to take most of a year. The biggest part of the project will be the link over the Arkansas River. A third bridge will be placed between the two existing bridges. It is being paid for with Turnpike Authority bonds.