MIDWEST CITY, OK — Federal, state, and local leaders gathered at I-40 and Douglas Boulevard in Midwest City, Oklahoma, to officially cut the ribbon and open the more than $170 million U.S. Senator James Inhofe interchange. The ceremony celebrated the completion of one of the largest highway construction contracts in Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) history and honored the legacy of Inhofe.
The project transformed the interchange into a modern single-point urban interchange (SPUI), designed to improve traffic flow and enhance safety while minimizing impacts to surrounding properties. This is now the fourth SPUI on Oklahoma’s state highway system.
“This project represents a forward-thinking investment as Oklahoma’s communities continue to grow,” said Tim Gatz, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation and Executive Director of ODOT. “By modernizing the I-40 and Douglas interchange with a single-point urban interchange, we’re improving traffic flow, increasing safety, and strengthening a vital corridor near Tinker Air Force Base that will serve thousands of employees, military personnel, and businesses for decades to come.”
In addition, more than 6 miles of I-40 have been widened to six lanes between Industrial Boulevard and the I-240 interchange, improving connectivity across eastern Oklahoma County. The project also addressed six bridges, including raising the Westminster Road bridge over I-40 to accommodate truck traffic, reconstruct the Douglas Boulevard bridge, and remove the Engle Road bridge.
The interchange was officially designated the U.S. Senator James Inhofe Interchange by the Oklahoma Legislature in recognition of Inhofe’s decades of service and his leadership in advancing transportation and infrastructure funding for Oklahoma, including support for the $51 million federal INFRA grant awarded in June 2021 that helped fund the project.
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Speakers highlighted the significance of the investment near the gates of Tinker Air Force Base, where the interchange serves as both a key military and economic corridor.
The project was completed by Allen Contracting Inc. and Shell Construction Co. Inc.
