Special Transportation Commission meeting held to expedite repairs onI-35 rock slide in Arbuckle Mountains

Help is on the way for the busy I-35 corridor in the Arbuckle Mountains south of Davis and other highways in southern Oklahoma thanks to the Transportation Commission’s approval of an emergency declaration at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 30. To expedite repairs, engineers and commissioners felt it necessary to meet before the regular commission meeting next week to proceed. Drivers are asked to be patient, as it could be up to two months before all lanes of I-35 are reopened however contractors hope to complete repairs as quickly as possible.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will issue an $870,000 contract to GeoStablization International of Colorado to stabilize the rock face and a separate contract to Oklahoma based Silver Star Construction not to exceed $574,000 for removal of the fallen rock from the slide that closed the northbound lanes of I-35 near Turner Falls in Murray County on June 18.

A nationally-recognized expert in this field, GSI will remove the unstable rock mass with a series of small charges, and then will use a combination of specialized machinery and hand tools to remove any loose rock remaining. For safety reasons, blasting will require complete closure of I-35 in the area for about half an hour. When the closure is planned, advanced notice will be sent out.

To stabilize the rock face, GSI will place rock bolts through the formation. Each rock bolt is between 20 and 30 feet long. Finally, Silver Star Construction will be tasked to haul the estimated 14,000 tons of fallen rock away from the highway, where it becomes the contractor’s property and may be offered to nearby quarries. As a long-term safeguard, ODOT will place markers on the rock formation as a visual reference to help crews monitor the rock face for any further movement over time.

Following the June 18 rock slide caused by heavy rains, experts from the Colorado Department of Transportation and construction contractors were consulted and visited the site to help ODOT develop a plan of action for this unprecedented disaster. Since May, heavy rainfall and flooding in Oklahoma have caused damage to highways and bridges statewide and ODOT is working quickly to expedite emergency repair projects. GSI is also working to repair landslide damage on highways in Haskell, LeFlore and Pushmataha counties.

A temporary crossover completed on June 21 by Overland Construction is allowing one lane of interstate traffic in each direction using the southbound lanes of I-35 until the major repair work to stabilize the rock face and remove the fallen debris can be completed.

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The speed limit on I-35 is reduced to 50 mph and drivers should expect congestion and delays in the area, especially during peak travel times and holidays. Additionally, I-35 is narrowed to one lane in each direction just north of SH-29 near Wynnewood and in Ardmore for ongoing bridge rehabilitation work. Drivers and truck traffic wishing to avoid the corridor can use US-81 to the west or US-69 to the east.

Commissioners also approved emergency contracts for bridge repairs on US-70 between Wilson and Lone Grove in Carter County, SH-89 near Ringling in Jefferson County, replacement of a collapsed roadway pipe under SH-7 near Velma in Stephens County and embankment repairs to SH-78 over the Red River in Bryan County.

The regular Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 6 at 11 a.m. in the R.A. Ward Transportation Building in Oklahoma City.

Rainfall near I-35 at Honey Creek Pass in the Arbuckle Mountains caused a rock slide during unprecedented storms that began in May. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation held an emergency meeting June 30 to approve a $870,000 contract to stabilize the area and a contract for rock removal not to exceed $574,000.

Rainfall near SH-78 in Bryan County washed out the approach to the Red River bridge during unprecedented storms that began in May. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation held an emergency meeting June 30 to approve a $500,000 contract to make repairs.