Ardmore’s 12th Avenue road construction clears

ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - A $1.3 million reconstruction of 12th Avenue in Ardmore is nearly complete after two years of construction, bringing wider lanes, new curbs and fresh pavement to the corridor.

The project has caused traffic backups and access issues for nearby residents throughout its duration.

“We had to take detours quite a bit, the traffic was piling up down this road beyond belief. There was times we couldn’t even back out of our own driveway because cars would be parking in the middle of the road,” said Kahner Kyle, a nearby resident.

Assistant City Manager Shawn Geurin said the final phase focused on connecting roadway segments and improving the surrounding streets.

“This last phase was connecting Kiowa back to the new road that was run from Merrick back over behind Albertson’s, so we made that final connection. We widened Kiowa north and south of 12th Street. We also widened 12th Street. We replaced the curbing, guttering. We also did a mill and overlay on that section to clean that up,” Geurin said.

The road has reopened, but the city said a few final items remain. Striping is scheduled for July 1, and a new traffic signal is expected to arrive in October, Geurin said.

Kyle said the construction was necessary given the city’s growth.

“We’re having a lot more traffic, Ardmore’s getting a lot bigger,” Kyle said.

With the road now open, Kyle is feeling positive now that he can drive out of his neighborhood without running into construction.

“It’s wonderful, the roads look a lot better, it’s a lot nicer to drive on now. People are pretty happy about it at the end of the day,” Kyle said.