Edmonites rejoice as one of the main thoroughfares opens, just in time for back-to-school.
Broadway and 33rd has been under construction since July 2015, and many Edmond businesses along the intersection felt the hit as it grew more difficult to drive through the jam-packed, narrow lanes.
“The day the construction started we saw a 30 percent drop in sales,” said Old School Bagel owner Sonny Yocum. “This drop affected not only us as owners but even trickled down to our high school and college employees who couldn’t receive the hours they needed We are very fortunate that we were able to keep our doors open, and now that construction is over, we are excited to satisfy everyone’s bagel cravings once again!”
The $5.1 million project opened Edmond’s busiest intersections by adding additional turn lanes, updating the stoplights and adding medians. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation detailed the updates on their website:
“33rd Street will have two lanes for traffic in each direction. Eastbound traffic will have two left turn lanes and one right turn lane while westbound traffic will have one left turn lane and one right turn lane.”
Nearly 65,000 cars pass 33rd and Broadway every day, so an update to the infrastructure— although frustrating at times to locals—was necessary. Now, with newer, wider roads, locals are able to travel more comfortably. When the intersection opened in July, local businesses showed their love with signs reading “Welcome Back 33rd and Broadway!” along with other encouraging remarks.