A project to widen Interstate 35 between Purcell and Goldsby is expected to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety.

Purcell Fire Chief Greg Cypert welcomes those improvements.

But Cypert also expressed concerns during a public open house hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) on Febuary 5 at the Goldsby Community Center.

“I like that it’s going to alleviate the traffic somewhat, some of the congestion,” he told The Register. “And it’s all going to be lighted, which is going to be huge.”

ODOT and the Federal Highway Administration are planning to add a driving lane in both directions along a 2.3-mile stretch of I-35 starting at Johnson Road.

Construction is expected to begin in March or April of 2027 and take about a year to complete.

It’s the construction that concerns Cypert, who has led the fire department for 12 years.

“When they do construction out there, we tend to have lots of accidents,” he said. “A lot of times the traffic backs up, and drivers come over hills and the traffic stops and they have no time to stop,” Cypert said.

One such accident, during a construction project, claimed the lives of a Nebraska family of five and a Tishomingo woman.

“That stretch has a lot of hills in it right there that you can’t see over, you come over and the traffic is shut down, and you have nowhere to go.”

Not everyone pays attention to posted signs that alert motorists, Cypert added.

The chief also raised concerns about a separate project at Grant Street to add a new interchange. It’s about five miles south of the widening project.

“So, we’re going to have double construction at the same time,” he said. “(Also) congested traffic hinders us from having the ability to get to a scene.

“If you haven’t been around I-35 very much, when they have construction it backs up for miles in our area. That always tends to be a problem.”

Dozens attended the open house, including Purcell resident Serena Melton, who works for the Purcell Police Department.

“It will be great for us when it’s all completed,” Melton told The Register.

Former Purcell councilman Allen Eubanks attended the open house to “stay informed.”

“I’m still a concerned community member,” he said. “I’m trying to keep aware of the timeline for this expansion.”

Eubanks spoke with a project designer who shared the scope of the project while “I just shared some history.”

Eubanks pointed out “how this stretch of road can get dangerous if there’s a backup with the hills and valleys.”

Project team members were on hand to answer questions, including Ron Brown, the transportation department’s District 3 engineer. Brown is responsible for all the numbered roads and interstates in 11 counties in central Oklahoma, including McClain and Cleveland.

“This project is really one of those stop-gap projects that I talk about,” he said. “It’s a two-mile straightaway that’s an important area for us.

More than two decades ago, ODOT installed a mile of cable barrier inside the project route to alleviate a rash of what Brown called “cross-over” accidents.

“For me, safety is our No. 1 priority,” he said. “So, being able to work on a two-mile stretch that we had issues with 25-30 years ago and to be able to widen that to six lanes is going to be an important feat.”