Edmond drivers heading east on 2nd Street lost a lane on Aug. 14, after crews closed the eastbound right lane to begin installing water transmission lines connecting the Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant to the I-35 and 2nd Street area.
The closure will last two months.
The City of Edmond announced the restriction on Aug. 12, saying the work on 2nd Street/Route 66 will run in two phases through approximately mid-October. The city has not specified when Phase 1 ends and Phase 2 begins, or provided an exact completion date.
McKee Utility Contractors, an Oklahoma-based pipeline firm established in 1978, is handling the work on behalf of the city and the Edmond Public Works Authority. The project, designated MAIN-03, involves laying a 36-inch treated water transmission line and a 48-inch raw water transmission line beneath the corridor.
Part of a larger infrastructure push
The transmission lines feed into Edmond's broader effort to replace and expand the Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant, originally built in 1987. The Edmond Public Works Authority voted 4-0 on June 22 to approve a $377.2 million construction contract with Archer Western Construction for Phase 3 of the plant expansion, according to Edmond Inbox. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board backed the work with a $416 million loan.
The plant upgrade will boost treatment capacity from 12 million gallons per day to 30 million gallons per day. Bill Begley, with the City of Edmond, told KOCO in May that the expansion would deliver "water independence, which is something we really don't have right now."
Water Resources Director Kris Neifing described the plant expansion in June as the "last large phase" of Edmond's current water plan, which dates to a 2019 revision. The full construction timeline runs through July 2030.
Edmond residents are already paying for the work. A rate increase of roughly $18 per month for the average customer took effect in July, with another $18 increase planned for summer 2027.
What drivers should know
The city advises motorists to follow posted signage, use caution in the work zone and allow extra travel time. An interactive closure map shows current lane restrictions across Edmond.
