Lawton's SW 11th Street Bridges Reopen After Year Of Repairs

After a year of being closed, the bridge corridor on SW 11 Street in southwest Lawton is finally reopened! The bridges underwent extensive repairs, and the closure has detoured traffic to I-44 for access to the Lawton City Landfill since March 2025.

The City of Lawton officially closed all access to the bridge corridor over Wolf Creek on SW 11th Street on March 31, 2025. Construction began on the bridges in early April of that year. And on Wednesday, April 8, the City of Lawton officially announced that the bridged corridor is now open.

The bridges over Wolf Creek on SW 11th Street were first constructed in 1901.

It's crazy to think that the bridges over Wolf Creek on SW 11th Street are older than the state of Oklahoma! The bridges were first constructed in 1901, and have seen a lot of traffic over the years.

When repairs began, the City of Lawton told KSWO that the bridges had surpassed their intended lifespan, and had major structural damage caused by vehicles well over the weight limit. The project was intended to take 240 days, putting completion around February of this year.

Of course, construction took longer than anticipated, but for only taking a month or so longer for completion, isn't too bad! According to the City of Lawton, the project included a full replacement of both bridges, built up the roadway approaches and laid new asphalt. Lawton residents traveling to the landfill or surrounding towns now have a smooth road and sturdy bridges to travel on.

Lawton residents can now access the landfill from SW 11th Street.

Now that construction is complete, Lawton residents can access the landfill directly from SW 11th Street without having to reroute to I-44. Travelers may still see crews out near the construction site finishing up, like laying sod or adding new signage.

Lawton's Worst Roads As Voted By You

Roads have always been a hot topic in Lawton. The local government always promises to fix them when elections are at stake, but the improvements never come. It's more of the same, crumbling roads and band-aid patches due to what the city describes as "too little funding," even though we continually vote for bonds to satisfy these issues.

Here are the worst commonly used roads in Lawton as voted by you.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Closed Lawton Restaurants We All Wish Were Still Open

Do you ever get that bummer feeling when you're craving a meal that just isn't available anymore? Or better yet, not necessarily the food as much as the people and ambiance you grew up with? Hundreds of restaurants have come and gone in Lawton, Oklahoma, but here's a quick list of eateries we all wish were still around.

Gallery Credit: Kelso