It’s almost achieved landmark status, but Tulsa’s ‘Stonehenge’ will be going away.

Work starts Monday to finally finish the new I-44/Highway 75 interchange in west Tulsa, where the dozen or so empty bridge supports acquired the ‘stonehenge’ nickname because of their resemblance to the famous British landmark.

Some have wondered why the supports were built so long before the ramps could actually be completed, but ODOT says the simple reason is that the funding was available, so they decided to take advantage of it.

Also, ODOT officials say having the supports already in place will expedite the construction when it gets underway.

Even so, it’s still a mammoth project, the largest in ODOT history, with a budget of $252 million, and will take about 3 years to complete.

The biggest impact for drivers is that the ramp from westbound I-44 to northbound Highway 75 will be closed for the duration of the project.

Drivers will have to detour about a mile to the west and use eastbound I-244 to get access to northbound Highway 75.

Other parts of the project include widening Highway 75 between 71st Street and 41st Street, replacing the Highway 75 interchange at 61st Street, building a new frontage road between 61st Street and Skelly Drive, extending and connecting 51st Street under Highway 75, and building a pedestrian bridge over railroad tracks along 51st Street near Elwood Avenue.