Oklahoma Department of Transportation this week approved an eight-year, $6.5 billion construction plan to improve the state’s infrastructure through the repair and renovation of roads and bridges across the state.
While some of the most expensive undertakings are set in metropolitan areas like Oklahoma City and Tulsa, dozens of projects are planned from 2020-27 for Northwest Oklahoma as well.
Based on ODOT cost estimates, hundreds of millions will be spent on Garfield and surrounding counties. Those approximate figures are $35 million for Garfield County, $26 million for Blaine, $34 million for Grant and $42 million for Major.
Woods County will see $56 million in construction, and Woodward roughly $46 million. Of all area counties, Kingfisher stands to benefit the most by far, with over $88 million to be invested over the eight years.
In 2020, grading, drainage and surface work, followed by “pavement rehabilitation” will begin in Garfield County, on a swath of U.S. 81 leading to Grant County. The effort spans from Enid to the county line north, and carries a $22.15 million price tag.
In neighboring Grant County, an $11.6 million road widening and resurfacing project for U.S. 60, which will start one mile east of U.S. 81 and encompass another 8 miles east, is scheduled for fiscal year 2027. The widening and resurfacing will be preceded by right of way work in 2023 and utilities in 2022.
Kingfisher County has several pricey designs in the works, including nearly $23 million for road widening, resurfacing and bridge maintenance along a section of Oklahoma 51 west of the Logan County line.
Another $16 million is going to Kingfisher County for shoulder work and resurfacing to an eastern portion of Oklahoma 33.
A $14 million bridge project along Oklahoma 51 is slated to begin as early as 2021. This northeastern section of county infrastructure near Hennessey will undergo extensions and replacements to reinforced concrete boxes in addition to resurfacing and widening efforts.
In Major County, there’s no bigger project in terms of price than planned improvements to a northeastern span of U.S. 60 that butts up against Garfield County. For $14.5 million, right of way and utility work is to be conducted on the stretch of U.S. 60 in FY 2021, and widening, resurfacing and bridge improvements sometime in 2024.
An even $21 million is designed for Woods County to replace the road on U.S. 64 east of the U.S.64/Oklahoma14 junction, with the first of the work starting 2022 and the last in 2025.
Plenty of roadwork is promised to Woodward County, including $15.1 million for a three-part project starting north of the U.S. 60/Oklahoma 34 Junction along Oklahoma 34.
Grading, drainage, surfacing and bridgework planned at U.S. 183/U.S. 270 will include a new bridge at Bent Creek for a total of about $12.1 million.
Blaine County is receiving the least aid out of the seven counties, by roughly $8 million. Of the $26 million in work planned for the county, roadwork to U.S. 270 accounts for nearly half at about $14.35 million. Blaine County’s part, which calls for construction of four divided lanes and rehab of existing lanes, is one of five separate efforts to improve U.S. 270, with the other four in Dewey County.
Between Garfield, Grant, Major, Woods, Woodward, Blaine and Kingfisher, 36 projects have been designed, altogether valued at more than $328 million.
Story provided by Enid News & Eagle
Written by: Mitchell Willetts
