February 19, 2011
By Andrew Knittle
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — In a time when the City of Norman is looking to reduce expenses, a recent decision from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation will translate to a fixed cost not likely to go away.
Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary said officials learned in July 2009 that ODOT planned to turn over the maintenance of the right-of-way along State Highway 9, between Interstate 35 and the city’s eastern limits, to the city.
The Norman City Council will be asked to approve an intergovernmental contract between the city and ODOT on Tuesday during its regular meeting at City Hall, which starts at 6:30 p.m. The contract will officially hand the right-of-way’s maintenance to the city.
City documents show ODOT has been taking care of the grass and brush along the mostly rural stretch of highway since roughly 1990, paying a contractor an estimated $120,000 annually to do the work in recent years.
In exchange, the city had assumed pavement maintenance responsibilities on select state highways that run through Norman, including highways 74A, 77 and 77H... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Sat, February 19, 2011
by John Cox