Restore T.R.U.S.T.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2010
PR# 10-038

RE: October Commission Wrap-Up: Preservation of existing assets discussed; nearly $84 million in projects awarded

Highlights of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s Oct. 4 meeting include presentation of a four-year Asset Preservation Plan, approval of the first in a series of construction contracts for Port of Entry stations across the state and approval of contracts totaling nearly $84 million.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Director Gary Ridley presented to commissioners the agency’s $376 million, four-year plan for preservation of existing roads and bridges. He noted tools such as the Asset Preservation Plan and the recently adopted Construction Work Plan have proved effective in targeting resources to do the most good.
“This plan sets guidance as to how we’re going to spend our asset preservation funds,” Ridley said. “It does indeed ensure that our assets will be preserved well into the future to either meet or exceed the design life.”
Another asset preservation tool garnered the attention of commissioners when they approved a $7.5 million contract for construction of a new Port of Entry station in Kay County. This is the first in a series of nine planned throughout the state at a total cost of $61 million.
The Port of Entry stations, formerly known as weight stations, are being built through a partnership with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. They will be geared to assist in preserving existing infrastructure and improving public safety by reducing the incidence of overweight vehicles, which prematurely age highways and bridges. In addition to weighing commercial vehicles, the modern ports will include truck inspection facilities.
Ridley also noted department personnel have been speaking at meetings across the state to explain accomplishments brought about by a commitment to transportation by state leaders and by using such planning tools to pinpoint and focus on the most critical needs.
Commissioners thanked the I-40 Crosstown group for their hard work on the project as it now moves into full operation in the field. The project is expected to be open to traffic in 2012.
Commissioners also approved construction of the state’s first single point urban interchange, which is designed to move traffic quickly by reducing the number of stopping and turning points. The interchange is slated for I-40 and Morgan Rd. in eastern Canadian County. They also approved a contract for construction of a more than five-mile stretch of US-70 between Sawyer and Fort Towson in southeast Oklahoma.
In all, commissioners awarded 37 contracts totaling nearly $84 million to improve highways, interstates and roads in 24 counties. Projects include bridge and highway construction and reconstruction, resurfacing and safety improvements.
Contracts were awarded for projects in Adair, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Choctaw, Cimarron, Comanche, Ellis, Jackson, Kay, Kiowa, Latimer, Marshall, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Payne, Pittsburgh, Pottawatomie, Rogers and Tulsa counties.
The eight-member panel, appointed by the governor to oversee the state’s transportation development, awards project contracts for road and bridge construction every month. The panel’s next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 8, in the R.A. Ward Transportation Building in Oklahoma City.
Before a project is awarded, ODOT researches, plans and designs work to be done. Contracts are bid competitively, with the OTC selecting the winning firm. Typically, work begins several weeks or months after contracts are awarded.
Contracts, bid information, the commission’s monthly agenda and project details can be viewed at www.okladot.state.ok.us.