NewsOn6.com
Posted: Apr 12, 2010 10:50 PM
Updated: Apr 13, 2010 7:33 AM
By Alex Cameron, Oklahoma Impact Team
BOYNTON, OK -- Residents of a small town in rural Muskogee County say they've discovered a big problem -- tax dollars being wasted on useless construction. But what some see as waste, others say is necessity.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is spending $13 million in stimulus funding to build sidewalks in dozens of rural Oklahoma communities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. ODOT said the program saves the towns the expense of doing the work themselves, and paves the way for other improvements down the road.
Under U.S. law, the state can't use federal dollars to make significant alterations to a roadway, unless any and all adjacent sidewalks meet ADA standards. A recent overlay project on State Highway 72 had to stop on either side of Boynton because the sidewalks in town didn't meet code.
By selecting Boynton for the sidewalk program, ODOT officials say, they make it possible to complete the overlay project, and improve the town's handicapped accessibility at the same time... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Tue, April 13, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski