NewsOK
Oklahoman Editorial, Published: August 14, 2010
THERE have been two pieces of good news in recent days regarding Oklahoma's roads and bridges.
One came from the Government Accountability Office, which said Oklahoma now receives more money back from the federal Highway Trust Fund than it contributes. For decades Oklahoma has been a "donor” state, meaning it didn't receive as much as it had put into the account. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, has worked passionately to turn that around.
The other good news was the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's eight-year construction plan, announced Tuesday. It has a price tag of $4.3 billion and includes the repair or replacement of more than 650 bridges — something that's badly needed — and work on road projects around the state.
ODOT Director Gary Ridley said the plan reflects the payoff from the state's recent willingness to place a long-term focus on funding transportation.
"It's my belief at the end of the eight years we will have a manageable condition on our bridges,” he said. "I'm not going to tell you all the bridges will be taken care of that are structurally insufficient or structurally obsolete. But the condition overall will vastly improve from where it was five years ago.” FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Sat, August 14, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski