Stillwater News Press
By Sen. Tom Dugger
September 14, 2021
I wanted to share some exciting news for the state of Oklahoma. This past Wednesday, we learned that just a year after becoming a Top Ten State for the condition of our bridges, we’ve moved up higher in the rankings, from ninth in the nation to seventh among states with the lowest percentages of structural deficient bridges on our highways.
These rankings are even more impressive when you keep in mind that in 2004, we were ranked 49th in the country with 17 percent of our 6,800 bridges rated structurally deficient or poor – that meant there were nearly 1,700 dangerous bridges. Currently, Oklahoma only has 67 structurally deficient bridges, and these are either currently under construction or scheduled in the state’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan for replacement or major rehabilitation.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will continue an aggressive bridge program to address the more than 1,000 bridges that are at least 80 years old and to adequately maintain and preserve newer bridges, ensuring we will maintain Oklahoma’s Top Ten ranking.
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