As highway funding dips, end of road approaches
OUR VIEWS: New I-40 Crosstown
The Oklahoman Editorial
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Published: November 4, 2009
OKLAHOMA Department of Transportation Director Gary Ridley is scrimping and saving where he can in order to deal with the shrinking pool of available state and federal money, all the while keeping watch on what figures to be his legacy achievement — the new Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway, which is moving just a bit closer to completion.
Like all state agency directors, Ridley is having to make do with less. ODOT is preparing for additional 5 percent monthly reductions in state allocations through the end of the fiscal year next June. The agency had previously seen those allocations get trimmed because of state revenues that continue to fall.
In addition, federal funding for road projects has been sliding and that doesn’t figure to change any time soon. A short-term extension of the current transportation law means highway programs will continue to be funded at about two-thirds of what states were expecting. As a result,
Oklahoma will receive about $22 million a month less from Uncle Sam, which will make it a challenge for ODOT to go about the business of letting repair and construction projects.
The agency planned for some of these funding issues by hiring 45 to 50 fewer seasonal employees during the summer. ODOT has put off buying new light vehicles such as pickups, vans and cars. The department usually gets rid of those vehicles after about 175,000 miles, but "they’re just going to have to run a little farther than that” before they’re traded in, Ridley said. ODOT has cut back on travel and most overtime, and has left about 50 vacant positions unfilled. "There may be some construction projects that we postpone if things get any worse,” Ridley said.
One project continuing forward, thank goodness, is construction of the new I-40
Crosstown which, when completed in 2012, will give motorists a smooth pass through
Oklahoma City. That hasn’t been the case on the current crosstown in a long, long time. On the elevated portion of the highway, the wear from accommodating thousands more vehicles per day than it was designed to handle has left the road pockmarked and treacherous. Maintenance is seemingly never-ending.
Ridley told the Transportation Commission the final dirt-work project for the new highway will begin soon; once that’s finished, paving will begin on the section of highway that will run from about May Avenue to Interstate 235. He called it "a pretty big milestone in the course of the project.” We call it good news, because it means the washboard ride motorists now are subjected to is a little closer to being closed.
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As for the I-40 bridge, it is not only old, but crumbling as well. That bridge has seen a tremendous increase in cars as well as trucks. It's putting a strain on that bridge. That's why you see so many patches as well as the exposed cables on the bridge support. If you look at the ground underneath the bridge, you may see some concrete. I'm surprise that the cars that are parked underneath the bridge near the ford center hasn't been damage or people being injured by falling concrete. That's why ODOT had to build that new road. I don't know how old that bridge is but I would bet that bridge wouldn't survive for another 50 years. All bridges have a lifespan of about 50 years and soon afterwards need to be replaced. Take a look at the bridges on the turner tpk; they are over 50 years old. I seen some with exposed cables on the support. So yea, they need to replaced that I-40 bridge for the safety of the drivers. If I remember, did TXDOT replaced that bridge and interchange on 1-30 in ft worth with a road similar to I40. We don't want a Minnesota type thing happen here.
Trucks "passing through" would not load up right before entering the state because they'd hit weigh stations in whichever state they passed into after okieland.
Trucks originating from okieland wouldn't overload if they were leaving the state for the same reason.
The fact of the matter is, okieland has ignored routine work on the roads for years and it's coming back to bite them in the azz.....period.