From trails for bicycles and pedestrians to fixing a highway plagued by landslides, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission took action in favor of several projects this week.
As News on 6 reported on its website, repairs were okayed for a highway in northeastern Oklahoma.
Commissioners voted in favor of fixing landslide damage on Highway 51 between Sand Springs and Mannford, where the asphalt in the right lane is badly crumbling. That project – with a budget of $1.4 million – went to Earth Smart Construction in Catoosa.
Once it starts, it’s expected to take about 70 calendar days. Commissioners did not set a start date, but they anticipate it will be in the fall, according to spokesperson Kenna Carmon.
They also looked at a major reconstruction of an almost 8-mile stretch for Highway 75A in Okmulgee County. They plan to reconstruct the road from just north of Beggs to Mounds in Okmulgee and Creek counties. The new two-lane highway with paved shoulders will be east of the existing highway which commissioners said is narrow with steep hills and safety issues at county road intersections.
The $16.2 million contract was awarded to the Cummins Construction Co. of Enid and is expected to take about a year to complete. A start-date has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, nearly $22 million were awarded for other projects as announced by the Transportation Commission.
A truly connected transportation system that meets the needs of communities includes options for bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and several cities, counties, schools and state parks in Oklahoma are getting a boost in delivering these types of local improvements. At its Monday, Aug. 1 meeting, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission awarded nearly $22 million for 45 local projects as part of the Transportation Alternatives Program. The program is federally-funded and administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
A few of the projects receiving TAP funding include a City of Edmond trail project at Arcadia Lake, a Rogers County multi-use trail between Claremore and Catoosa and a City of Lawton pedestrian bridge at I-44.
Funding for TAP is designated for projects like sidewalks, pedestrian and bicycle trails, streetscapes, safe routes to school, and environmental or historical preservation projects. In 2012, U.S. Congress approved the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, which consolidated several previous transportation enhancement, trail and safe routes to school project categories into one program, TAP, to allow more flexibility at the state and local levels.
Federal funds provide up to 80 percent of the total cost of the projects, while the applicants must provide at least 20 percent. Eligible applicants include cities, towns, counties and other local government agencies, schools, tribal governments, regional transportation or public transit agencies and natural resource or public land agencies.
This year’s TAP application process was very competitive, with a total of 88 eligible project applications submitted to ODOT. The department worked with Oklahoma’s 11 regional planning districts to review and recommend projects, taking regional priorities and available funding into consideration. The next application period for TAP funding is planned for early 2018 and ODOT encourages all eligible local government entities to apply.
A full list and a map of projects receiving TAP funding are available at www.odot.org/tap.