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Oklahoma Transportation Projects In Jeapordy
April 10, 2008
Hundreds of scheduled bridge and highway projects could be removed from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) eight-year Construction Work Plan without state funding changes. The warning came from members of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission earlier this week.
Two years ago, the State Legislature approved long-term funding increases in HB 1176 (2006), some of which were contingent on 3 percent revenue growth for the state. The trigger mechanism jeopardizes plans for much needed infrastructure across the state, and could cause ODOT to remove $127 million worth of projects. Additionally, it may cause as much as $260 million in projects to be removed from the remainder of the state’s eight-year highway construction plan if the trend continues.
Because of past underfunding, ODOT has an official backlog of $9 billion that, with recent construction cost increases, could be as much as $12 billion. Bridges account for half of the backlog, with 480 bridge replacements included in the eight-year plan. An additional 626 bridges have also been identified as in need of replacement.
Posted by Lisa Doyle on April 10, 2008 | Comments (0)
