Within the next eight years about 15 percent of the state's 6,700 highway bridges will turn the ripe old age of 80. It's a milestone that few will celebrate since spans built in 1927 were not designed to carry the vehicle weights put on them today.
Those 1,000 bridges and more should be on a planned replacement calendar. Right now, that calendar is full with a backlog of $2.6 billion in projects for bridges alone, the director of the state Department of Transportation told legislators last week. That list grows longer every year, according to a report in The Journal Record newspaper.
Gary Ridley spoke to an interim legislative study session on the state's transportation system. That study request came long before the Minnesota bridge collapse.
Mr. Ridley told lawmakers his engineers are keeping a close watch on 63 bridges that have been determined to be "fracture critical," meaning they do not have safety redundancies built in.
Transportation officials will be in Norman this week to discuss the interstate work that is now on the department's eight-year plan. The interstate will be widened from the U.S. 77 interchange south to Main Street. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Holiday Inn, 1000 Interstate Drive.
Norman's Main Street bridge was often referred to as a poster bridge for the department's plan to seek replacement funds. It is on the replacement list but continued lack of state and federal funding pushes it down further on the priority list.
The nation's highway trust fund no longer has the money to bail out state projects. An increase in the federal gasoline tax may be in order to bail out the fund.
Opinion
Lawmakers deal with $2.6 billion bridge backlog
- Opinion
-
-
‘Flavor of the month’
State Republicans have invited all of the GOP presidential candidates to Oklahoma. Former candidate Herman Cain came to Oklahoma City in early December, just days after he suspended his campaign. Rick Santorum brought his charged-up ...
-
Gov. Fallin says tax cuts bring national attention
Rating agencies are often courted by state, county and local officials seeking better ratings and thus lower interest costs on long-term debt financed through bonds. Oklahoma’s governor and other officials called on various agencies this ...
-
AA’s decision a blow to Tulsa
The announcement by American Airlines that it will likely lay off almost a third of its Tulsa work force is terrible news. Looking for the bright side, the huge Tulsa maintenance facility will keep almost 70 percent of its employees ...
-
Oklahoma kids rank low
Oklahoma kids continue to rank low in terms of poverty, health, child welfare, early childhood development and hunger....
-
Schools deserve best equipment, teachers
A candidate at a state Senate forum this past week repeated the oft-made comment that Oklahoma has too many school districts. We agree some consolidation is needed, and it’s happening. But the candidate went beyond that and said we don’t ...
-
Thanks from our readers
Oklahoma senators serving on the finance committee wisely killed a bill that would effectively tax newspaper and magazine subscribers. It came up on the session’s first full day of work and was quickly dispatched by a 13-1 vote....
-
Independent group needed
Editor, The Transcript: I wanted to write a letter a long time ago, but Ms. Rogers’ letter claiming that “Chromium levels in the water shouldn’t cause alarm” pushed me over the edge. As an environmental professional in Oklahoma, I have ...
-
Governor, chancellor push higher grad rates
Oklahoma has long had college students who leave campus before finishing their degrees. They leave to take jobs in order to support families, they get behind in studies and don’t see a way out, or they just need a break. Additionally, some ...
-
Quitting should be smokers’ choice
The Jan. 29 editorial “The high cost of tobacco” claimed that tobacco use costs Oklahomans a lot of money, but it did not disclose the fact that tobacco use produces a lot of money for Oklahomans, which — in the interest of being fair — ...
-
A turning point in Oklahoma’s health
The governor’s announcement of a tobacco ban on any state-owned or leased properties may be a turning point in the state’s push for better health. We’re currently ranked 48th in the United Health Foundation rankings. We made some progress, ...
- More Opinion Headlines
-
‘Flavor of the month’
