State Todd Russ, R-Cordell, chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Transportation Subcommittee, today commented on the announcement by Gov. Kevin Stitt that the state is now ranked ninth in the nation for the status of highway bridge conditions, according to the latest data from the Federal Highway Administration.
This includes interstates, U.S. highways and state highways that are ODOT’s responsibility.
“I’m thrilled with today’s announcement that we’ve moved from being near bottom in the nation in terms of bridge repair from 16 years ago to now being in the top ten in the nation,” Russ said. “As the chair of the Transportation Budget Subcommittee, I worked hard during this year of economic downturn to make sure transportation stayed fully funded – both at the state level and in our counties, so that our roads and bridges projects could continue on schedule.
“Roads and bridges are of major importance to Oklahomans who are at the very center of the United States as we move commerce both into and out of our state and build our economy. Rural roadways, however, are the very lifeblood of our communities keeping our rural families connected to much needed services.”
Russ pointed out that transportation had been underfunded for decades prior to Republicans taking the majority of seats in the state Legislature since 2005. In 2004, nearly 1,200 of Oklahoma’s 6,800 highway bridges were considered structurally deficient, and the state was ranked as low as 49th place in national bridge condition rankings.
That number has been reduced to 86 today, with each of those already scheduled for repair on ODOT’s eight-year plan, according to the department.
In addition, the current $879 million CIRB plan calls for replacement or rehabilitation of 313 bridges, 151 that are structurally deficient, over the next five years.
These structures are maintained separately by counties.