Oklahoma Road Projects in Peril Because of Budget Constraints
maps.google.comMandatory state budget cuts may impact area road construction projects, though the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has not yet selected which projects could be eliminated.
Last week, agency commissioners met to discuss how state funding cuts would affect the transportation agency. State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger ordered all state agencies to cut 3% of budgets for fiscal year 2016.
ODOT Executive Director Mike Patterson said the reduction has impacted the state’s allocation to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety, or ROADS, fund to the tune of $13.2 million. The cut affects ODOT’s budget for projects listed in the eight-year construction work plan. The plan lists all projects through fiscal year 2023.
Patterson said the cut to the ROADS fund will not impact ongoing projects, but the full extent isn't known.
“Due to these state budget challenges, we are looking at reductions that will likely have a negative impact on highway construction spending,” Patterson said. “This means some projects in the eight-year plan will be postponed, though we don’t know which ones at this point. At the same time, we will have to increase spending on maintenance and asset preservation just to keep the highways in the condition they are now.”
One large project that will not be affected is the resurfacing of U.S. Highway 75 and bridge work over state Highway 20 in northern Tulsa County, just south of the Washington County line. The stretch of highway has deteriorated, and ODOT placed a priority on getting the work done on the busy road between Bartlesville and Tulsa. The project is expected to take about a year to complete, ODOT officials said.
Continued work on other eight-year plan projects in the area is not so clear.
The largest project is U.S. Highway 60 east of Bartlesville through Nowata County. According to Randle White, division engineer for ODOT, work has tentatively been scheduled for February. The first leg of a $14.5 million project is to reconstruct the two lanes of U.S. Highway 60 from the Washington County line, and extends east for 5.15 miles. Work will include adding shoulders to the narrow highway, grading, drainage and additional surface work. It is not known if this project will be impacted or delayed because of budget cuts.
State Sen. John Ford represents Washington and Nowata counties. He said the U.S. Highway 60 project east of Bartlesville has been delayed once.
“The project was on the previous eight-year plan but had to be delayed because of environmental issues,” Ford said. “When workers started the project, including tree removal and other easement issues in April of last year, the engineers found roosting habitat for the long-eared bat, which is a new environmental requirement ODOT just recently became aware of. All work had to stop and resulted in the delay of relocating utilities for the project.”
Additional work is scheduled to begin in November for U.S. Highway 60 from approximately the Bartlesville Industrial Park east to the Nowata County line. The $14.6 million project will add shoulders to the highway. But because of the budget cuts, it is unknown if this project also will be impacted.
Work on the structurally deficient Caney River bridge on state Highway 123 near Johnstone Park also may be delayed. The $3.7 million replacement currently is on the ODOT schedule for fiscal year 2018. Because of the deteriorating nature of the bridge, regulators were forced to put a 10-ton weight limit on the structure.
ODOT also is implementing a plan to reduce out-of-state travel, delay replacement of vehicles, equipment and outdated facilities, and leave vacant positions unfilled. The $3.9 million in savings will be reallocated to highway maintenance.
