ODOT Plans To Spend $6 Billion On Projects Over Next 8 Years

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has set aside $6 billion to fund its eight-year plan to fix everything from bridges to interstates.

ODOT has nearly 2,000 projects planned for the next eight years. One of those is in Atoka County, and will impact drivers who are on their way to Dallas.

Fourteen-thousand vehicles drive Highway 69 near Stringtown every day. Bill Martin makes the drive there from Arkansas, every Tuesday.

"It's got some bumps where they patched it and everything, pretty rough in places," Martin said.

ODOT has it's sights on a seven-and-a-half-mile stretch north of Stringtown. It plans to spend around $18 million to rebuild the southbound lanes from the ground up.

"If that's what they want to do, I guess that's alright if they got the money. I wouldn't gripe about it," Martin said.

10/7/2013 Related Story: ODOT Moves Up Plan To Replace Bird Creek Bridges On Highway 169

The project is one of nearly 2,000 two thousand projects planned by ODOT for the next eight years. They expect to spend around $6 billion. ODOT says that $6 billion includes 924 bridges, 657 miles of shoulders or two lane roads, and 552 miles of highways and interstates.

Some of those projects in Tulsa include the widening of Interstate 44 at 145th East Avenue, for $28 million, repairing the pavement on the south leg of the IDL for $17.5 million, and rehabbing the bridge on Highway 64, over 25th West Avenue for nearly $7 million.

Highway 69 through Atoka County is a prime route for drivers to get to Dallas from eastern Oklahoma.

Martin said he'll be glad when the road is replaced, because it will mean less worrying about potential damage to his truck.

"You know, you never know when you hit a bump what's going to happen," he said.

The project in Atoka County is scheduled to go to bid next summer, with construction to begin a few months later.

Below are some of the Tulsa-area projects and their estimated costs:

Project example - advanced

I-244 73rd E. Ave. to Allegheny; and I-244 Allegheny Ave. to Delaware
Pavement rehabilitation (just over 3 miles, similar to reconstruction recently completed on I-244 from 73rd E. Ave. to the eastern I-44 split)
Advanced from FFY2017 to FFY2014
Estimate - 73rd to Allegheny - $17.5 million; Allegheny to Delaware - $12.6 million

Project example - added:

US-64 over 25th W. Ave.
Bridge rehabilitation
FFY2021
Estimate - $6.9 million

Continued as is from last eight-year plan:

US-75/US-64/SH-51 (south leg IDL)
Pavement rehabilitation
FFY2018
$17.5 million

I-44/145th E. Ave.
Widening
FFY 2016
$28 million