State's share of transportation money won't clear backlog

<br>(Bartlesville-AP) -- Oklahoma will get about $3.7-billion as part of a $375-billion highway introducted in the US House. <br><br>That total still is about half of what the state needs to clear a backlog

Friday, November 28th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Bartlesville-AP) -- Oklahoma will get about $3.7-billion as part of a $375-billion highway introducted in the US House.

That total still is about half of what the state needs to clear a backlog of projects.

Oklahoma would receive $3.5-billion for highway projects and $234-million for busing and other transit programs.

US Highway 60 in northern Oklahoma is among the projects at the top of the state's list of highway improvement projects.

Overall, Oklahoma's $3.7-billion portion of the transportation proposal is roughly a 30% hike over the $2.7-million it received under the 1998 highway bill.

The House bill is almost double the $218-billion road program Congress passed six years ago.

A bill being formed in the Senate costs about $311-billion.