Bridge and road tax supporters make a pitch for the tax hike

Proponents of a proposed state gas tax hike say voters should take a crumbing bridge on I-244 in Tulsa as a wake up call. <br/><br/>An old patch on I-244 wore out Thursday and chunks of concrete fell

Friday, August 19th 2005, 12:10 pm

By: News On 6

Proponents of a proposed state gas tax hike say voters should take a crumbing bridge on I-244 in Tulsa as a wake up call.

An old patch on I-244 wore out Thursday and chunks of concrete fell from the overpass onto the road below. No one was hurt, but the highway was left with a three foot hole.

Friday, supporters of State Question 723 aimed at funding bridge repairs gathered at another Tulsa area bridge that is in bad shape. This one was in Sand Springs.

School administrators say it's so bad; they're redrawing bus routes around the bridge. Gas tax supporters say there are bridges like this one all over the state, and they need to be fixed, before it's too late. Crystal Drwenski: "It's a prolific problem, it's one that needs to be addressed immediately, and it does impact our safety everyday."

Opponents of the higher fuel costs don't dispute Oklahoma's bridges being in bad shape. Instead, they argue taxing Oklahomans more at the pump doesn't make sense when the state legislature just passed a new "roads and bridges" bill aimed at adding millions for repairs.