Publicity stunt over unsafe bridges has state officials concerned

Thousands of crosses along Oklahoma highways are capturing the attention of the Oklahoma transportation officials.<br/><br/>The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says its a publicity stunt, and its

Monday, June 6th 2005, 2:53 pm

By: News On 6

Thousands of crosses along Oklahoma highways are capturing the attention of the Oklahoma transportation officials.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says its a publicity stunt, and its illegal. Oklahomans for Safe Bridges and Roads put the crosses up over the weekend. Some 3,000 of them line highways from Chikasha to Muskogee to McAlester.

The crosses symbolize the number of people who have died in traffic deaths due to poor roads and bridges.The group put them up to get voter support for raising fuel taxes to fix roads and bridges.

Crystal Drwenski with Safe Bridges and Roads: "we feel any consequences that we have to placing these crosses out here are well deserved if it raises the attention and the awareness of all the fatalities that have occured over the last seven years.â€

ODOT will send a letter for the coalition to remove the crosses, and says mowing crews will probably take them down as they go along. ODOT admits 135 aging bridges need to be replaced across the state.

Safe Bridges and Roads wants to raise the gas tax by 5 cents, diesel by 8 cents. You'll decide that issue with a vote on State Question 723 in September.