Cherokee Tribe volunteers funds to fix bridges

The Cherokee Nation is donating millions of dollars to help rebuild and repair some Northeastern Oklahoma bridges.<br/><br/>They announced their partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation

Wednesday, July 5th 2006, 3:33 pm

By: News On 6

The Cherokee Nation is donating millions of dollars to help rebuild and repair some Northeastern Oklahoma bridges.

They announced their partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in a news conference.

The Cherokees donated almost $5 million to fund construction on eight area bridges one on Highway 88 north of Inola.

It is one of two bridges that will be repaired in Rogers County and it needs the work.

The Cherokee Nation announced they're donating $4.7 million to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The money will help repair and rebuild eight bridges in six counties in Northeastern Oklahoma. Each of those counties is considered a tribal county.

So the money actually came to the Cherokees from the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"It's our people whose lives and health is in jeopardy by transversing those bridges. So when we help ourselves we help the entire community," says Principal Chief Chad Smith. "When the entire community gets help, our people get helped."

On the list for repair, the Pecan Creek Bridge on Highway 51 in Cherokee County, two bridges on Highway 62 over the Arkansas River in Muskogee County, and the Salt Creek Bridge on US 60 in Nowata County. There are two bridges on highway 88 in Rogers County, and in Sequoyah County on US 59 over Little Sallisaw Creek.

But one of the bridges is in Tulsa County. Its part of North Peoria and runs over Dirty Butter Creek.

People who live near the bridge say they appreciate the Cherokees' contribution.

That bridge is already finished. In fact many of the bridges on the list are already in some stage of construction.

The Cherokee donations will just help pay for them so ODOT can focus on bigger projects.

In the next few years the Cherokee Nation has plans to spend another $51 million on more transportation projects.