AASHTO Journal, 27 June 2014
While Oklahoma has made significant improvements to the state’s roads and bridges in recent years, continued strong investment on the local, state, and federal levels is vital in continuing that momentum to grow the economy and keep citizens safe, according to a report published Thursday by transportation nonprofit TRIP.
The report, “Modernizing Oklahoma’s Transportation System: Progress and Challenges in Providing Safe, Efficient and Well-Maintained Roads, Highways and Bridges,” discusses the improvements the state has made in repairing and upgrading its roads and bridges in the last decade. TRIP specifically looks at the conditions of the state’s transportation infrastructure before the state legislature began investing additional money in transportation in 2005 and compares that picture to current conditions.
“Oklahoma has undertaken a sustained commitment to upgrade the condition and efficiency of its roads, highways and bridges and to reduce traffic fatalities by modernizing its highway system,” according to TRIP’s report. “By making this effort, Oklahoma has been able to reverse the deterioration of major roads, highways and bridges and begun to improve traffic safety in the state by modernizing urban and rural roads and highways. These efforts have resulted in a large reduction in the number of state-maintained deficient bridges, the rehabilitation and reconstruction of thousands of miles of roadways, and the completion of safety improvements that are saving numerous lives each year.”
Since the state legislature’s increased transportation investment, the number of the state’s structurally deficient bridges has been cut in half—from 1,168 state-maintained structurally deficient bridges in 2004 to 468 in 2013. By 2021, Oklahoma Department of Transportation officials believe that number will be close to zero. Pavement conditions have also improved in the last decade, as 25 percent of all state-maintained roads and highways have been rehabilitated. Since 2006, 301 miles of Oklahoma’s 673 miles of Interstate have been rehabilitated or reconstructed, while more than 3,000 miles of non-Interstate roads received attention through resurfacing, rehabilitation, or reconstruction. Lastly, the traffic fatality rate dropped six percent between 2006 and 2012.
And while Oklahoma has been successful in combating some transportation issues throughout the state, continued investment is critical moving forward, as there are hundreds of structurally deficient bridges, thousands of miles of roadway, and many lives to save.
“We are certainly excited about the progress made in the past decade, especially on addressing the state’s structurally deficient highway bridges thanks to a boost in state funding,” said ODOT Chief of Media and Public Relations Terri Angier. “However, we are anxious about declining or stagnant federal funding curtailing that momentum and impacting ongoing and future transportation improvements.”
TRIP’s full report is available here.