It is an advantage to the county when the Federal Highway Administration classifies a road as a “major collector.” That is because federal funds are available to improve roads which qualify as
such.
One roadway in District 1 classified as a major collector is Simpson Road, from Sooner to Broadway. Recently we applied for federal transportation dollars to resurface this 3.5 mile section of roadway
and learned we were approved for funding.
Our first effort to fund a major improvement on Simpson was through the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG). ACOG is a regional transportation planning organization of which Logan County is a member.
ACOG annually accepts applications for major collector projects and ranks them based on a point system. This is a competitive process since larger cities like Oklahoma City, Edmond, Norman and others also apply for this funding. However, points are awarded according to a project’s preparedness and we have learned the importance of completing the steps that enhance our chances for funding.
Last year we submitted an application for resurfacing a mile of Simpson from Sooner to Coltrane. This project was approved for $282,880 of funding for FFY 2014. Because much of the planning stage
has been completed, ACOG agreed to move the project up a year. According to ODOT, a tentative letting date for this one-mile improvement is June 2013.
Much of the funding to resurface the remaining 2.5 miles of Simpson from Coltrane to Broadway will be provided through the Surface Transportation Program administered by the Association of County
Commissioners of Oklahoma (ACCO). In December, the ACCO Board awarded Logan County $500,000 toward the estimated $674,963 needed for this phase of the project which is scheduled for FFY 2017.
Again, preparedness means everything, and we are already working through the steps that will enable us to move this project forward should the opportunity arise for earlier funding.
Since federal funds pay only 80% of the cost of these projects, the county must provide the remaining 20%. We are working to arrange that as well.
If you have questions about these projects or others, I will be happy to answer them at 282.3581.
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