In 2006, the Oklahoma legislature set aside money in the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Program (CIRB) to help fund major road and bridge projects counties could not afford on their own. These projects were placed on a five-year plan and submitted to ODOT. Each road district within the county chose projects for funding and District 1 selected five miles of Coltrane Road for resurfacing from Waterloo to Seward.
When we submitted engineering plans for Coltrane in 2006, the estimated cost was $2,000,000. In 2008, the estimate rose to $4,000,000. Now it is $11,689,730. Costs are based upon the guidelines we are told we must meet to enable the project.
Since this is a major undertaking, it was divided into phases. Four million was allocated for Phase I for 2013. This phase provides for the first mile of Coltrane from Waterloo to Simmons.
If you have driven Coltrane Road recently, you may have noticed surveyor stakes in various locations. This is part of the preliminary work underway. Most of the current staking on this mile indicates temporary right-of-way the county will need during construction. Due to a higher traffic count, this mile will have curb and gutter and a turning lane. The remaining four miles will be two-lane.
Staking is under the oversight of Coates Field Service, a company we hired to acquire right-of-way as needed along the length of the project. Coates recently mailed notifications to landowners along
Coltrane to inform them of the project and that if right-of-way is needed, an appraiser or evaluator will be contacting them to determine value. Coates indicated they are getting good response from residents looking forward to this major improvement.
Currently the only county mile of Coltrane with pavement is between Waterloo and Simmons. The remainder of the road is gravel. Paving the entire length of this major collector will provide a quality roadway connecting Guthrie to south Logan County and to other major collectors within the area.
On Thursday, Jan. 31, we received excellent news in regard to this project. At a meeting of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, (ACOG), where District 1 recently applied for additional funding for Coltrane, we learned that the Board of Directors officially approved $4,246,174 for use in 2014. This money will be applied toward paving the northern four miles of the project.
If you have questions about this improvement or other projects, you are welcome to contact the District 1 office at 282.3581.
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