Plans to Replace Narrow Bridge on Broadway Rd. Move Forward

Working through the 36 steps involved in a major road or bridge project can be likened to eating an elephant one bite at a time. We took the first bite in 2007, when District 1 began the lengthy process of working to replace Broadway Bridge over Cottonwood Creek south of Camp Rd.
 
Built in 1939, this narrow 72 year-old structure is now rated by engineers as “functionally obsolete.” Since Broadway is one of the most heavily traveled major collector routes in Logan County, it was important to replace the structure with a bridge that accommodates modern vehicles.
 
Initial steps toward reconstruction began when we placed the project on the county’s five-year plan. After that, we submitted a programming resolution to ODOT and selected engineers to oversee surveys and hydraulic and geotechnical studies. Plan-in-hand meetings were conducted and environmental clearance began, a process which can require 12 to 18 months.
 
Right-of-way acquisition followed as we initiated a title search for each landowner and sent legal descriptions to ODOT for their review. ODOT returned easement agreements to us to complete in accordance with federal regulations and to file with the county and the Department of
Transportation. Utility companies also had to be notified of the scope of the project so they could make re-locations.
 
Once these preliminaries were completed and approved, there were still funding issues to resolve. Through a program administered by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), District 1 applied for and obtained 80% of the money needed for the project. That meant we still had to come up with a 20% match. Just this week, we obtained approval for $250,000 through the Emergency Transportation Revolving Fund (ETR) to use as a match toward the approximate $1,091,342.00 needed for the project. This means the bridge can go to bid in March 2012, when ODOT conducts a spring letting.
 
If all goes as planned, next year, a new 227’ structure with 32’ lanes and 4’ shoulders will materialize as a result of all the planning. Not only will it accommodate modern vehicles and contribute to public safety, but it should be able to support all the paperwork involved in getting us to this point.