The State releases newest Transportation Improvement Plan

I am preparing to wrap up my latest series of articles, the intent of which has been to focus almost exclusively on positive happenings. I’ve attempted to focus on the positive as a balance to my previous series of articles regarding some of the troubling outcomes from this year’s legislative session.

A series of positive articles isn’t complete without a description of just a small segment of the progress being made here in north Oklahoma and Logan Counties, one of the fastest growing, most dynamic areas of the state.

You may have seen recent news postings regarding the US Census Bureau’s pronouncement that the annual income of Logan County households has now exceeded the nation’s median-household income of $53,046 per year. Logan County joins just six other Oklahoma counties to hold this status.

Keep in mind that while the household income of local residents now exceeds the national average, the cost of living in Oklahoma still ranks much lower than many other areas of the nation.

This wealth is due in large part to the area’s rapid growth which continues to extend from the north Oklahoma City and Edmond areas, north and north west towards Guthrie and Cashion.

This new growth places heavy demands on the area’s highway infrastructure and it is the primary responsibility of state government to respond to this need. Ongoing projects to transform the Hwy. 105 and I-35 interchange, expand Hwy. 74 to four lanes from 206th to Memorial, and replace the Hwy. 33 viaduct in Guthrie are evidence of the state’s responsiveness.

While I have been extremely critical of state legislators for walking back their commitment to county roads, the commitment to upgrade state highways and bridges has mostly remained in place—at least for now.

Last week the Oklahoma Department of Transportation approved the newest version of its eight-year improvement plan.

Local residents will be happy to know that the plan continues to allocate for needed improvements such as the replacement of the Hwy. 77 bridge over the Cimarron River and the badly needed completed re-work of the heavily trafficked Waterloo Road / I-35 interchange; moreover, the Waterloo project has been allocated additional funding which will be put into place as early as three years from this October.

Other planned projects of significance include an upgrade of Hwy. 33 in the western parts of the county, and the replacement of I-35’s Cimarron River Bridge.

The progress made locally has not been made because of politics or political influence. Our area has greatly benefited during recent years as the new generation of transportation reforms have focused on meeting real needs as opposed to responding to political power. Because of this reform, and due to Logan County’s rapid growth, our area tends to receive a significant amount of the upgrades, and the newest plan continues to reflect this fact.

I look forward to highlighting this progress, as well as speaking about the specifics of the various local projects as a part of the next House District 31 town hall meeting.

Thank you for reading this article. Your interest and input are much appreciated. Please do not hesitate to email [email protected] with your thoughts and suggestions.