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Ted Wright -- last update 11/6/2003 (chamberNov06.html)
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Copyright 2003
Collinsville
Chamber of Commerce
Nov. 6, 2003 -- Meeting at Library ODOT Engineer Reports on Bridge& Road Issues |
Chamber President Marilyn Hardacre indicated the lease had been signed on the Chamber's new office and also introduced the Chamber's new secretary: Verlinda Norris.
The speaker for the program was Gary Evans, Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Division 8 Engineer. Mr. Evans stated that Oklahoma has a $7.6 billion backlog of bridge repairs that should be made to 1,116 of the 6,728 total bridges. 135 bridges are over 80 years old. One Oklahoma bridge still in operation, was build in 1896.
Evans blamed a shortage of funding for not even being able to keep the metal on bridges painted to prevent further erosion. Although the overall ODOT budget has not varied much from the $200 million annually they have used since the 1980s, the percentage used for bridges has increased recently.
In 2002 Oklahoma had 636 fatal vehicle collisions resulting in 735 deaths. Mr. Evans indicated more than half of those occured on the worst 25% of Oklahoma's roadways.
-- Ted Wright -- Nov. 6, 2003