2012 agenda : a more prosperous Oklahoma : transportation and infrastructure.

              Transportation and Infrastructure
Governor Fallin recognizes that having safe, modern and functional roads and bridges is vital to commerce and job creation. Businesses and individuals need a modern, safe transportation infrastructure servicing their needs. Unfortunately, the condition of Oklahoma’s bridges have long been an impediment to economic growth. For years, Oklahoma has topped the national “bad bridges” lists. Currently, Oklahoma has 706 bridges on the state highway system that are identified as structurally deficient. Governor Fallin’s Bridge Improvement and Turnpike Modernization Plan proposes to repair each one of those bridges while providing assistance to counties and modernizing the turnpikes outside of the state’s largest two cities.
Bridge Improvement and Turnpike Modernization Plan
State Roads and Bridges
Of Oklahoma’s 706 structurally deficient bridges, 413 are scheduled for rehabilitation or replacement under the state’s Eight Year Construction Plan. If no further action is taken, 293 structurally deficient bridges will not have the funding required for rehabilitation.
Under Governor Fallin’s plan, Oklahoma will repair the remaining 293 structurally deficient bridges and bring the total number of currently identified structurally deficient highway bridges down to zero by 2019. These improvements will place Oklahoma’s highway bridge infrastructure system among the best in the nation. To accomplish this, Governor Fallin has included in her executive budget a financial commitment to add an additional $15 million to improve Oklahoma roads and bridges. These funds were originally intended to support road maintenance, but have been diverted in past years to other critical needs. The governor’s intent is to restore the use of this motor vehicle revenue to its original purpose. The governor is also asking the legislature to raise the fiscal cap on the ROADS fund from $435 million to $550 million. Raising the incremental contribution and increasing the ROADS fund cap generates an estimated $479 million over an eight year time period; giving the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) the resources it needs to virtually eliminate structurally deficient bridges on the state highway system. County Roads and Bridges The county road system in Oklahoma is extensive, and proper care and maintenance of this important transportation linkage has placed a fiscal burden on our counties during challenging economic time. That is why the governor is also proposing that the state inject extra resources and energy into the county-level efforts to improve locally maintained bridges. For starters, ODOT predicts that the disassembling of the current I-40 Crosstown Bridge in Oklahoma City will leave Oklahoma with 1,500 to 1,800 50-foot steel beams in good condition that can be safely reused at the county level. ODOT predicts these beams can aid in the construction of around 300 new county bridges. All proposed bridge projects using the crosstown beams can be under contract or completed by December 2014.
In addition, to ensure counties have the resources they need to continue these improvements, Governor Fallin is asking the legislature to increase funding for the County Improvement for Roads and Bridges (CIRB) fund. By shifting the percentage of revenue from motor vehicle collections that are dedicated to improving roads and bridges from 15 percent to 20 percent. By doing this, an additional $20 million will be generated a year for local road and bridge improvement; an investment that is sorely needed.
2012 Agenda: A More Prosperous Oklahoma