EDMOND —
Four separate design projects costing $766,396 were agreed to by the Public Works Committee this week for amending the design of the Covell Parkway. This money is an additional cost to the $2 million infrastructure improvement that the city has committed to the I-35 infrastructure projects, said Steve Manek, city engineer.
“It’s not getting any cheaper,” City Councilwoman Elizabeth Warner said.
The traffic study will accommodate traffic infrastructure for the development of a $25.5 million Hilton Garden Hotel and conference center to be located on the northwest corner of Interstate 35 and Covell. Development of the $15 million Summit Sports Complex will be at the northeast corner of I-35 and Covell.
“There is a tremendous amount of traffic volume in that area that we were not designing for,” Manek said. “Two lanes with left turns would be great, but it’s very possible we will need three lanes, dual left-turn lanes and right-turn lanes with a full build out of all those corners out there.”
The first phase of the Covell project extends from the Fairfax Business Park to the southbound I-35 ramps. Federal funds through Association of Central Oklahoma Governments will be sought to offset an estimated construction cost of $10.85 million, Manek said.
The second amendment is from the east side of the I-35 interchange out 600 feet past Air Depot, with an estimated construction cost of $5.5 million. This area has never been included in design work, Manek said.
“The third phase with the proposed development is we need to have dual turn lanes on the northbound off ramp,” Manek said of the estimated construction cost of $900,000. An application for federal funds will be made for this project, he said.
Manek said the I-35 off ramp may need to be widened partially before reaching the interstate. “That’s a whole different set of challenges and that is not what was called for in the study,” he said.
The widening of Sooner Road from the Covell intersection north to the bridge is the fourth phase of the project, with a construction cost estimate at $1.3 million.
“We have the intersection of part of Sooner Road under design. This is going to be the tie for roadway plans for this project so we can get that done quicker,” Manek said.
An environmental assessment of all of the projects is not to exceed $90,000 of the total $18.5 million construction cost, he said. Waner figured the design work would be about 4 percent of the project cost.
“We need to get these ready so we can start the right-of-way acquisition and the utility locations,” Manek said.
The City Council will consider the item Dec. 20.
jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121
Local News
4 projects up for design for Covell
- Local News
-
-
OG&E works to replace Edmond power poles
“Oh my God, it’s the tornado,” Betsy Herring thought as she and her husband, Lee, took shelter in their laundry room as Sunday’s tornado roared toward their Forest Oaks home in Edmond.
-
Equine center aids Orr Family Farm horses
Connie Yearwood, a third-year veterinary student at Oklahoma State University, had been job shadowing at Equine Medical Association in Edmond when the call came to help rescue horses that were injured during Monday’s tornado in Moore and Oklahoma City.
-
Lincoln County Emergency Management calls for help
Carney is a city of about 649 residents and following the recent tornado outbreak 20 homes were destroyed there and an additional 18 homes in the county were leveled.
Wednesday, a press release from Lincoln County, along with Wellston Emergency Management Office and the City of Carney, stated that at this time the needs have changed for the city. -
Oklahoma National Guard coordinates tornado relief support
Oklahoma National Guard members, who work side-by-side with local responders to aid in recovery efforts during domestic operations such as the May 20 tornado that tore through Oklahoma City and Moore, are given their tasks through the Guard's Joint Operations Center.
The JOC, located in the Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in Oklahoma City, is primarily responsible for the collection, dissemination and tracking of information to increase the situational awareness for leadership as well as the National Guard Bureau, said Lt. Col. Hiram Tabler, the director of military support for Oklahoma's Joint Force Headquarters. -
UPDATE: Businesses, groups offer free relief to tornado victims
Listed is information on free services offered to victims of the recent tornadoes.
-
House approves $45M aid package for tornado victims
As rain poured this morning on disaster relief workers in the Moore and Oklahoma City areas, the Oklahoma House of Representatives unanimously approved a $45 million aid package to provide relief to those impacted by Monday’s EF-5 tornado.
-
TIMELAPSE: Take a tour through the damage in Moore
Take a driving tour of the damage in Moore caused by Monday's tornado.
-
Moore mayor wants tornado shelters in new homes
Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis wants tornado shelters in all new homes in his city, where an EF-5 tornado damaged or destroyed more than 12,500 homes Monday afternoon. A proposed ordinance would require a shelter inside or outside each new residence.
-
Rescue workers, tornado victims find respite in college dorms
Monday’s tornado put an estimated 20,000 people out of their houses, which were damaged or destroyed. Some of those victims — and the rescue workers who’ve come to help them — are staying a few miles south, in dormitories at the University of Oklahoma.
More than 300 individuals and families left homeless by the storm are staying at OU, where the university is providing beds, hot water and meals, often delivered by a familiar face. The university also housed 287 first-responders from Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Tennessee. -
Mom delivered baby as tornado struck
Shayla Taylor’s second child was moments from birth as an EF-5 tornado bore down on Moore Medical Center on Monday afternoon.
Her labor was too far along to move her to safety with the rest of those in the hospital, her nurses decided. So as her husband, Jerome, and their 4-year-old son, Shaiden, went downstairs with the others, she and four nurses stayed upstairs and braced for the worst. - More Local News Headlines
-
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
