EDMOND —
In the next few weeks I plan to release the latest version of the House District 31 transportation update. This update is published periodically in response to great interest expressed by local constituents.
Through the past few years there has been a plethora of good news to report. State and local transportation funding have increased because of a deep commitment on the part of the Legislature and governor to start directing revenues from motor vehicle taxes away from the state’s general fund and into transportation-specific funding. Local officials have also prioritized road and bridge improvement efforts.
Due to the change in legislative leadership a few years ago, state policymakers prioritized the funding of Oklahoma’s roads and bridges. As a result, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation developed an eight-year plan. This plan, updated once a year, seeks to address the years of neglect that left the state transportation system in very bad shape.
The plan begins at the local level where ODOT Field Division engineers make recommendations for projects. Recommendation criteria includes factors such as the amount of daily traffic, percentage of truck traffic, accident history, bridge conditions, etc. The plan is designed so that it allots resources based on need rather than political influence. This is great news for areas such as north Oklahoma and Logan Counties where the need is so great. During the past few years, the plan has funded numerous local projects such as the recently completed Seward Road overpass at Interstate 35 or the four-laning of State Highway 74 from Waterloo to Covell.
Last year, in response to a request from Gov. Mary Fallin, the Legislature once again committed additional funding to the plan. According to the newest and recently released version of the plan, this funding is now set to “virtually eliminate Oklahoma’s bridge infrastructure deficiencies.”
The plan contains funding for four high-priority upcoming projects that local residents care greatly about.
Just about everyone who lives on the west side of Logan County from Crescent to the south, and in the northwest part of Oklahoma County, can attest to the overwhelming need for the completion of the four-laning of State Highway 74 from Covell Road to Memorial Road. This $48 million upgrade is scheduled for January 2015. This upgrade should have occurred many years ago as thousands of drivers use this road each day for driving into Oklahoma City.
Starting in January 2013, ODOT is expected to start purchasing the right-of-way and moving utilities in anticipation of the construction of a new bridge over the Cottonwood and floodplain on Guthrie’s west side. The date for replacement of the current viaduct is currently set for November 2014. Until that time, ODOT has prioritized the maintenance of the current aging bridge structure. The plan expects the project to cost in the area of $15 million.
Later in 2013, ODOT will start acquiring right-of-way to replace the State Highway 77 bridge over the Cimarron north of Guthrie. This $7 million bridge replacement project is currently slated for as soon as the summer of 2016.
The recently released version of the eight-year plan saw the first-time inclusion of a very important project for those who live in south Logan and north Oklahoma Counties. The plan expects the expenditure of $28 million to rework the Waterloo and I-35 intersection. This includes the replacement of the I-35 bridge over Waterloo because the current bridge is not long enough to allow the four-laning of Waterloo. The project will likely require the involvement of the Oklahoma and Logan County governments to maintain a signal system at that busy intersection.
In addition to these four projects, there are numerous other planned improvements scheduled for the local area. You may view the entire plan at hd31.org/376.
In addition to an increased commitment to fund state highways, the Legislature also significantly increased funds for county roads. I expect that this will be the subject of a future article.
REP. JASON MURPHEY, R-Guthrie, represents House District 31, which encompasses all of Logan County and a portion of northern Edmond. He may be reached via email at jason.murphey@okhouse.gov, on Facebook at facebook.com/JasonMurphey and Twitter.com/JWMurphey.
Opinion
ODOT plans highway improvement projects
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Oklahomans unite in tragedy; set example for country
Whenever we witness the type of devastation wrought by this week’s killer tornado, we naturally struggle with a host of emotions. Those of us in the neighborhood battle to control our anxieties as we gather the information we can about the storm’s strength, location and direction. We experience dismay when we hear the threat above us has touched down and become a real physical menace to our friends, neighbors and loved ones. When the “all clear” sounds, we are thankful that the nightmare is over. When we realize our loved ones are all safe and sound, we rejoice.
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Spirit of Oklahoma strong in tornadoes
Because we’ve been through so much, we are a people who get perturbed when those on our nation’s coasts look down their noses at us. We are a people who get irritated when others tell us how we should live, or what we should believe. We are a people who cringe when others see our waving wheat fields as only flyover country.
We know that we are not perfect, but we are good, we are compassionate and we are giving. It is this spirit which led the teachers at Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary this week to use their bodies to shield students from tornado debris. It was this spirit that enabled law enforcement officers to stand in the way of the oncoming tornado to divert traffic from the storm’s path. It was this spirit that compelled Oklahomans around the globe to rush to the aid of their friends and neighbors. -
Let kids start school on a normal schedule
Q: Our son’s fifth birthday is in August. He did just fine, socially and academically, in preschool, but the counselor at the school he’s slated to attend has recommended that we hold him back a year because of his late birthday. She says that kids with late birthdays, especially boys, do better if they’re given an extra year of maturation before starting school. What do you think?
A: The practice of postponing Kindergarten for so-called “late birthday” children — generally defined as children having birthdays after May — got its start about 20 years ago and has generated the usual unintended consequences. Prime among those is the fact that by delaying the start of school for children having birthdays after May, schools only create a new crop of children with late birthdays — those occurring after January.
It’s true that during early elementary school, boys are less mature in several respects than girls. In general, their attention spans tend to be shorter. Therefore, they’re more impulsive and more easily distracted. It’s also true, however, that some children, boys as well as girls, experience developmental “spurts” during Kindergarten. The slightly immature, impulsive 5-year-old may be at the norm one year later. -
No one realizes how tough Okies really are — until this happens
Like many of you, I’m ending this tragic week emotionally drained. I was either glued to the weather report throughout the first part of the week or — when Su-the-dog and I weren’t settled down inside the storm shelter waiting for the all-clear to sound — I hovered with her about the shelter door leading down to it. Now as the week ends, I just might have changed my mind about a couple of things.
Many of us have been on our knees throughout this week praying that God will strengthen and comfort the state’s numerous tornado victims and their loved ones. Some have already contributed to organizations such as the Red Cross or the Salvation Army to aid this week’s victims of various tornadoes, and those who are able have either donated blood or else they will when the Bloodmobile makes its rounds. -
Seeing yourself as the world sees you
Ever try seeing yourself as others see you, or your piece of the world as others see your piece of the world?
You know, if you could get others to see you, or if you could get other parts of the world to see your part of it?
Narcissism and inferiority, both, can trap us in front of a mirror, admiring or lamenting, pleased or not pleased by the vision we presumably offer others.
Yet, what’s happened over the last three days, since yet another deadly tornado rolled through Moore, offers an entirely different perspective.
Through strength or weakness, we may take an interest in how we project. But when the “Today Show” is broadcast from the rubble and the network evening news has placed its anchor amidst the carnage; and when the news channels descend upon the destruction and every newspaper in the country is playing your and your neighbors’ plight bigger than its own hometown news, it turns surreal. -
ROCK DOC: Japanese find a new source of natural gas
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Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
The film “Breaker Morant” was nominated for an Oscar for the best screenplay in 1980. It told the story of Harry “Breaker” Morant, an Australian who served in the British Army and was court-martialed for alleged war crimes during the Boer War in Southern Africa in the early years of the last century.
That conflict pitted the British Army against the descendants of the Dutch settlers who had migrated to what is now South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. The majority of them were farmers and in their language of Afrikaans were known as “Boers.” -
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
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Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. - More Opinion Headlines
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Oklahomans unite in tragedy; set example for country
