Six of the bridges are on the west side of town, where they cross Deep Fork Creek, the North Canadian River or one of the North Canadian’s tributaries. Those bridges are crucial for the area’s large-scale manufacturing, OKC Public Works Director Debbie Miller wrote in a statement.
The second set of bridges span Lightning Creek on the city’s southwest side. Miller said this grant provides an opportunity to design bridges that catch trash and debris before the waterway carries it into the Oklahoma River.
The money will allow the city to plan restorations or replacements before the heavily-used bridges age into disrepair. The plans could also enable the city to add bike lanes or sidewalks to some of the bridges.
Last month, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation received a separate $142 million federal grant to replace the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, which spans almost 5,000 feet over Lake Texoma between Kingston and Durant. In 2022, the state received a $1-million dollar federal planning grant to assess that bridge. In its description for that project, ODOT said the 80-year-old bridge is “functionally obsolete and at risk of falling into poor condition and becoming structurally deficient.”
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