State Highway Funding explained

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CHenry

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I do on a daily basis. Granted, some of the I-240 entrances (Memorial and Sheridan) are wonky. But overall the roads seem to need less construction than the OKC area.
Fewer cars and trucks.
OKC is the crossroads of America with I-40 and I-35. No one crossing America detours through Tulsa to get to LA. LOL
 

p238shooter

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CHenry --- Thanks for a very detailed extensive report of this topic which affects most of us on a daily basis, especially the tax history behind the scenes.

In a past business I owned, Bid News Construction Reports which I later sold to iSqFt reporting on construction projects out for bid, both public and private. I had an opportunity to talk with an ODOT official at a formal meeting we attended. I asked him why were there continuous construction repair on the Turner Turnpike I had to constantly drive through at least a couple times a week, why not just start at one end to the other and be done with it for a few years. He did a great job of enlightening me.

Let's say their are 3 major contractors that are qualified and capable of bidding those kinds of paving repairs. If they let a contract for major construction for let's say half of the turnpike. Only one company would be awarded that contract. Would the other contractors be able to survive two, three years until the next half was put out for bid? Not likely, keep the contracts small, 10-15 miles or so, let several a year. That way every contractor gets a bidding chance fairly frequently and every one stays employed and their business open to help assure competitive bids each time. I know of one guy who operated a paver machine that switched companies frequently depending on who got the contrast that needed his services to stay full time employed.

Again, thanks for all the info. Sorry, I still hate construction zones. Gerrrrrr, but do like the finished product afterward.
 

CHenry

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^^^ Your welcome.
Remember, construction means growth. Without growth OKC would look the same as it did 30 years ago.
I bet Denver has over a 100 tower cranes standing right now. It's growing like a fat kid at the all you can eat buffet.
 

O4L

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I don't know what all they are doing on I-40 between Shawnee and OKC but it sure gets old driving through that mess everyday. It seems to have gotten a little better since they moved the 240 to 40 merge lane farther East.

It's been going in for a while and it looks like there is no end to it. Must be several projects going on at once because it is spread out from 240 to the Pottawatomie county line.
 

CHenry

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I don't know what all they are doing on I-40 between Shawnee and OKC but it sure gets old driving through that mess everyday. It seems to have gotten a little better since they moved the 240 to 40 merge lane farther East.

It's been going in for a while and it looks like there is no end to it. Must be several projects going on at once because it is spread out from 240 to the Pottawatomie county line.
Several projects to make that 6 lanes. The Bridges are first to be replaced and built to 56' wide.
Notice the interchange at 102 where the casino is. I-40 is built for 6 lanes on the future. Every interchange and bridge will be affected by this need to 6 lane. They are having issues in front of Tinker because of real estate constraints between city streets and Federal land.
 

dennishoddy

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Around Ponca, the tribal casinos contribute a ton of money to road construction.
The road to my house and beyond was built by the Osage tribe casino. If I remember right, they have to contribute a certain percentage of their profits to community projects.
If your a member of the tribe and have a rural home that is not on the reservation, the tribe will build a road to the home. ODOT has nothing to do with it. It's all county/tribe.
We have three tribal homes out near our range. Asphalt road was built for four miles to those homes. A couple of years later, another tribal home was built two miles away. The road was extended to that driveway and then it reverted back to a gravel road.
Great benefit to the county.
 

BReeves

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What I do not understand, after the San Francisco earth quake several years ago they rebuilt almost the entire freeway system in the Frisco area in less than a year. In Oklahoma it takes two years to rebuild a single interchange.
 

CHenry

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What I do not understand, after the San Francisco earth quake several years ago they rebuilt almost the entire freeway system in the Frisco area in less than a year. In Oklahoma it takes two years to rebuild a single interchange.
Yeah that was a national emergency.
Kinda drew ever contractor in the country and federal dollars too. It's really kinda common sense how that occurred lol
 

CHenry

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Around Ponca, the tribal casinos contribute a ton of money to road construction.
The road to my house and beyond was built by the Osage tribe casino. If I remember right, they have to contribute a certain percentage of their profits to community projects.
If your a member of the tribe and have a rural home that is not on the reservation, the tribe will build a road to the home. ODOT has nothing to do with it. It's all county/tribe.
We have three tribal homes out near our range. Asphalt road was built for four miles to those homes. A couple of years later, another tribal home was built two miles away. The road was extended to that driveway and then it reverted back to a gravel road.
Great benefit to the county.
During my tenure, the tribes have contributed about 100 mil or so to state highway projects that benefited the casino access, that I know of. Maybe more...
 
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SoonerP226

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Yeah that was a national emergency.
Kinda drew ever contractor in the country and federal dollars too. It's really kinda common sense how that occurred lol
According to the first post, it took 65 days to get the I-40 bridge across the Arkansas back in commission after a barge took it out. It's amazing what can get done when you can throw cubic dollars at a problem.
 

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