The conditions of Oklahoma’s highway bridges used to be ranked as some of the worst by federal highway officials. A new ranking by the Federal Highway Administration shows they have achieved the status of the some of the best nationally.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reported that in 2004, the state’s bridge conditions were ranked by the FHWA at 49th nationally due to the number of structurally deficient bridges on the state highway system.
The Oklahoma DOT in 2005 started improving highway bridges after decades of under-funded transportation infrastructure took a toll, causing a backlog of critically needed projects. A targeted approach to fixing bridges began taking shape through a series of legislative funding mechanisms and identifying key funding opportunities by the congressional delegation, the DOT said.
In 2004, nearly 1,200 of Oklahoma’s 6,800 highway bridges were considered structurally deficient, meaning they showed signs of needing major rehabilitation or replacement.
Today, 86 highway bridges are now considered as structurally deficient, based on bridge inspection data submitted to the FHWA by states for its 2019 report. Each of those remaining bridges is already scheduled for improvements through ODOT’s Eight-Year Construction Plan.
Source: Oklahoma DOT
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