Transportation

Airport board awards $15.9M renovation contract

Written by Dick Pryor Friday, 16 July 2010 22:02

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Tulsa Airport Improvements Trust has awarded a $15.9 million contract to a local construction company to renovate a concourse at Tulsa International Airport. The project to be done by Manhattan Construction Group of Tulsa is part of the airport's $164 million capital improvement program.
The project will start in September and include the complete renovation of the airport's Concourse B, which now houses the gates and operations for Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. It will be paid for through passenger facility charges.

Airport officials say the project should take about 550 days to complete and have a lifespan of about 20 to 30 years. The renovation will replace electrical systems, lighting, heating and air conditioning systems, roofing, communications and plumbing infrastructure, fixtures and fire protection equipment and include interior upgrades.

ODOT officials order bridge modifications

Written by Dick Pryor Tuesday, 06 July 2010 20:56

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma transportation officials have ordered modifications to bridges in the state that are similar to one that was involved in a deadly collapse in Minnesota in 2007. Gary Evans, the chief engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said Tuesday that officials have ordered a design review of 95 truss bridges in the state. Evans says reports on 30 of the bridges have been received so far and that nine of them needed modification. Eight of those bridges have been modified. Work is planned for the ninth bridge, which is located in Cherokee County and crosses Dry Creek. Officials say a study of the Minnesota bridge collapse indicated inadequate gusset plates may have played a role in that structure's failure. Gusset plates connect structural members that are part of a truss bridge's design.

2 Okla. bridges temporarily closed

Written by Dick Pryor Tuesday, 29 June 2010 20:51

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Department of Transportation temporarily closed two bridges and decreased the weight limit on 25 others after reviewing their design to ensure they conform with new safety standards. ODOT chief engineer Gary Evans says the bridges under review have a truss system to help support them as they span long distances. The new standards were enacted after the deadly 2007 Minnesota bridge collapse.

Evans says the agency isn't saying the bridges are unsafe. He says the weight limit on the bridges was decreased to prevent additional damage from large vehicles to the bridges. Officials closed bridges on Oklahoma 74 over the Washita River in Garvin County and on Oklahoma 109 over the Kiamichi River in Choctaw County, but but both reopened after modifications were made.

Work to begin on Oklahoma turnpikes

Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 17 June 2010 23:21

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Five contruction projects totaling $27.6 million are about to start on the Turner Turnpike, but Oklahoma Turnpike Authority officials say steps are being taken to ease disruption for motorists. OTA assistant director Tim Stewart said Wednesday most of the projects will begin after the Independence Day holiday weekend. Stewart says to minimize delays work will be done at night. Stewart says more than half the projects were to begin last
year, but the Turnpike Authority didn't have the funding. Tolls, the agency's sole funding source, were increased on the system's 10 turnpikes to offset declining traffic, and OTA spokesman Jack Damrill says the hike allowed the agency to pay for the projects. The largest project is $8.9 million in work on Interstate 44near Tulsa.