Oklahoma bridge repair money exhausted with hundreds left to fix

Oklahoma state transportation officials ran out of money before all its bridges could be repaired.

By TIM TALLEY
The Associated Press

12/3/2007

But now the bridge fund is exhausted, and there are hundreds left to fix.

Oklahoma lawmakers approved the one-time appropriation in March 2006 to jump-start a bridge program that transportation officials said was critically needed to repair or replace 1,600 functionally obsolete or structurally deficient bridges in the state.

Since then, the state Transportation Commission has approved contracts to repair or replace 60 bridges, more than their original goal. The bridges included some of the state's most critical load-posted bridges as well as others in serious need of repair, Department of Transportation Director Gary Ridley said.

"We thought it incumbent on us to put the money to good use as quickly as we could," Ridley said.

The last $13 million in the bridge fund was obligated three weeks ago when the commission approved new bridge repair and replacement contracts. And without additional money, the pace of bridge repairs in the state will slow in 2008.

"The key is funding," Ridley said. "The problem didn't manifest itself overnight. We can't fix it overnight. A long-term financial commitment with the discipline to stay the course is the absolute best approach."

Oklahoma lawmakers said they want to put transportation needs high on the priority list when lawmakers convene the 2008 Legislature in February.

"Roads and bridges are the top priority for us this year," said Sen. Owen Laughlin, R-Woodward, Republican floor leader. "We're committed to putting more dollars in there. I think we're going to have the votes to do it this year."

"Our state has ignored its infrastructure for quite a while," said Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Oklahoma City, chairman of the House Transportation Subcommittee. "I think it's something that we've obviously got to look at."

Laughlin said he would like to approve another one-time appropriation to expedite the pace of bridge repairs. But Thompson said that will depend on whether the state has surplus revenue.

"That happened to be a year when we had a lot of cash," Thompson said. "If we have a lot of cash again, I'd write them that check in a heartbeat."

The Transportation Department's eight-year road and bridge maintenance program calls for repairing or replacing 480 deficient or obsolete bridges in that timeframe. But inconsistent funding levels threaten the plan and everything in it, Ridley said.

Legislation passed two years ago authorized $17.5 million a year in new transportation maintenance funds and another $32.5 million a year if economic growth pushed new state revenue up at least 3 percent. Under the measure, new road and bridge maintenance revenue is capped at $200 million.

But this year, growth revenue did not meet the 3 percent trigger, and the Transportation Department did not get the full $50 million authorized by the legislation.

"That triggering mechanism is somewhat flawed. We're not sure what's going to happen in 2008," Ridley said.

"Even if we're fully funded...we still have about 626 bridges that we've identified that are critical that are not in our eight-year program," Ridley said. He estimated it would cost $2.5 billion to repair those bridges.

The chairman of the House General Government and Transportation Committee, Rep. Guy Liebman, R-Oklahoma City, has said he will introduce legislation next year to eliminate the 3 percent trigger and authorize the full $50 million a year in new road and bridge maintenance money.

Laughlin said he supports the plan.

"We want to do the $50 million every year. And we think that it's doable," Laughlin said.

"I've been under bridges in my district that I can put my arm through the girder," he said. "We've shortchanged roads for so many years. It's long overdue."