Free Republic

Across Missouri, about 900 state road and highway bridges are rated in “poor” condition by Missouri Department of Transportation inspectors. In Southwest Missouri alone, that number is a little more than 200. MoDOT officials say the problem — money, or the lack there of — is not anything new. Without a big infusion of new money coming into the state’s road budget, the number of bridges with a “poor” designation likely won’t improve much. and while sources for new revenue are on state and federal tables, they still have obstacles that would have to be overcome. MoDOT officials say being...

The highway headache in west Tulsa has only just begun. As part of a project to widen Interstate 44 from west of the Arkansas River to Union Avenue, and to improve the I-44/U.S. 75 interchange, significant delays can be expected, especially during peak travel times. “It’s definitely the hard part of the project right now,” Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kenna Mitchell said Tuesday. “They’re going to be placing some additional signage further back in the corridor to alert drivers.” Northbound U.S. 75 is narrowed to one lane at the interchange, causing northbound traffic to back up at least two...

Work on the west leg of the Gilcrease Expressway continues with officials saying Monday that completion is still expected in about 18 months. Joe Echelle, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority assistant executive director of maintenance, engineering and construction, told stakeholders during a virtual meeting that the contractor was slightly ahead of schedule with concrete pouring for the new roadway scheduled to begin in February. As the concrete is poured, first between 41st and 51st Streets, the highway “won’t just look like a dirt road at this point,” Echelle said. State officials in July 2019 awarded a $259.3 million construction contract for the...

Motorists will have a little more room to navigate on the Turner Turnpike near Tulsa when a nearly $45 million construction project to widen the highway and make other road improvements is completed. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority approved a contract this week with Sherwood Construction Co. Inc. of Tulsa to fund work on a four-mile stretch of the highway. The project will widen the four-lane turnpike to six lanes beginning near the Creek Turnpike interchange at Sapulpa and extending east nearly to Tulsa. The improvements will be similar to the completed widening of the turnpike to six lanes from four...

Expansion of the Turner Turnpike between Sapulpa and Bristow is anticipated to be done by early next summer — months ahead of the initially announced estimated completion date.“This is a long-term project, and we ask the public for their patience because the end results are going to be tremendous,” said Oklahoma Turnpike Authority spokesman Jack Damrill.“We should have whatever is currently under construction substantially complete by summer,” he said. “Unless we have a terrible winter, we should have all six lanes open summer of 2019.”He said the project has been progressing “very nicely.” The 22-mile, $300 million project involves expanding...

(KSDK) - Bourbon police believe a sniper is shooting at vehicles along a 10 mile strech of Interstate 44. Thursday, a truck driver was shot near Bourbon. Police believethis is the 8th shooting since February

Incident might be tied to eight snipings.ST. LOUIS (AP) - Authorities are investigating whether the shooting of an Indiana truck on Interstate 44 might be linked to eight other possible snipings at motorists in recent months along the stretch of freeway. The truck driver - wounded Thursday on her 34th birthday - was the first person who was injured in nine cases of vehicle windows inexplicably shattering in daylight since Feb. 26 along a 10-mile stretch of I-44 in and near Bourbon, about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis, an investigator said. "There’s no question we had a highway shooting...