When it comes to allocating its transportation stimulus funds effectively, Oklahoma flourishes. The Associated Press reported on a visit from Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who toured the state's highways Monday along with members of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
The group, which included Rep. Mary Fallin (R-Okla.), toured projects on I-40 and the I-244 Inner Dispersal Loop.
They also examined the state’s most expensive job: the I-40 Crosstown Expressway, costing $600 million, which is federally-supported (yet not with stimulus money).
Stimulus funding of $75 million is going towards the repaving of the Inner Dispersal Loop in Tulsa--which Oberstar dubbed the “most complex project in the nation,” according to the AP report--and deck replacements on more than 40 bridges. The state received another $30 million for I-40 roadway and bridgework in El Reno.
Oberstar commended the state for ranking No. 7 in the nation in its allocation of funds. He also said the need is high for continuous highway improvements in Oklahoma, given its roads’ high rates of deterioration.
