SH-76 to get shoulders, rehabilitation
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation just released its updated Eight-Year Plan and two area projects were on the plan. The projects are to reconstruct and rehabilitate a portion of SH76 at Newcastle, and reconstruct and rehabilitate US-62 at Blanchard.
The SH-76 project is from the north fork of Walnut Creek, north approximately 4.5 miles to SH-130 in Newcastle. The project will add shoulders to the existing twolane road, and the road will be reconstructed and rehabilitated. Planning on the $19 million project was completed in fall 2022, but environmental work hasn’t been started. Environmentals are planned for completion in fall this year.
Design work is 60% complete. Any right-of-way acquisition is planned for fall 2025, and the construction let date is 2030. When constructed, ODOT plans to use phased construction in order to maintain the existing traffic.
The US-62 project is from .33 miles north of SH-76 and extending north for 4.33 miles. Project planning for the reconstruct/rehabilitation project was completed in fall 2022, and environmen-
8-YEAR PLAN on page 3 tal was completed in summer 2024. While the design has not been completed, and any necessary right of way has not been determined, the construction let date is March 2025.
8-YEAR PLAN: 2 other projects mentioned are planned nearby on SH-4
Cost of the project is estimated at $2 million. Construction will be done phased in so that traffic can be maintained in the area. No timeline for completion has been set.
There are two other area projects near the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. Both are on State Highway 4 from the H.E. Bailey Turnpike north about 5.26 miles to State Highway 37. These projects will add capacity to the roadway. Construction costs are estimated at $21,579,480 and a completion date has not been determined.
They expect construction to start with a let date in 2027. Planning was completed in spring 2022, but environmental is only 80% complete, and the design is only 30% complete. Phased construction will be used to maintain existing traffic.
The Oklahoma Transportation Commission has approved nearly $9 billion in highway construction and safety projects in the newest edition of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan.
“Our Eight-Year Plan serves as a guide for the department’s construction and maintenance efforts and allows us to ensure we are addressing as many transportation needs as we can statewide,” said ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz. “Our main focus continues to be safety and reliability, and we are working to enhance safety by improving interchanges, adding shoulders to rural two-lane highways and addressing bridges statewide.”
An additional area of special interest is the southern U.S. Interstate 35 corridor. Throughout the Eight-Year Plan, there are 14 projects totaling more than $377 million that will widen nearly 53 miles of I-35 between the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma-Texas state line.
