Agricultural News
American Farmers and Ranchers Praise Gov. Fallin for Bridge Improvement Plan
Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:02:48 CDT
Terry Detrick, President of American Farmers & Ranchers issued the following statement after the announcement of the "Bridge Improvement and Turnpike Modernization Plan," made by Gov. Mary Fallin this morning, relative to Oklahoma state highways and county roads:
"We are pleased that Gov. Fallin has taken this step to improve our state's roadways and bridges," Detrick said. "Adequate roads and bridges are keys for us in rural America to get our products to market safely and efficiently which contributes to the overall economy of our state. Without functional and safe roads and bridges our rural citizens cannot contribute to the economies of local towns, regional centers and even urban cities. However, perhaps most important of all is to ensure the safety of our children."
The two-phased project is said to start immediately and last until 2019. Seven hundred and six of the state's nearly 6,800 bridges on the state highway system are currently identified as structurally deficient, with 4,768 out of 14,315 county bridges on county roads deemed unsafe for rural travels.
"It's simple, without safe and adequate roads and bridges commerce will cease which contributes to our entire state economy, both private sector and government," Detrick said. "As the state's second largest contributor to the economy, investment in roads and bridges is crucial for all of our state citizens, from the farm gate to the consumer plate."
The Governor and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation plan to salvage about 1,400 longitudinal steel bridge beams from the I-40 Crosstown revamp, in Oklahoma City, which will be used for distribution to counties for local bridge construction.
"We applaud Gov. Fallin and ODOT for their forward thinking to retain these building materials which will increase the safety on rural roads and save tax payer dollars," Detrick said.
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