City Councilor Bruce Bledsoe was nominated 2021 Chairman of the Public Works and Transportation Committee by fellow committee members and councilors Lou Martin and Brian Stephens.
Next, Public Works Director Steve Hardt gave updates on two ongoing road projects.
The first, for paving improvements on North Hickory from Line to Muskogee, is complete but for the installation of a few more stop signs at the intersections of Hickory and Okmulgee and Hickory and Line, said Hardt. Both intersections will eventually have four-way stops, rather than the existing two. This project is expected to be finished in two weeks and should come in a whopping $1 under the contract amount.
The main part of the second project, that of paving improvements to Canyon Road from Freedom Road east to South 57th West Avenue, will be finished next Wednesday, as long as temperatures rise, said Hardt. There is one layer left to be laid on the stretch of road to correct a 2-inch lip going into the neighborhood, which neighbors have complained is damaging their vehicles. When the overlay is complete, City staff will do a final walk through to inspect the project, with the engineers, contractors, and subcontractors.
The second part of the work, involving the stretch of road from State Highway 66 east to Freedom Road, is a state-sponsored project. Hardt said that there have been delays due to an issue with the contract between the City and the engineering firm, which was done “several years ago and needs to be updated,” but that there have been “no plans drawn up yet.”
The bulk of the PWT meeting had to do with a 17-foot drainage bridge in poor condition on 33rd West Avenue off West 76th Street South, whose owner is undetermined. South 33rd West Avenue is the dividing line between Creek County on the west and Tulsa County on the east, but several sections of the area have been annexed over the years into the City of Sapulpa and the City of Tulsa, leaving ODOT certified federal highway administration bridge inspector, Bruce Martin, unsure of where to turn with the problem.
Martin explained that on Friday, February 26, the City of Tulsa notified him that a local resident called to complain about potential safety issues with the bridge. Martin quickly went to the site to inspect the structure. He found it to have a multitude of issues, including deteriorating or missing beams, rusted out metal, and unconnected deck planks.
Martin explained that because the bridge does not span 20 feet, the minimum standard to be included in the National Bridge Inventory System, it has not been required to have an inspection and load rating analysis a minimum of every two years.
In fact, the bridge has not had an inspection, a load rating, or a structural analysis in some time, as far ODOT was able to determine. Martin said that since it has been brought to their attention, it is now their responsibility to see that the owner is notified of the problem and that proper repairs are made as soon as possible.
The problems are three-fold, in that ODOT’s Strategic Assets Branch has thus far been unable to determine which entity is responsible for fixing the structure, it may be found to be in “critical” condition which would warrant 90 days to fix the issue or an immediate closure and it will be costly to fix, and finally, that 33rd West Avenue is being used heavily right now as a detour for traffic from construction on both I-44 and US 75. Additionally, there will soon be construction traffic using the bridge, as builder Chris Key’s townhome development begins just to the southwest of it.
Martin said he feels “that it is in the best interest’ of the “safety of the traveling public” for the owner, once determined, to have an inspection and a load rating analysis performed by a “Qualified Bridge Inspection/Engineering Firm” that specializes in bridge structures. He said he will coordinate a meeting between himself, the responsible municipality, and the selected engineering firm, and help to draft a safety plan. He emphasized the importance of taking quick action, and said, “it is imperative that this site is evaluated and that the proper steps are taken” to ensure the safety of those using it.
Both City Manager Joan Riley and City Attorney David Widdoes acknowledged that the City of Sapulpa could be responsible for at least half of the repair or replacement of the bridge, but that their main concern is for the safety of the drivers using it. “We have to do something about it,” Riley said, and Widdoes agreed.
Martin said that the total cost of replacement could be as high as $100K, but that it’s likely that another entity has some responsibility, or that a government agency could help with the cost. He concluded by saying that the project could most likely be completed within a month.
