Counties statewide benefit from updated road and bridges plan
The County Improvement for Roads and Bridges Plan, referred to as CIRB, is a five-year work plan designed to address important county infrastructure project which schedules more than $863 million in improvements to county roads and bridges in the state, such as the Seminole Co. bridge replacement on Brick Plant Rd. over Wewoka Creek.
At Monday’s meeting, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Plan for Fiscal Years 2025 through 2029 which schedules more than $863 million in improvements to county roads and bridges in the state. This includes approval of a $5.2 million project at Luther Road in Oklahoma County for the rehabilitation of the bridge and approaches at the North Canadian River.
Designed by the state Legislature to address deficient county infrastructure, the latest plan is set to replace or rehabilitate 176 county bridges – of which 79 are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete – and to improve 408 miles of roadway in the next five years.
“ODOT appreciates the support of the Transportation Commission along with the Legislature’s recognition of the importance of the county road network. We are proud to partner with Oklahoma’s County Commissioners to deliver this program”, said ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz. “These projects represent a significant investment in transportation infrastructure and will undoubtedly have a positive safety and economic impact to our state.”
With all 77 counties represented, the department works with the state’s eight Circuit Engineering Districts to prioritize projects of the highest need in each county and make the most use of state, federal, local and tribal funding sources. The plan allows counties to work together to pool resources to address high-priority projects too large for any one county to accomplish. By law, ODOT administers the plan and partners with the counties to oversee the state and federal funds incorporated into many projects.
Since the plan’s inception in 2006, CIRB funding has made significant strides in helping counties to improve the condition and safety of the county roads for all Oklahomans. The plan is updated annually.
Many significant projects across the state are new to the plan this year, including:
Oklahoma County: A $5.2 million project at Luther Road for the rehabilitation of the bridge and approaches at the North Canadian River, replacing the bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad for further expansion, replacement of the bridge of the Canadian River and resurfacing almost 2 miles of road just north of US-62 to N.E. 50th
Ottawa County: A $1.3 million project for the drainage and reconstruction of C St. and D St. in front of Mickey Mantle’s childhood home in Commerce.
Leflore County: A $2 million project for the replacement of the bridge and approaches over Cache Creek and rehabilitation of the Coal Creek bridge on Rhino Road.
Kiowa County: A $8.7 million project for the widening, grading and resurfacing of East 1370 Road (Iris Street) beginning at the SH-44 Exit E. and continuing 4.5 miles to Hobart city limits.
Major County: A $2.5 million project for the widening and resurfacing of almost 5 miles of County Road East West 68 from North South 237 Road to North South 239 Road.
To find a PDF or improvements listed for your county’s roads, the full 2025-2029 CIRB work plan can be found here.
To date, CIRB funds have been involved in nearly $2 billion in construction on the county system. This represents a significant investment in the infrastructure of our state and speaks to the strong partnership between the counties, CEDs, ODOT and many other entities who are involved with bringing this plan to reality each year.
