Major grant secured for US-70 Roosevelt Memorial Bridge replacement

The White House announced Wednesday the Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive a $124 million Large Bridge Project award through the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program for the replacement of the US-70 Roosevelt Bridge across Lake Texoma between Kingston and Durant in Southeastern Oklahoma.

The grants, a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will fund the reconstruction, repair and restoration of 13 nationally significant bridges spanning 16 states.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz said this is the largest transportation grant Oklahoma has been awarded in its history. The award surpasses the $85 million National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA program) grant received in January 2023 that went toward the I-44 and US-75 interchange improvements in Tulsa. The final phase of that funding amount will be let to bid in September.

“This is exciting news for the state and we’re grateful to Gov. Stitt and members of Oklahoma’s Congressional and Legislative delegation and the Federal Highway Administration for seeing the importance of this corridor and helping the department secure an additional funding source,” Gatz said. “The Roosevelt Memorial bridge is an outdated design - nearly 80 years old - and doesn’t meet current or future traffic needs.”

The project will improve the efficiency and reliability of moving people and freight, increase resiliency to flooding and increase safety through a potential pedestrian and bicycle crossing. Plans are to build the bridge to the south of the existing structure while keeping the current bridge open to traffic. The new bridge will be four lanes with shoulders, rumble strips and lighting. ODOT is proposing new and innovative alternative delivery methods with construction currently scheduled in the Eight-Year Construction Work Plan to begin in 2029. The bridge carries 8,500 vehicles per day.

Although half of the estimated cost of the project is coming from this grant, House Bill 2915, passed in the 2024 legislative session, allows the department the ability to bond up to $200 million against the project, which is currently estimated to cost more than $250 million. The legislation provides an opportunity to consider advancement of the project in the annual Eight-Year Plan, currently under rebalance and expected to be released this fall.

“We are committed to this priority project and want to move it forward as responsibly and as expeditiously as possible to meet the needs of the surrounding communities,” Gatz said.

Additional information on FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program, including Large Bridge Project Grants and Bridge Planning Grants, can be found HERE. A link to the FHWA press release and list of other states can be found HERE.

-www.odot.org-

(Editors and News Directors: For questions, please call the ODOT Strategic Communications Division at 405-521-6000.)