US-70 Roosevelt Bridge

[I-35]

Good news for Southern Oklahoma - ODOT will move forward with planning for a new 4-lane bridge across Lake Texoma to the south of the existing Roosevelt Bridge, which was built in 1942 and will remain.  ODOT is looking to offload the old bridge onto a nonprofit or other entity that would then preserve it and perhaps open it up for fishing or other activities.

ODOT selects new 4-lane alignment for US-70 Roosevelt Bridge replacement

[Plutonic Panda]

Good news for Southern Oklahoma - ODOT will move forward with planning for a new 4-lane bridge across Lake Texoma to the south of the existing Roosevelt Bridge, which was built in 1942 and will remain.  ODOT is looking to offload the old bridge onto a nonprofit or other entity that would then preserve it and perhaps open it up for fishing or other activities.
 
ODOT selects new 4-lane alignment for US-70 Roosevelt Bridge replacement

This project just received $124 million from the feds and is scheduled to start construction in 2029. It would be nice if they could speed it up, but ODOT already has so much on their plate GIVEN HOW POORLY THEY'RE FUNDED I CAN'T REALLY BLAME THEM. Either way, this is great news. Sorry for the uppercase my phone just decided that sentence needed to be up because I'm using Speech to text and I'm too lazy to change it.

Here's the press release:

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.

- https://oklahoma.gov/odot/citizen/newsroom/2024/major-grant-secured-for-us-70-roosevelt-memorial-bridge-replacem.html

[I-35]

This is great news.  I, like you, wish that the process could be brought forward to 2025-2026, but it's good to know that funding is in place for at least a hefty portion of the project.

[Plutonic Panda]

The US-70 bridge over Lake Texoma is scheduled to be replaced from a two lane narrow bridge with no shoulders to a modern 4 lane divided bridge with shoulders and a pedestrian path.

Here's the April 30th meeting materials:

 https://www.rooseveltbridge.com/

[Road Hog]

The US-70 bridge over Lake Texoma is scheduled to be replaced from a two lane narrow bridge with no shoulders to a modern 4 lane divided bridge with shoulders and a pedestrian path.

Here's the April 30th meeting materials:

 https://www.rooseveltbridge.com/

The little bitty short truss at the end always giggled me. What was the point?

[bwana39]

There have been lots of discussion on the generic Oklahoma thread, but one specifically for the bridge is probably needed.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?msg=2934382

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?msg=2918718

[Scott5114]

The US-70 bridge over Lake Texoma is scheduled to be replaced from a two lane narrow bridge with no shoulders to a modern 4 lane divided bridge with shoulders and a pedestrian path.

Here's the April 30th meeting materials:

 https://www.rooseveltbridge.com/

The little bitty short truss at the end always giggled me. What was the point?

I assume it's to provide a wider spot for boats to go through. The railroad bridge over the river to the south appears to have a similar truss section.