Local communities to benefit from $36 million in connectivity projects statewide

More than $36 million in funding will be distributed to local communities for alternative transportation projects across Oklahoma following a presentation to the Oklahoma Transportation Commission. The new funding will benefit 43 projects as part of the Transportation Alternatives Program, which is designed to promote connectivity and active transportation projects including sidewalks, safe routes to school, pedestrian and bicycle trails and environmental or historical preservation projects.

“This plan is designed to help improve community connectivity as well as active transportation infrastructure that is not on the highway system,” said Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz. “These projects highlight the important partnerships we have with communities across the state.”

This year’s TAP application process was highly competitive with a total of 87 eligible project applications submitted to ODOT. The department worked with the Transportation Alternative Advisory Committee, which is comprised of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Department of Health, Safe Routes Partnership and the American Association of Retired Persons, to review and score the applications.

A few project examples presented at the Transportation Commission Meeting Monday, October 7, include:

• Pedestrian Bridge in Chickasha, Grady County: pedestrian bridge connecting the Chickasha downtown district to the Grady County Fairgrounds district. The fairgrounds district includes the fairgrounds and event center, new commercial development, an RV park and new and existing housing east of the six Union Pacific railroad tracks that have historically created a physical barrier between the two districts.  This bridge would create pedestrian connectivity between the two districts and would include elevators for ADA-accessibility.  The proposed site for the overhead pedestrian bridge is south of the Rock Island Train Depot, east of W. Chickasha Ave. and N. 1^st, over the tracks connecting to the Grady County Fairgrounds property.
• Trail in Enid, Garfield County: The trail will begin at S. Taylor St. and Richland Ave. and continue south along Southgate Rd. and Kincade Rd. before ending at the Vance Air Force Base installation fence.
• Sidewalk in Bristow, Creek County: approximately 1 mile of sidewalk, including ADA facilities from the Bristow Public Schools campus, located at Ash St. and W 12th Ave., to the public schools’ football field and track & field stadium. The sidewalk will also help connect the public to other destinations such as Main St. (Route 66), city parks, the library and city hall.
• Downtown Streetscape in Broken Bow, McCurtain County: The streetscape will improve access to businesses in the downtown area for future growth. The project will begin at Main St. and W. 3rd St. to Broadway S. and end at W. 2nd St.
• Downtown Streetscape in El Reno, Canadian County: The proposed phase will support immediate walkability to the entrance of Downtown and nearby connection to Hugh Meade’s iconic Route 66 monument and the Rock Island Caboose and the El Reno Carnegie Library (the oldest Carnegie library in Oklahoma) along with multiple other key destinations. The project includes the approximate areas of E. Russell between S. Bickford and S. Barker, Wade St. between S. Bickford and S. Barker and Rock Island Ave. between Wade St. and north of E. Russell.
• Sidewalk in Woodward, Woodward County: The project will build a sidewalk along US-412/Oklahoma Ave. to 22^nd, connect to existing sidewalk and upgrade traffic signals at US-183 and 22^nd St. Once complete, pedestrians will be able to walk along US-412/ Oklahoma Ave. between residential areas, restaurants and businesses as well as schools and recreation facilities.

A full list and a map of projects receiving TAP funding are available at www.odot.org

For more information about an individual project, contact the local applicants.

TAP began in 2012, when the U.S. Congress approved the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, which consolidated several previous transportation enhancement, trail and safe routes to school project categories into one program to allow more flexibility at the state and local levels.

Through TAP, federal funds provide 80 or 90 percent of the total cost of the projects, depending on the population of the municipality and the remaining funds are provided by the communities applying. This federally funded program is administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The 2024 edition of the Transportation Alternatives Program includes $36 million in funding for 43 projects statewide. The plan is designed to promote connectivity and active transportation projects including sidewalks, safe routes to school, pedestrian and bicycle trails and environmental or historical preservation projects. More information about the program can be viewed here and on ODOT’s webpage at www.odot.org under the “Programs and Projects” and “Local Government” tab.