SH-82 North of Tahlequah in Cherokee County

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is proposing to improve SH-82 from the vicinity of Allen Road in Tahlequah north and west to the twon of Gideon in Cherokee County. Existing SH-82 has narrow shoulders, sharp curves and rolling terrain which result in inadequate sight distance to safely pass slow moving vehicles or to stop for vehicles that are turning or have stopped on the highway. These factors contribute to a substantial accident history. In addition, the current Average Daily Traffic Count on SH-82 is 8,140 vehicles per day with a future projected traffic count of 12,340 vehicles per day in 2045. The current two-lane highway cannot adequately handle this amount of traffic. A multi-lanehighway is also desirable to complete the outer loop around the city of Tahlequah in anticipation of the future traffic needs.

 

ODOT held a public meeting on July 25, 2013 where six four-lane alternatives for improving the highway were presented. In response to public comment received during and following that meeting, ODOT has added six five-lane alternatives that use the existing SH-82 alignment while continuing to consider construction costs, right-of-way costs and environmental constraints.