SH-82 in Sequoyah County Virtual Open House

Purpose

The purpose of the Virtual Open House is to present the most recent design for the project and allow the public to submit input.

 

Please click image below for project location map

Description

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), proposes to make safety improvements to SH-82 from the SH-100/SH-82 intersection in Blackgum, OK and extending east and north approximately 3 miles, located in Sequoyah and Cherokee Counties. SH-82 is part of the Cherokee Hills Scenic Byway that begins near Gore, OK and ends near West Siloam Springs, OK. The existing highway is a two-lane, open section facility with 11-foot wide driving lanes and no shoulders. The bridge over Snake Creek is a 22-foot wide span bridge. Current traffic volumes are estimated at 1,600 vehicles per day (vpd) and are projected to increase to 2,250 vpd by 2040. This section of SH-82 has sharp curves, insufficient sight distances, steep side slopes, no shoulders, and a narrow bridge.

In an effort to increase safety, ODOT proposes to improve this segment of SH-82. Starting at McQuick’s Grocery, and extending east to where the highway curves north, the roadway will be widened to create a curb and gutter section with two 12-foot wide driving lanes with 6-foot wide shoulders on existing alignment. At the point where SH-82 curves north, the highway will transition to an open section roadway (i.e., no curbs) with two 12-foot wide driving lanes with 8-foot wide paved shoulders on east offset alignment. Skewed side streets, county roads and drives will be reconfigured to create perpendicular intersections. The bridge over Snake Creek will be replaced on east offset alignment with a 40-foot wide clear roadway width span bridge. The highway will remain open during construction, and access to residences and businesses will be maintained throughout the project.