ENID — The term “ahead of time and under budget” was mentioned a lot Thursday during the city of Enid’s celebration of what eventually will be 10 new bridges.
The bridges have been built through funding from a 2008 bond issue, the first general obligation bond election passed in Enid in 65 years. Originally, the bond issue called for construction of seven new bridges. Because prices of materials were low and the efficiency of construction, the city was able to parlay seven bridges into 10. Nine have been built so far.
Gary Ridley, head of Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said the community decided to tax itself and invest in itself. He spoke Thursday at the ceremony at Cherokee Strip Conference Center.
“This may have been the first bond issue to pass in a long time, but because of the experience of people of Enid, they will want to help in the future to have the quality of life they want and to have the kind of roads they need,” he said.
He said the 2007 collapse of a bridge on Randolph under the weight of an Enid fire truck could have been tragic, but no one was injured. He recalled an incident the same year in which a barge crashed into a bridge over the Arkansas River and knocked down a span, resulting in the deaths of 14 people.
Ridley said traffic had to be diverted while the bridge was repaired. The diverted traffic had to drive down local roads and cross bridges like the ones Enid repaired or rebuilt.
Ridley said the public must become aware of the state’s aging infrastructure. He took the issue to the people back in 2002, attending hundreds of meetings across the state. The Legislature appropriated funds for a plan to increase funding at the state level, which turned into a major construction plan, he said. The state has replaced 500 bridges to date.
“We’re making progress. We want people to know what happens when it invests in itself,” Ridley said.
A former heavy equipment operator who obtained an engineering degree and has served as director of transportation for two governors, Ridley said the bridges and streets people drive over every day become invisible. He complimented the people of Enid for responding.
Geoff Covalt, of Tetra Tech, the lead project manager for the city’s bridge project, said the project actually started in March 2007 with the collapse of the Randolph bridge. He credited contractors for the success of the program.
“We leaned on them and everyone performed,” Covalt said.
City Manager Eric Benson said he is pleased the day has come. He saluted city staff for the work and Tetra Tech for its leadership.
“Under time and under budget. We got 10 bridges instead of seven,” Benson said. “We are a community on the go.”
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