State Awards $230 Million in Stimulus Transportation Projects

The Department of Transportation handed out more than $230 million in federal stimulus money to contractors Monday.

Monday, March 30th 2009, 4:59 pm

By: News 9


By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Department of Transportation handed out more than $230 million in federal stimulus money to contractors Monday.

Work will likely start up by the middle of April. Monday some 40 contracts were awarded on road construction projects throughout the state.

One stretch of Interstate 44 in southwest Oklahoma City will be one of the first projects to be worked on with stimulus money. The contract was awarded to Haskell-Lemon Construction in Oklahoma City.

"We are very excited," Bob Lemon with Haskell-Lemon Construction said. "We have received three of the stimulus projects they awarded this morning."

The company got about $12.5 million in new construction work.

"We were anticipating an OK year work wise, but with this work we're expecting a really nice year and looking forward to the challenge of getting it done in a timely manner," Lemon said.

The $230 million is just the first round of transportation projects funded with stimulus money. Another $100 million in contracts will be awarded next month, and $50 million more will be given out in May.

"What is not quite as apparent is the bridges that will be replaced and the condition of those bridges because you really can't tell what they're like unless you crawl underneath them, but we have some real serious problems with a lot of the structures that will be replaced," Gary Ridley, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said.

And with all the new work new workers will be needed to get the projects done, something the state hoped would happen and one contractor is already hiring.

"I know we've hired 10 already, but we're additionally looking for probably another 15 to beef up our crews," Lemon said.

ODOT had been criticized because of the lack of minority businesses getting contracts, but the agency says we should see minorities getting contracts by the time all the projects are handed out.

View a list of the projects, the total money awarded and the associated counties.

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