Travel Easier in Creek County as 81st St from Frankhoma Rd to SH-97 Opens

A new 1.26 mile long section of W 81st St South in Creek County recently opened to the public. This roadway provides a much-needed connection between SH-97 and Frankhoma Rd, including the McQuire Industrial Park and connection to SH-66.

In addition to providing convenient access for area drivers, the new roadway will also improve response time for emergency services. The $6.4 million project was designed by GUY and constructed by Paragon Contractors, both of Tulsa, OK. Funding for the project was provided by the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges fund.

Creek County and GUY Engineering hosted a ribbon cutting on April 13 to celebrate the completion of this long-awaited roadway.

Options Exist for Funding County Transportation Projects

With all the recent funding cuts to the County Road and Bridge Improvement (CIRB) fund, you might be looking for other funding sources for county projects. A few of the options that might be available to you are listed below.

Federal

Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for collector roads and bridge replacements
Emergency Relief (ER) funds for disasters affecting major collectors
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds for disasters affecting minor collectors & local roads
Hazard Mitigation Grant Funds

Tribal

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) funds
BIA Bridge Replacement funds

Planning Districts

Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP)
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

Other

National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programs
Emergency Transportation and Revolving Fund (ETR) - 0% interest loan from CED
Industrial, Historic Site and Lake Access Funds

GUY has experience helping counties identify and obtain funding for projects. Please contact us if you have any questions about
the funding sources that might be available to you.

Congratulations to Lance Smith of LeFlore County and Stan Funkhouser of Kiowa County. These two Commissioners came the closest to guessing how many bricks were in our Lego-style Golden Gate Bridge at the spring ACCO conference. Come visit our booth at the APWA conference in May for your chance to guess and win.