Commissioners Johnson and Rinehart Fund Engineering Cost on Critical E. Reno Road Bridge

Contact: Commissioner Willa Johnson
Phone: (405) 713-1501
Date: February 21, 2008

Oklahoma County – At their regular Wednesday meeting, the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioner’s approved an engineering contract for the replacement of a bridge over Crooked Oak Creek. The bridge, on Reno Avenue, has a 7% sufficiency rating and is located two miles east of Bricktown. Reno Avenue is heavily traveled and serves as a gateway to Bricktown and downtown Oklahoma City.

District One Commissioner Willa Johnson and District Two Commissioner Brent Rinehart, whose District boundaries meet at the bridge, stepped forward with funding to start the engineering process to replace the bridge. Each commissioner contributed $51,000 from their Highway Department funds toward the $102,000 engineering fee.

“This is an important and critical first step in the process to replace a bridge with such a low sufficiency rating,” stated Rinehart. Commissioner Johnson continued, “With the limited funding available to us for roads and bridges within the County, for our two districts to partner on the engineering cost is a win-win situation for the taxpayers of Oklahoma County.”

Rinehart went on to say, “The citizens of our respective County Commission Districts know from Commissioner Johnson’s and my experience on the Oklahoma City Council, that we always put the best interests of our constituents ahead of everything else. Our ability to move forward with sharing the engineering cost is one such example.”

Johnson, who has been in office since September, said the partnership between district’s is great example of doing more with less. “By sharing the costs of the engineering, both Brent and I can put more money to other needs within our districts and the County.”

Rinehart went on to say that his office remains in discussions with the City of Oklahoma City regarding final construction of the project. Engineering plans for the project should be complete by the end of August.

In addition to being the shared boundary between the two Commission Districts, a portion of the bridge is within Oklahoma City limits.

Recent statewide polls show that over ninety percent of Oklahomans think that government needs to set roads and bridges as their top priority.