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I-35 will get safety overhaul in countyJun 12, 2010 (Stillwater NewsPress - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- STILLWATER, Okla. -- Interstate 35 north of the S.H. 51 interchange will be safer soon, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently awarded a $607,000 contract to Action Safety Supply, Co., of Oklahoma City to install a cable-barrier safety system in the median. The system is a series of poles and cables that redirects vehicles that careen into the median. It is designed to prevent head-on crashes, and is a good solution when the median is too narrow for a concrete barrier, Hackett said. The system isn't new. It debuted on Lake Hefner Parkway in Oklahoma City in early 1990. "We tested it for a couple of years," he said, adding it prevented a lot of accidents. It also saves money. A few poles and cable can be replaced if the cable barrier is damaged in an accident. It's less expensive to repair then damaged concrete barriers, he said. The barrier is a safety device, Hackett said, but the best safety device is responsible drivers. Action Safety Supply Co., has 90 days to install the barrier. These installations usually go much faster, Hackett said. The Oklahoma City-based company also won a $554,000 contract to install a cable barrier system on I-35 in Noble County from mile marker 200 north to mile marker 209. Hackett said the state transportation department also awarded these construction contracts on Monday. Lincoln County: A new bridge and approaches will be installed over Euchee Creek on County Road EW-075 approximately 3 miles west of its junction with SH 99. K&R Builders, Inc. of Wheatland received the nearly $572,000 project. It should take 120 days to complete. Logan County: A new bridge and approaches will be installed over Coon Creek on Choctaw Road about 1 mile west and 7.3 miles south of Meridian. K&R Builders, Inc. won the nearly $522,000 project. It also should take 120 days to complete. Atlas Paving Co., Inc. of Oklahoma City received a contract to pave Walnut Street in Guthrie from Noble Avenue north to Mansur Avenue. The $46,000 project is less than a quarter mile in length. It should be completed in 20 days. Pawnee County: Belk Bridge Co., of Broken Arrow received a $282,000 contract to install a bridge and approaches over Skedee Creek on County Road NS-347 1.4 miles south and 1 mile west of the SH-15/SH-18 junction. It should take 90 days to complete. Typically, it takes 30 to 60 days for the companies to acquire the materials. The completion deadlines don't start until actual construction begins, Hackett said. To see more of the Stillwater NewsPress or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stillwater-newspress.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Stillwater NewsPress, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |