Bid lettings near for two rural bridges in area

Bids for two new bridges on rural roads in Custer and Dewey counties should be let in July or August, the board of Circuit Engineering District 7 was told at its March meeting Tuesday, but things are a lot more problematic for one in Greer County.
John Northup, the district’s project engineer, said he’s concerned about the Greer bridge because there’s a prehistoric Indian campground buried on the northwest side of the existing bridge. And anytime there’s something of historic value in an area where there’ll be digging, special care must be taken not to disturb historic artifacts and special permission must be obtained before any dirt moving can start.
The Greer County bridge is over Tittle Creek at the west edge of Granite in Commissioner Terry Nickell’s District 2.
“We’re waiting for environmental clearance,” Northup said Wednesday. “Because it’s got prehistoric archeological sites, we have to wait for ODOT (the Oklahoma Department of Transportation) to give us clearance.”
Northup said a parcel of land where the historic sites are located has been removed from the project in hopes that will speed up ODOT’s clearance. Apparently it’s off to the side of where the bridge will be built, but is still within the existing right-of-way fence.
“We can’t start acquiring right-of-way until we get the prehistoric issues squared away,” said Northup.
He said it’s possible to get approval on such matters but they are time consuming.
Meanwhile, there’s no such problem for new bridges that will be built over Barnitz Creek in Custer County and over a tributary of the South Canadian River in Dewey County.
The one in Custer County will be on the West Arapaho Road 4½ miles west of the town of Arapaho.
“Wade (Anders, the county commissioner in whose District 1 it will be located) has the right-of-way acquired,” said Northup, and plans are being wrapped up for the bid-letting.
The story is similar for the one in Dewey County which will be located west of Oakwood just east of the South Canadian River. It’s in Commissioner Rupert Irving’s District 2.
Other bridges reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting were as follows:
Washita County – Over Gyp Creek northwest of Corn. “We’re getting the environmental clearance done and working on final plans,” said Northup. “The county is getting ready to start acquiring right-of-way.” He explained that the county commissioner in whose district a project is located is primarily responsible for getting the ROW. In this case that’s Bart Gossen, commissioner for District 1.
Kiowa County – Over Longhorn Creek, south of the unincorporated community of Sedan, which is southwest of Mountain View. Northup said District 1 Commissioner Tim Binghom is waiting on environmental clearance so he can begin obtaining ROW. “We’re working on final plans,” added Northup.
Jackson County – Southwest of Altus in Commissioner Kirk Butler’s District 2 where there’s also an environmental issue to be resolved. However, it’s not as iffy as the one in Greer County. Northup said the existing bridge has historic value because it’s an old steel truss structure. He said ODOT is allowing Butler to start acquiring ROW on an “at-risk” basis. All the projects are being financed with 80 percent federal funds, he said, and the risk is they must be used by the end of May. “It gets taken away if the right-of-way is not acquired by then,” he said, adding though that this one “looks pretty much like a done deal.” That’s because a private entity has come forward and is willing to “adopt” the historic steel truss bridge and preserve it.
Tillman County – Over Bottle Creek, about a mile north of Davidson not far from the Red River and “almost in Texas,” as Northup described the location. It’s in Commissioner Joe Don Dickey’s District 2. He’s the chairman of the CED 7 board. “The county is finishing up getting the right-of-way, and we’re in the wrap-up phase for planning,” said Northup. “Bid letting should be in August or September.”