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July 22, 2012

Cost of Bypass project could increase

Mike Smith The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — The City’s cost for extending the Duncan Bypass farther south could be as much as $580,000 – significantly higher than a $382,000 estimated price tag envisioned late last year.

 Bob Rose, District 7 engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), said a more detailed study of moving utilities for the project now puts the cost for doing that at around $5 million – much higher than initially thought.

 Although federal dollars would now pay for 90 percent of the overall highway project, the city’s portion of the cost for moving utilities would now be about $580,000.

 Rose said overhead electric lines would have to be raised or repositioned for the highway extension – something that was included in very preliminary, “best-guess” cost estimates last year.

But after more study, it has been determined that changes to underground gas lines – perhaps moving them deeper – are needed.

But the $580,000 figure could change.

“We are wanting to talk with the owners (of the utilities) to see if there is anything that could be brought to light that might enable them to clear the path for construction that might be more cost effective,” Rose said.

Rose said a meeting with utility owners was planned for later this month.

Duncan City Manager Jim Frieda and Mayor Gene Brown favor the bypass extension, saying it would divert large truck traffic farther south from the city, further relieving traffic on U.S. Highway 81 in town.

The southern connection would be built from U.S. 81 near Cherokee Road to an existing intersection on West 27th Street.

The current bypass connects Highway 7 – the highway that runs from Duncan to Lawton – to 81 on the south side of Duncan.

Last November, the Duncan City Council voted against a resolution that would have created a right-of-way, public utility and encroachment agreement between ODOT and the city.

The agreement would have required the city to immediately pay for its portion of relocating utilities – an estimate $382,000 at the time.

Frieda said at the time that passing the resolution would have meant spending money that was not in the city budget.

He recommended the resolution be turned down.

Frieda said this week that money for a utility move also was not included in the current budget that took effect Jan. 1.

“It appeared that things would slow down with that project so we did not budget it this year,” Frieda said.

And, he said, money is tight.

Rose said he has pledged to the city that federal monies would be made available for the project, which would reduce the city’s share of costs for moving the utilities.

And he said the project is included in ODOT’s current eight-year plan, which slates construction of the extension for 2017.

“By the time we let the project, the rights-of-way have to be secured and all the utilities have to be moved so when the contract is awarded and the contractor is issued a work order, they won’t have anything that would interfere,” Rose said.

“There is still plenty of time to get that done for construction in 2017.”

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