City Council to look at new tasks for streets committee, starting Cache Road bridge work

Proposals to expand the powers of a City Council streets committee, while launching more street/bridge work will top the agenda when the City Council meets today for its first regular session of 2025.

Council members are considering a new name for the Streets and Bridges Committee to better reflect the work that body will be doing, according to the agenda commentary. The committee was created to oversee street and bridge projects, taking a high profile in 2024 with the launch of a mill and overlay initiative that upgraded 40 streets.

The new name — Streets, Bridges and Development Review Committee — better aligns with the committee’s expanded purpose, city officials said of work that will include reviewing all development policies, administrative and council-driven, as well as ordinances and rules, then making recommendations to the full council on changes that promote residential and commercial development. The committee will look at the same proposals at a meeting set for 11 a.m. today.

The committee also will be given specific directives: identify 100 new mill and overlay projects, and present associated budget requirements to the full council “promptly”; direct city staff to fund the projects through the budget and Capital Improvements Program; allocate CIP street funds for mill and overlay of West Lee Boulevard from Southwest 38th to Southwest 67th streets, for completion in 2025; and prioritize Southwest 38th Street work for 2025.

In a related item, the council will consider dissolving the Traffic Commission, a citizens body that makes recommendations on traffic-related items. At today’s meeting, the Streets and Bridges Committee will consider absorbing those duties.

City Manager John Ratliff said responsibilities held by the Traffic Commission are “fully managed internally by city staff, ensuring they are handled directly and efficiently” and he recommends the commission be dissolved to allow city staff to address traffic-related matters more efficiently without an additional layer of oversight. A related amendment would allow the chief of police, with approval from the city traffic engineer, to make traffic ordinances and enforce temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions.

Both bodies also are ready to move into the “bridge” portion of their duties.

At the council meeting, members will look at a rehabilitation project centered on the Cache Road eastbound and westbound bridges over Wolf Creek (near Northwest 47th Street). The city has been looking at those bridges for more than a year after deterioration forced them to impose weight limits that prevent fire trucks from crossing them.

Today’s agenda includes plans to award the construction contract to K&R Builders, Oklahoma City, while also amending H.W. Lochner’s design contract to include additional construction fees and bridge painting inspection. The increase will add $123,200 to Lochner’s contract, now $756,634.12.

K&R Builder’s $1,851,666.36 base proposal was the least expensive of four bids that ranged up to $2,726,071.99. All were greater than the engineering estimate, and Lochner said the need to remove lead-based paint and repaint was the reason K&R’s bid was 29 percent higher. Work will include expansion and construction joints, replacement of bearing assemblies, removal of lead based paint and repainting, and riprap. In a December report, Lochner said the paint removal may delay the project because there is a limited number of firms that can do the specialized work.

Council members also will consider a recommendation from Parks and Recreation Director Larry Parks to allow construction of mountain bike/BMX trails in a city park, using community volunteers and donations. Parks said Dustin Upton, a Lawton resident and owner of Lawton Home Repairs, proposed the project and offered to donate time and materials.

The parks staff has identified three potential sites for council consideration: near the skate board park on the west side of McMahon Park; an area east of dog park on the east side of McMahon Park; and Terrace Hills Park along Rogers Lane.