Midwest City awarded $10.5 million in grants for transportation projects
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
The City of Midwest City has been awarded more than $10.5 million in grant funding for roadway improvements.
The funds will be used for eight projects related to streets, sidewalks, and trails in the city.
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) approved the grant funding at a Feb. 23 meeting. The funds come from three different grant programs – Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), and Surface Transportation Block Grants (STBG).
The money will fund these projects in Midwest City:
- Reconstruction of the intersection of SE 29th and Douglas Blvd.
- Resurfacing SE 29th between I-40 (near Air Depot Blvd.) and Midwest Blvd.
- Sidewalk construction in various locations (Douglas Blvd., Midwest Blvd., NE 10th, and Reno Ave.)
- Signal upgrades
- Pavement marking city wide in various locations.
- Bomber Rail Trail extension
- Resurfacing Westminster Rd. ½ mile south of NE 10th
- Resurfacing Midwest Blvd. between SE 29th and NE 10th
Midwest City must pay a 20% match for STBG 80/20 and TAP projects. The STBG safety and CRRSAA projects are 100% federally funded for construction. The city is responsible for engineering and any utility or right-of-way work required prior to the project.
The STBG projects will be funded in the 2025 federal fiscal year and likely begin construction in 2026, said Brandon Bundy, director of engineering and construction services for Midwest City. The city plans to hire a consultant in late fall 2023 and then begin the process of review, utility, and right-of-way work.
“That may seem like a long way away, but these projects are complicated and take a lot of work to get through in just two years,” Bundy said.
The 80/20 projects include reconstruction of the SE 29th St. and Douglas Blvd. intersection, SE 29th St. resurfacing and sidewalk construction. The Safety projects include signal upgrades and pavement markings.
Resurfacing projects on Westminster Rd. and Midwest Blvd. will both be funded with the CRRSAA grant program. The funding could be used for road resurfacing, safety projects, and providing additional funding to outstanding federal projects.
The Midwest Blvd. project was originally awarded several years ago and was eligible for additional CRRSAA funds to offset recent inflation in construction prices, Bundy said.
The project is in the design phase and includes resurfacing Midwest Blvd. between SE 29th and NE 10th streets, as well as some sidewalk work throughout the project. Construction is expected to begin late 2023 or early 2024.
The Westminster Rd. project will resurface 1/2 mile of roadway from NE 10th St. to 1/2 mile south. The roadway serves as a boundary between Midwest City and Choctaw. Midwest City is working jointly with the City of Choctaw on the project.
Bundy said the CRRSAA funds have a sunset clause, and they are prioritizing the project.
“It is intended to be a simple project to streamline the process – nothing fancy,” Bundy said. “And it gives both cities the opportunity to work together on a shared arterial that is in much need of repair.”
The Bomber Rail Trail Phase 4 will be funded with the TAP grant program. The project includes a future extension of the paved recreational trail that runs along an unused railroad corridor between SE 15th St. and Midwest City High School. Bundy said they will soon begin design work and working with the railroad on plans for the project. He expects construction will begin in four years, but said it is reliant on any issues with the railroad and rights-of-way.
The city recently started work on phase 2/3 of the project that will extend the trail from the high school northwesterly to Quinlan Park. Phase 4 will be a further expansion of the trail.
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments approved $43.7 million for 39 transportation projects for 14 local governments in the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
ACOG is a federally designated regional planning agency. The organization administers federal transportation grants to local governments.
