A Lack of Communication?
So are city and state highway engineers really communicating? I’ve spent today trying to figure out if the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has set a public meeting for 5:30 p.m. August 21 at the Bricktown Event Center. David Todd, MAPS 3 coordinator, reported just that to the MAPS 3 Parks Subcommittee this afternoon. Yet the Oklahoma Department of Transportation today has repeatedly told me no such meeting is set yet, even though it was reported by Clifton Adcock with the Oklahoma Gazette (I’ve been asking about a meeting for the past week). I even got Clifton on the speaker phone with ODOT, and they denied saying a meeting as set. So what am I to report?
Clifton had his own write up in the Gazette today with a very interesting contradiction: the city and ODOT both claiming the other had final say on whether the design of the boulevard and whether it should be elevated. Folks, here’s what I can tell you: there is no confusion at ODOT when it comes to wanting to let out the first boulevard construction contract at their first commission meeting in August (open to the public) and that they remain determined to finish construction of the boulevard and give it over to the city in 2014.
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Comments
Councilman Ed Shadid just tweeted, “Spoke w/ODOT spokeswoman Brenda Perry confirmed ODOT meeting will take place and that Aug 21st is planned tentative date.”
You might have just seen that though.
Looks like they chose a date after the bid opening for the Penn-Western section of the blvd. See http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/contracts/a2012/plans.htm click on Aug 16, then click on folder w/ “OKCY”
What would it take for our Governor to reign in her ODOT head? Would a call from the Republican mayor of the capitol city to the Republican governor have any impact? Would the governor respond to a public outcry of concerned citizens?