By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Along with improvements at 11th Street and State Highway 4, city officials have proposed a major upgrade to an east-west arterial street on Yukon’s north side.
It would cost an estimated $2 million to rebuild Wagner Road with a new concrete surface and curbs between 11th Street and Sara Road.
Yukon revenue bonds could fund the project.
The City of Yukon is waiting to receive final invoices from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for the first construction phase of the SH-4 project (between Wilshire and Wagner).
“As soon as we get those in and see what we have left to pay, we would like to move forward with Wagner Road,” Yukon City Manager Tammy Kretchmar told city council members Oct. 19.
“It’s just going to depend on how much money is left after everything’s been paid for all the projects that we’ve done.”
If there’s not enough left from the past years’ revenue bonds, city leaders may consider using proceeds from a possible dedicated sales tax to fund capital improvement projects. A June 2022 election has been suggested.
City engineers and the city manager recommend that Wagner Road be paved with concrete.
Ward 4 City Council Member Aric Gilliland referred to the “longevity” of a concrete road, as compared to asphalt. Gilliland said he’s one of many motorists who regularly drive along Wagner Road.
City engineer Joe Davis of TEIM Design estimated a new concrete road would last “four to five times” longer than asphalt.
Davis explained the difference – citing Route 66 as an example.
“Some of those sections have been there an extremely long time (80-90 years),” Davis said. “Some of the other concrete road sections throughout town have been there a long time.”
Wagner Road now has an asphalt surface, which does not handle well the flooding issues that have plagued that area of Yukon for decades. Asphalt is a flexible pavement whereas concrete is a rigid pavement.
Rebuilding Wagner Road with concrete “will distribute the ‘load’ to the base an awful lot better than asphalt,” Davis said. “It will last a lot longer than what the current section is right now.”
MOVING WATER, SEWER LINES
Meanwhile, the Yukon City Council on Oct. 19 approved amended contracts to move water lines and sewer lines north of Main Street and south of Wilshire Boulevard as part of the Highway 4 project.
ODOT will hire a contractor for the second phase of the SH-4 construction between Main Street and Wagner Road. Work is expected to start in 2022.
Change orders have decreased the cost of both SH-4 sewer and water line relocation contracts for SH-4 phase two.
Krapff Reynolds Construction will now be paid $1,251,264.30 for the sewer line relocation while Shawnee Mission Tree Service (DBA SMC Utility Construction) is due $535,952 for the water line relocation.
A third phase of SH-4, from Wilshire to SH-3 (N.W. Expressway), is on ODOT’s 2023 construction timeline.
The state roadway is being rebuilt as a “super two-lane” with wide shoulders, new bridges and turn lanes.
