By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
With State Highway 4 phase two construction expected to start in 2022, Yukon city officials face a narrow window on a Wagner Road project.
A City of Yukon contractor, Brewer Construction Oklahoma, will reconstruct Wagner Road from SH-4 east to Yukon Parkway at a cost of $1,225,166.98. The Yukon City Council approved this expenditure at its Tuesday, Jan. 4th meeting.
Construction is due to begin in February, Assistant City Manager Mitchell Hort said.
City officials must finish the Wagner Road project before the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) begins construction along Highway 4 between SH-66 to just north of Wagner Road – which is now expected later this year.
“With SH-4 scheduled for project letting by ODOT in early 2022, the timing for the construction on Wagner Road is critical,” city engineer Joe Davis wrote in a Dec. 28th memo to Yukon Assistant City Manager Mitchell Hort.
“The SH-4 project letting will be pushed back a few months due to private utility relocations. This allows a tight window for constructing Wagner Road prior to work beginning on SH-4.”
The proposed Wagner Road project includes:
- Reconstructing the asphalt road with concrete paving
- Correcting the offset alignment at the east end
- Replacing existing broken concrete panels
- Replacing broken curb and gutter
- Constructing concrete driveways
TEIM Design, the city’s engineering firm, is due to receive $36,750 for engineering and construction observation services on the Wagner Road project.
This would cover construction plans, bidding services, floodplain permitting, and inspection observation. Davis is the president of TEIM Design.
‘GREAT NEWS FOR MOTORISTS’
The recent delay in the SH-4 project may be a blessing in disguise as the City of Yukon rebuilds this mile stretch of Wagner Road, ODOT spokeswoman Lisa Shearer-Salim indicated.
“The Wagner Road project will help when the second phase of Highway 4 starts because that will be used as a detour,” Shearer-Salim said. “That’s great news for motorists – to have that (Wagner Road) done before construction begins on Highway 4.”
SH-4 phase two has been taken off ODOT’s bid opening schedule, and it now appears construction won’t start until fall at the earliest.
