SEILING – Of all the 10 or speakers at Thursday’s highway dedication in Seiling, District 38 State Sen. Mike Schulz summed it up best.
“It’s always good to build roads,” he said. “And it’s even better to build roads in western Oklahoma.
Dignitaries from Seiling and Woodward gathered at Seiling’s City Hall along with legislators, representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and project contractors for a formal ceremony to celebrate the completion of 3.4 miles of 4-lane highway through downtown Seiling.
The project, part of the eventual plan to complete a 4-lane highway from Woodward to I-40, widened U. S. Highway 270 to 4-lanes from one and a half miles north of Seiling to two miles south. Also, a bridge just north of the town was widened and new sidewalks were built through Seiling.
District 5 Highway Commissioner Loyd Benson, a former Speaker of the House in the Oklahoma legislature, said economic development is one of the major reasons officials in western Oklahoma push for better highways.
Benson said when companies look at an area they always ask, “do you have access to 4-lane highways?”
Benson and others in attendance pledged to continue working on the 4-lane project to get it completed.
Newly elected State Rep. Mike Sanders told the audience he and other area legislators were going to continue to make roads and bridges in western Oklahoma a priority.
Bruce Benbrook, District 6 highway commissioner from Woodward, said new highways helped with the quality of life in the area and completion of this portion of the highway was “going to go a long way to help the economy of Northwest Oklahoma.”
Benbrook praised Gov. Brad Henry and others for committing $63 million to the Northwest Corridor project over the past six years.
John Fuller, the chief engineer for ODOT, said another $50 million toward the project was in the department’s 8-year plan.
The just-completed 3.4 mile stretch of highway cost $12.1 million and was finished 83 days ahead of schedule by J&R; Sand Company of Liberal, Kan.
“This project is great for Seiling,” said Fuller. “It allows for better traffic flow into down, in addition to new sidewalks and improved street lighting.
Woodward Industrial Foundation President LaVern Phillips said some 12 years ago, the WIF had identified transportation as a key to stimulating the economy and keeping people in the area. The foundation and others in Northwest Oklahoma have continued to push for better roads and bridges across the area.
Other speakers included State Sen. Bryce Marlatt, former Sen. Owen Laughlin, a major force behind the project, and J&R; Sand owner Todd Carlisle.
