City councilors approved 108-day extensions for three major infrastructure projects delayed because of inclement weather this spring that produced above-average rainfall and flooding.
Public Works Director Mike Stewart said the additional days were calculated pursuant to Oklahoma Department of Transportation rules and regulations. Those specifications, he said, also are set out in each of the three contracts governing the projects.
The projects impacted by the weather include the Martin Luther King Street rehabilitation project, the Elliott-Dayton Street drainage project, and the replacement of the east side sewer interceptor line. With the council’s approval of the requested extensions, the drainage project, which was scheduled to be completed by Aug. 11, now has a Nov. 27 deadline, the sewer line replacement project is scheduled to be completed Jan. 23, and the street project schedule was extended from Oct. 14 to Jan. 30.
Stewart said he was aware of complaints from residents within the project areas that workers have not been at the sites at times and has conveyed those concerns to contractors. Residents affected by the projects also have lodged complaints about the failure of workers to clean up after themselves or inform residents about blocked access to their homes.
One resident affected by the drainage project said she was unable to access her home and had to park her car in a nearby field for more than eight days and cross barbed-wire fences to get home. Karen Holder-Todd urged administrators to encourage contractors to expedite their work.
“All we are asking is, please clean up after themselves, be more courteous (and) talk to the neighbors,” Holder-Todd said. “We are willing to help them if they help us out.”
Ward I Councilor Lee Ann Langston echoed those concerns, saying she has fielded several complaints from residents within her ward who have expressed similar concerns. She urged the exercise of “common courtesy.” Ward IV Councilor Marlon Coleman said he has fielded similar complaints about the Martin Luther King Street project, and he cited a need for additional signage.
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