Transportation Commission approves LiDAR and bridge engineering contracts and multiple supplements

The Transportation Commission on Wednesday approved several engineering contracts and supplements needed for upcoming highway and bridge projects.

Department staff presented Item 58 recommending two firms — Bearing Tree Land Surveying and CEC Corporation — for a statewide on‑demand mobile LiDAR contract with a combined value of $500,000, and recommended HNTB Corporation for engineering services to reconstruct and rehabilitate State Highway 66 bridges over the Verdigris River in Rogers County at a contract value of $2,155,100. "Approval of the contract is recommended, and I'll take any questions you might have," said Mr. Hernandez, the department presenter. Commissioner David Dyson moved approval; Commissioner Eric Stuteville seconded, and the motion passed.

The commission then approved Item 59, a package of contract supplements covering multiple districts. Key supplements included a second aggregate supplement of $1,500,000 for on‑demand scour assessments and repair recommendations for off‑system bridges (previously selected firms Burgess & Niple; Consort Engineers; Guy Engineering Services; HW Lochner); a $3,754,200 first supplement to HNTB Corporation for the I‑40/I‑44 interchange project including the I‑40 bridges over I‑44 (construction phase in the eight‑year plan, scheduled let date federal fiscal year 2030); and smaller supplements for projects such as shoulder additions on SH‑105 east of Guthrie (ESD Inc., $73,600; let date FY2032), US‑177 reconstruction including a bridge (Egarian Fields, $98,600; let date FY2029), and US‑281 bridge replacement and safety improvements (Garver, $142,700; let date FY2028).

District 8 projects approved in the supplements included a first supplement of $21,515 to Olson Incorporated for improvements on US‑69 in Big Cabin (scheduled let date FY2026) and a second supplement of $24,326 to Walter P. Moore and Associates for East‑West 600 Road over Inola Creek in the city of Inola (part of the Bridge Formula program approved by the commission in November 2023; scheduled let date FY2027).

Chair Bob Peterson noted that many of the construction phases for these projects are already included in the Department's eight‑year construction work plan and asked whether items presented previously without a quorum needed to be re‑presented; staff member Sarah Penn advised re‑presenting because the commission now had a quorum. Commissioners approved the supplements by motion and vote.

The approvals clear the way for final design and later construction phases according to the Department's scheduled let dates for each project. The commission moved on to subsequent agenda items after the votes.