A Whole Lot of Bridges in Oklahoma Aren’t Safe for School Buses

Oklahoma has some serious infrastructure issues. 

According to a report from Fox 25, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) shared a map that shows many of the bridges in the state aren’t safe for school buses. Oklahoma Transportation Cabinet member Jessica Brown says a school bus weighs over 18,000 pounds, which is more than those bridges can hold.

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Muskogee, for instance, has over a dozen bridges that aren’t safe for school buses. Muskogee Public School’s (MPS) director of operations Brad Smythe says the school district used the map to route their buses: 

Sometimes it's not necessarily the quickest route, or the fastest route when we do our bus routes, but of course, keeping our kids safe is just one of the many things that we do here at transportation.

Let’s hope this map draws the attention of every school district in the state. Keeping the kiddos safe has to be the number one priority. It may take a little longer to get there and burn more gas but it is well worth it.

Ken Doke, Muskogee County Commissioner, made a good point when he said that while the map is a good resource, "it shows Oklahoma has an infrastructure problem when it comes to bridges."

Hopefully, if more Oklahomans get loud enough and insist on upgrading their infrastructure, lawmakers will take notice and get to work on a plan to improve it.