Lankford Celebrates State’s Largest Federal Transportation Grant with Roosevelt Bridge Groundbreaking

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Tim Gatz, and state and local leaders in Marshall County on Thursday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the $409 million Roosevelt Bridge Project replacing the more than 80-year-old section of US-70 spanning Lake Texoma between Durant and Kingston.

"After years of working with the Department of Transportation to obtain federal funding, I'm grateful to have secured the largest transportation grant in Oklahoma history for this project," said Lankford. "This is a historic investment in Southern Oklahoma that will ensure safer, more reliable travel for school buses, truck drivers, families, and tourists that cross Lake Texoma every day."

The Roosevelt Memorial Bridge over Lake Texoma connects Southern Oklahoma from east to west. Originally built in 1942 under the Roosevelt Administration, the bridge has become functionally obsolete and is at risk of deteriorating and becoming structurally deficient. The bridge carries 12,000 vehicles per day, and while either side is a four-lane highway, the bridge remains two lanes with no shoulders, which leads to bottlenecks and higher collision rates.

"The groundbreaking of the US-70 Roosevelt Bridge replacement project marks a monumental milestone for southeastern Oklahoma and our neighbors in Texas and Arkansas whose lives and economies rely upon this critical corridor," said Tim Gatz, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "A project of this magnitude would never be possible without the support of our federal delegation, including Senator Lankford, and the $124 million Federal Bridge Investment Program grant that covers roughly 30 percent of this project's cost. We are also grateful to Governor Stitt, our legislature and many state partners who are helping bring this important project to life."

In July 2024, Lankford announced the Federal Highway Administration had awarded ODOT $123.85 million in federal funding for the Roosevelt Bridge project, the largest federal transportation grant in Oklahoma history. This is one of 19 projects nationwide awarded a Bridge Investment Program - Large Bridge Project grant. The existing bridge will stay open for travelers during construction, with the new bridge expected to open in Fall of 2029.