The bridge on Old Stroud Road going over the Turner Turnpike is finally finished. Local officials, including Stroud City Manager Bob Pearman (front row, third from left), County Commissioner Will Fine (front row, fifth from left), and Joe Echelle, executive director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 12. The $8.3 million project built a two-way frontage road on the north side of Turner Turnpike as well as reconstructing the bridge. The road will be used as a detour option during the next phase of the service plaza reconstruction slated for 2025. When OTA comes through to widen the turnpike, the road will be part of the new interchange, according to Echelle.
“Between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, you’ve got two-thirds of our state’s population. We’re the main thoroughfare connecting a huge chunk of our population base, and so we’re just proud to be here today in support of Stroud and all the good things that are happening here,” he said. Photo/Emily Kalka