Highway 77 to be resurfaced in Ponca City

By Everett Brazil, III

The Newkirk Herald Journal
PONCA CITY — U.S. Highway 77 is a major route through Kay County, with numerous trucks and heavy equipment travelling between Newkirk and Ponca City daily. Several projects are set to make it a smoother route for all travelers, including a resurfacing of a portion of the road in Ponca City, set to begin just after Memorial Day, May 25.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportatin (ODOT) awarded the contract to Evans & associates, Inc., Ponca City, at a cost of $1.7 million, and will resurface the highway between South Street and Hartford Ave., a distance of about two miles. During the project, the road will be reduced to one lane both directions.

The project is part of a routine program to keep roads and bridges across the state safe.

“It’ll improve the driving surface, which is a safety factor,” said ODOT spokeperson Lisa Shearer-Salim. “You have to do regular maintenance to keep it in good condition.”

Another upcoming project includes a resurfacing of the southbound lane of the highway between Newkirk and State Highway 11 in 2021.