Crash on Highway 11 renews safety concerns

By ADAM CATLIN
NHJ Editor

A recent crash on Highway 11 west of Kaw City last Thursday has renewed concerns from area motorists about the safety of the road.
The crash occurred on Highway 11 and Rocky Ridge Road, west of Kaw City at 11 a.m. last Thursday and kept the roadway closed for several hours. The crash involving a concrete truck injured the driver who was transported by MediFlight to a hospital in Tulsa. Traffic was temporarily diverted at Enterprise Road. Highway 11 was back open by 8 p.m. Thursday evening.
Matt Mitchell, P.E.Division Engineer — District 4, which covers Kay County, said that improvements will be coming.
“The SH-11 improvement project, beginning at US-77 and extending approximately seven miles east, is currently scheduled for construction in Fiscal Year 2028,” Mitchell said. “The $18.7 million project will include a full pavement reconstruction and the addition of paved shoulders, improving both the condition and safety of the corridor. This project is funded through the Rural Economic Transportation and Redevelopment (RETRO) Program.”
Mitchell said that a second, separate project will continue improvements east from the end of the FY2028 project into Kaw City.
“This project consists of a complete roadway realignment. Initial studies have been completed, and engineering design is now underway. Because the project is still in the early stages of development, it is not currently included in ODOT’s eight-year Construction Work Plan.”
There have been numerous accidents over at least the past decade on this stretch of Highway 11 west of Kaw City. There have been multiple incidents involving trucks overturning, leading to long-term closures of the roadway until it can be cleared.
There are also sections of Highway 11 near Kaw City that have steep drop-offs and a lack of guard rails. During periods of heavy rain, there have also been times the highway has also had to close down due to drainage issues.
The section from Highway 77 to Kaw City is over 50 years old.