Welcome news about bridges

Ay ear ago, state Transportation Director Tim Gatz expressed some disappointment in Oklahoma ranking No. 13 nationally for fewest structurally deficient bridges. “We had hoped that we would crack the top 10,” Gatz said.

Now Oklahoma has done that, ranking No. 9 according to the Federal Highway Administration.

For years, Oklahoma ranked toward the bottom of states in this category. In 2004, nearly 1,200 of the 6,800 bridges on the state system were deemed structurally deficient. Today the total is 86 bridges, each of which is already scheduled for improvements.

Credit goes to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and to the Legislature. The latter, which had kept ODOT's appropriation flat for two decades, was prodded to act after a chunk of concrete fell from a bridge on Interstate 35, killing a motorist.

In 2005 lawmakers approved, and former Gov. Brad Henry signed, a bill creating the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) fund, which steadily increased ODOT's road and bridge repair funding. ODOT also created a revolving eightyear construction plan that focuses on pressing repair and replacement needs, with projects determined by ODOT's engineers and staff.

Gatz says during his 30-year career he has seen ODOT go “from managing our bridge infrastructure with Band-Aids and baling wire to being Top 10 in the country. That's a remarkable achievement and a testament to everybody involved.” It is indeed. Kudos.

Staff safety concerns expressed at OU

On Monday, a group of University of Oklahoma staff members protested outside OU's administration building, demanding that all fall classes be taught online and that staff be protected from layoffs. OU officials say the school granted 97% of faculty requests to teach virtual classes, and that the other 3% are under consideration. However, they also say in-person instruction is needed if OU is to avoid furloughs and layoffs. OU went all virtual in March following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and kept all its full-time employees. But, “this would no longer be financially sustainable if OU were to extend fully online through the fall semester,” officials said. The fall semester begins Aug. 24 with students attending on site. How many teachers and staff will be doing the same is unknown.

Seeking redistricting change sooner, not later

The group People Not Politicians is redoubling its effort to change Oklahoma's redistricting process. The group had hoped to ask voters this year whether to let a nine-person commission, instead of the Legislature, redraw legislative and congressional district boundaries. Legal challenges and COVID-19 got in the way. This week the group amended and refiled its petition, hoping to put the question on the ballot in 2022. If approved by voters, the commission would redraw the districts that will be crafted by the Legislature next year, with the new maps taking effect in 2024. Republicans who control the Legislature are promising to make 2021 redistricting open and inclusive. The result will be criticized by those seeking to change the process, but following through on that pledge might take some of the starch out of this effort.

Seattle police chief decides she has had enough

After 28 years with the Seattle Police Department, Chief Carmen Best has had enough. Best, the city's first Black chief, resigned Monday, a few hours after the city council voted to cut her salary and those of other police brass, and eliminate funding for as many as 100 officers. The latter move, Best said, would require laying off young officers, many of them minorities. “That's, for me, I'm done,” she said. “It really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers.” Best had been through the wringer since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May sparked widespread protests. She opposed abandoning a police precinct in an area of Seattle that was occupied by protesters for several weeks. The mayor and city leaders ignored her. They did so again when Best wrote the council to say that limiting the use of such things as tear gas and pepper spray left police with few alternatives. “This was a difficult decision for me,” Best told her department, “but when it's time, it's time.” Who can blame her?