Bid process begins for Indian Road

Residents on the northern end of Sequoyah County who rely on Indian Road as their main access into Cherokee County may be happy to know work is expected to begin soon after commissioners approved three items pertaining to the project on Monday.

Sequoyah County Commissioners approved to open the bidding process to remove and replace a road culvert and to sign the plans and cover sheet for Site D location to begin the repairs. Bids will be accepted beginning after today (Friday) to “excavate, demolish, dispose of existing corrugated metal culvert then supply and install a 10” in diameter steel culvert with concrete end treatments on the damaged area of Indian Road.”

Complete bid specs are available and will be accepted in the Sequoyah County Clerk’s office until 4 p.m. on Feb. 10. The sealed bids will be opened by the Sequoyah County Commissioners on Feb. 13 during their regular weekly meeting.

Monty Proctor, CED (Circuit Engineering District) engineer for Eastern Oklahoma which includes Sequoyah County, said the entire project includes repairing four locations that were damaged last year from heavy rainfall and flooding. Two locations (C and D) damaged on Indian Road were in Sequoyah County and two (A and B) are in Cherokee County.

Proctor said the approved plans include replacing the culvert on Site D and putting in new guard rails on the east side with Cherokee Nation paying for the majority of the costs.

“I appreciate the Cherokee Nation’s support and their lion’s share of the costs for repairs on Indian Road,” Beau Burlison, District 2 commissioner, which includes Sequoyah County’s portion of Indian Road, said.

Burlison said some of the costs will fall on the county but most will come from Cherokee Nation.

He estimated the time of project completion will be in October.

Cherokee Nation officials said Sequoyah County reached out to the tribe in 2022 to request help with extensive repairs along Indian Road in northern Sequoyah County which was damaged during heavy rains and subsequent flooding in May 2022.

“This includes sections of Indian Road that were damaged by landslides and other impacts of the flood both in Sequoyah and Cherokee Counties,” Michael Lynn, Executive Director of the Cherokee Nation Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said.

“The Cherokee Nation Department of Transportation and Infrastructure identified funding through the Federal

The project will include repairing four locations that were damaged last year from heavy rainfall and flooding, including this part of the roadway on the Sequoyah County side.

Tribal Transportation Program and the contract was recently awarded to a Tulsa-based contractor, with work expected to begin in the next few weeks. The contract calls for the repair projects to be completed in about six months.

“We fast-tracked this project because we understand the significance of Indian Road as a major route used by so many people each and every day. The project will cost nearly $2 million and is just one example of the many ways the Cherokee Nation works with our community partners to improve infrastructure and quality of life throughout the tribal reservation,” Lynn said.

“In fact, Cherokee Nation has completed nearly 18 miles of road projects in Sequoyah County since fiscal year 2019, investing more than $1 million into those projects. In addition, Cherokee Nation invested nearly $8 million toward the Dwight Mission Road project, which spans 5.5 miles.”

In related business, the commissioners also approved final inspection letter for OK Flap 5407 (1) for Blackgum Landing Road which is “just wrapping up” the final completion of the road, Burlison said.

Commissioners also approved requests from the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office to apply for the VOCA grant which and the DEQ Grant which provides a salary for the Inmate Trash Clean-Up Crew.

Approved was the transfer of appropriations from the commissioners to the Emergency Management account which also provides salary for the director and assistant.

The commissioners also approved offer letters for Little Skin Bayou to purchase right-of-way.

Also approved was to hire Johnathan Teague as the Sequoyah County Emergency Management Deputy and Garrett Fargo as the requisitioning officer for the county emergency management office.