The US-77 corridor through the City of Lexington was designed and constructed in the late 1930’s and included a two-lane deck truss bridge over the South Canadian river between the cities of Purcell and Lexington. The US-77 bridge serves as a critical travel link between the two cities and is the only highway river crossing for approximately 20 miles in either direction.
In 2006 ODOT proposed improvements to the US-77 corridor from east of the Canadian River Bridge in Lexington, north approximately 10 miles through the City of Slaughterville, ending at Cherry Street in the City of Noble. A public meeting was held in February 2008 regarding the corridor project and an environmental document was completed in September 2008 for the US-77 corridor from the SH-39 junction in Lexington, north to Maguire Road in Noble. Since 2008, ODOT has constructed 2.5 miles of the corridor through the City of Slaughterville. Construction recently began on the portion of US-77 north of Lexington. Other portions of the US-77 corridor are in various stages of design.
In 2013, ODOT planned a bridge replacement and highway widening project for the US-77 corridor from S. 2nd Ave. in Purcell to the intersection with Main Street in Lexington. The 1938 deck truss bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), which required an investigation of various preservation alternatives and consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).
It was later determined that the bridge required immediate emergency repairs, so the bridge replacement was accelerated as a separate project. The bridge replacement project let to construction in August 2017 and was completed in the summer of 2019.
ODOT has continued to plan for the needed improvements to the remainder of the corridor. More information on the proposed improvements for the portion of US-77 through Lexington and the three intersection alternatives is presented as part of this virtual public open house.
