WINGANON, Okla. — A $19 million project aimed at reducing flooding near Oologah Lake is just about ready to be out to bid.
The small Rogers County community of Winganon is where Rogers County Commissioners approved funding to reconstruct the crossway on 300 Road which crosses Oologah Lake. Commissioners say the Winganon Causeway project is in place to help alleviate flooding, similar to the historic flood of 20-19 in northeast Oklahoma.
As sections of the Winganon Crossway crumbled away during the pinnacle of the historic, 2019 flood, Bailey Bible kept on cooking.
As owner of Wingnon’s only market, restaurant and bait shop in one, Bible said he saw it firsthand.
"It was pretty catastrophic," Bible said. "Especially for all the cattlemen out in this area. A lot of them had to move them out to higher pastures in different people’s properties. Here in our personal property alone, water got ten to fifteen foot above our building.”
As flooding images remain fresh in Bible’s mind, 2 News Oklahoma spoke with Rogers County Commissioner Steve Hendrix who’s spearheading the project.
“The public is ready for this project," Hendrix said.
Hendrix says about 780 people travel the road every day. He’s hopeful the road will stay open during construction, where crews will widen and raise it.
“To close that road would result in a 23-30 mile detour for any traffic that needs to get across that lake," Hendrix said. "It would certainly be an inconvenience for commuters and it would certainly be a public safety issue for first responders and law enforcement.”
The $19 million project will consist of $15 million from the federal government, $3 million from the state of Oklahoma and $800,000 from Rogers County.
Hendrix says resident taxes won’t change. They’re planning on putting the project out to bid by April, and it’s expected to take roughly two years.
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