MANNFORD — The Town of Mannford Board of Trustees approved a resolution requesting that Oklahoma Department of Transportation adopt a proposed road route providing a second access point to the Mannford peninsula. The requested route selected by the trustees passes around the South end of the Lake Country development before connecting to State Highway 48, according to Trustee Clay Abercrombie.
According to unofficial minutes of the Sept. 10 meeting, Mannford trustees voted to approve Resolution No. 2026-05 which makes a recommendation to ODOT to adopt the aforementioned route. The motion was made by Jeff Widener and seconded Johnnie Bozarth, it was approved with no opposition.
Abercrombie said the route approved by the board was developed after residents raised concerns about other proposed alignments. According to him, the selected roadway would begin in the Lake Country area north of Mannford. From Basin Road, the route would follow the existing loop through the Lake Country development, travel around the south end of the development, and then head west toward Highway 48.
“All three options were going to go to Highway 48,” Abercrombie clarified.
The route approved by the trustees was not one of the original alignments presented for consideration, according to Abercrombie. He said two of the original roadway proposals were located farther south and closer to the railroad tracks but residents whose properties could have been impacted by those routes expressed opposition during an ODOT town hall meeting.
“The property owners didn't want that,” he said.
A third proposal initially considered was a bridge carrying Basin Road over the railroad tracks. However, Abercrombie said there was not sufficient funding available for the bridge option.
Following the town hall meeting, another alternative was suggested that would avoid the issues brought up with the other proposed roadways. ODOT returned to the drawing board and developed the Lake Country route that was ultimately recommended to the trustees.
“This was actually an additional option,” Abercrombie said. “And that's the one that goes through Lake Country that we voted on in the meeting the other night.”
The proposed roadway is intended to provide an alternate entrance and exit for the peninsula area which is anticipated to improve public access and safety by providing another route in and out.
The trustees' approval, however, does not mean ODOT has committed to constructing or funding the road as emphasized by ODOT Public Information Manager T.J. Gerlach. He said ODOT is currently acting in an advisory capacity while Mannford and Creek County consider the possible improvements.
“Any project would not be funded or at this point constructed by ODOT,” Gerlach said. “We're kind of acting as a consultant of sorts to help work through the issues for any proposed resolution.”
Gerlach said Mannford and Creek County would ultimately have to determine what they want to pursue, as they would be responsible for any road that is constructed.
“We haven't really moved forward with anything since neither the city or the county have gotten back to us on what they prefer to do,” Gerlach had said on Sept. 11. Funding would also have to be secured before construction could move forward. Gerlach said grants could be pursued although obtaining grant funding could add years to the process.
The project is currently in its early stages. The trustees' Sept. 10 action establishes Mannford's preferred route for consideration but additional decisions, funding, and approvals would be necessary before construction could begin.
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