Top 7 7News of the Year: Duncan Bypass

STEPHENS CO., Okla. (KSWO) – The Duncan Bypass stretches 8 miles west of the city of Duncan. Although built for efficiency and convenience, it also manifested some major concerns for those taking the route.

That’s because car wrecks along the beltway have become almost a regular occurrence, with some turning deadly, including two this year.

“Every fatal or near-fatal accident we have out there is reported to ODOT,” Police Training Lt. Duncan Jarrod Bishop told 7News in a previous interview. “I know they are working on some solutions to make things safer for citizens traveling on this highway.”

Many in the community attribute the danger to the freeway’s design, but officials say these wrecks are at the hands of distracted driving.

“I know cell phones are a big deal these days, but you have to put them down while driving on the highway. “From what we’ve seen over the last few years, it could have been easily avoided if they’d just been careful,” Bishop said.

Meanwhile, your team 7News has sent and is awaiting an open records request to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to learn more about the history of the highway itself and whether there are underlying reasons people in the community avoid the road.

However, improvements are on the way. Towards the end of 2024, ODOT officials released an eight-year plan to fix some of Oklahoma’s roads, including the infamous Duncan Bypass.

“Our eight-year plan serves as a guide for the department’s construction and maintenance efforts and allows us to ensure we are meeting as many transportation needs as possible across the state,” ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz said in a statement . “Our primary focus continues to be safety and reliability, and we are working to increase safety by improving interchanges, adding shoulders to rural two-lane highways and addressing statewide bridges.”

The plan will span from 2025 to 2032 and cost just over $8 billion, with $21 million earmarked for the construction of several intersections along the beltway.