Oklahoma County commissioners have approved funding to resolve a drainage issue at the construction site of the county’s new jail, using existing funds to avoid additional costs or delays.

The issue, discovered by the construction company Flintco, involves groundwater drainage. On Wednesday, commissioners voted 2-1 to approve a groundwater drainage system to prevent flooding once the new jail is completed.

“You wanna address them at that moment, not after the fact. That’s when it would be really costly,” said Brian Maughan, District 2 county commissioner.

Project Timeline and Funding

The drainage system is part of the first phase of the jail project, which is already funded and under construction. While the county is using existing funds to resolve this issue, there is still uncertainty about how to fund the hundreds of millions of dollars needed for the rest of the project.

Maughan also said they are working to complete the first phase of the project by 2028. Additionally, Maughan is looking to propose something on the November ballot to address the funding needs for the rest of the project.

Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.